London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan has returned to his demand for powers to control rents in the private sector, citing a new opinion poll to support his call.
This is despite speculation that he had been slapped down by party leader Sir Kier Starmer over exactly that issue
At the end of last week Khan claimed that a new YouGov poll commissioned by his team at London’s City Hall showed that some 160,000 Londoners were falling behind on their rent payments, and some 24 per cent of private tenants - equivalent to some 650,000 people - were apparently struggling to meet rent payments.
No definitions were given as to how they were struggling.
The poll also suggested that some 3,630 households were assessed as threatened with homelessness in London after receiving a Section 21 eviction notice last year.
Khan’s use of the data to push his demand for powers to impose rent controls comes just a month after a Financial Times report saying that the Labour Party nationally was rejecting such a move.
Khan first argued for rent controls in 2016; he has no authority to implement such controls but wants to be given increased powers over the private rental sector by the UK government.
Recently Khan proposed a “rent controls commission” to use a new register of landlords and rents to work out how existing rents should be gradually reduced and impose limits on rent rises between tenancies.
But the FT in late May said: “Senior party insiders told the Financial Times that Starmer’s office was not exploring introducing national rent controls or devolving related powers to mayors if elected.”
Labour in Wales has already rejected rent controls but is now flirting with the ideal once again via a consultation process. The Scottish Labour Party is in favour, and has backed the measures implemented in that country by the Scottish National Party and the Greens.
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Khan should stick to what he’s best at
When someone figures that out , please let me know
He was voted in democratically by a large majority of Londoners. So, suck it up buttercup. 😂
It's strange how George has 18 likes (at time of writing) and the Equaliser has zero, yes the one like was from himself!
The concept of rent controls is insane all economists agree that all it will do is destroy the private rented sector. As a large landlord, I have had to evict far too many tenants for nonpayment of rent. I have an No eviction policy, which states that I will not evict a Tenant, if they are unable to pay their rent. I have been operating this policy for 30 years and have yet to find a tenant who could genuinely not pay their rent. All the tenants I evict have wilfully refused to pay their rent or refuse to claim universal credit which would pay their rent, or if they have claimed universal credit have kept the rents element due to the governments insane policy of paying the rent to the claimant, not the landlord and who can blame the tenant as there is no consequence for nonpayment of rent, if you have no assets and no credit history to protect. It gets worse the council and or their advisors encourage my tenants not to pay their rent and get evicted as it will give them priority for social housing. That the tenant is evicted for nonpayment of rent is ignored or written off as the landlord was exploitative, the rent was unaffordable, the property was in poor condition so the tenant was justified in not paying the rent etc.
A very simple answer, which will go a long way to solving this problem of tenants being evicted is to copy Sandwell MBC’s call before you serve policy. What the council do is provide a mediation service for those who are struggling to pay their rent or have other issues and face eviction . This one thing has reduced my evictions in Sandwell by over 80%. Repeat this round the country and I think the need for rent controls will disappear.
The chances of councils working with the landlords and tenants to address paying the rent happening, without government intervention is almost zero. What do you expect when the biggest competitor to the private rented sector, the council who provide the majority of social housing largely filled and influence by left-wing anti-private,landlord, employees and counsellors. Imagine Tesco’s being put in charge of regulating all the other supermarkets, but exempt all the legislation itself. That is the insane system we have in the UK with councils, regulating private landlords.
Jim HaliburtonTheHMODaddy
Should try living in Scotland, we’re a few years of hell in front with regards to compliance, and dictatorial regulations by the SNP and The Greens. They hate landlords!
At least 14 of the 36 OECD countries have some sort of rent control and most of those countries are more civilised than Britain.
George Orwell's 1984 is unfolding right in front of us. Big Brother is watching. It's an abysmal situation that no one in power or authority has thought through to the bitter end. Backing the tenant to the hilt? Recipe for total disaster.
Sure fire way to get more of us out of the PRS 🆘
Both of those two Clowns 🤡 need booting into touch. Rates get jacked up,
Mortgages go up so as a matter of course rents go up…. This is very basic Khan, as an educated guy who made his money ambulance chasing he must think there is money trees at the bottom of No10’s garden. Idiots the pair of them
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London & ULEZ extortion rogue.
Do you not even know why Tenants are in arrears or a half a million struggling with their Bills.
So instead of a Rent Cap why not buy your colleague Mr Michael Gove a fools Cap.
Do you even live in London?
Equaliser, I did and I also had a job, did you???
Slow marching again in the morning before nipping off to mount a tree in the afternoon
What on earth are you talking about.
He knows it won’t work always playing victimhood politics. He needs to be voted out!!!
Jim Halliburton
I agree with what you have written. The problem is immigration, tenants used to move freely around when their was a surplus of property. With mass immigration that has caused a massive imbalance, and demand exceeds supply, with what is a de facto open borders policy.
Just had a guy literally walk up to my business partner and offer him £1k to hold the property we have just got back from a scruffy non payer.
He was from another country and don’t want any of the checks to be done. Didn’t want deposits logged etc…
No was the very swift answer as I could imagine four sets of bunk beds in every bedroom and one of the reception rooms
If you don't like it, then why don't you leave the country. I'll pay for your flight. One way.
Equaliser, I did….
Now live in the UAE 🇦🇪. My
Point is landlords are given a rough time and when you have multiple people coming and asking for property no questions asked then it’s an issue….
Over here everything is regulated including rent increases so 🇬🇧 has a lot to learn. Thanks for paying attention
I wasn't replying to you. I was replying to the oringinal boomer moaning about immigration.
I wasn’t moaning about immigration I was moaning about lack of process and control in the rental arena.
As for being an immigrant let me educate you, born and bred in the north west of England and worked all over the country until I was in my mid forties.
Moved to the Middle East as no value in taxation in the uk 🇬🇧 .
Being in this region I need a work permit, identity, a reason to be here or I am kicked out. No benefits available, no sponging, no people sleeping in doorways, no crime,
No people not paying rent and most of you are not here…
So buttercup you suck it up and no doubt if you are working keep paying the tax while I save it. If you are not working at least my tax is not supporting you….. now that is irony an immigrant who arrived in another country legally and offering value!
This site is terrible. I wasn't replying to you. Well done for moving to the UAE. I spend a lot of time travelling around Africa and the Arab countries. It's amazing. I was actually annoyed with the original comment, with his typical moaning about immigration. One thing I've learnt from subscribing to this site that it's full of really out of date, backwards people. If I didn't have a load of money in property, I'd be wishing for a massive crash in the market.
What good are rent controls when there's no PRS left? The current government will have destroyed the PRS long before Sadiq Khan can get his wish to put the final nail in the coffin. I think maybe he should be looking closer to home to fix the problems.
Prince William is out trying to stop homelessness, I'm not very patriotic especially since Lizzy passed away. I have no respect for Charles and his so called Queen, I'm really hoping that this guy can save the royal family.
Rent Controls the big boys can’t offer our service or compete with us despite charging 30 / 40% more rent, so bring it on ! Oh no better not the Construction Industry will Collapse and the Concrete mixer will be stopped.
Don’t be daft Michael the cap won’t apply to Corporate.
I was going to say Prince William could let out Buckingham Palace but it's got a terrible EPC ;
"Buckingham Palace has being given the worst possible score in an energy efficiency report to top London's 'dirty dozen' of most environmentally damaging buildings. The Royal residence was described as 'shocking and appalling' as a team of energy surveyors gave it a green score of 0 out of 10.12 Mar 2009"
Nuff said
Sorry to disappoint I always paid my own way, save it for your civilised spongers.
I'm a London landlord and I don't object to some sensible rent controls (e.g. no more than inflation or whatever the increase in the cost of mortgage works out) although how you'd enforce this I have no idea.
If I can't raise the rent to cover the mortgage I would sell. Maybe that would help some folks get on the ladder but, I doubt it given that demand would increase as evicted tenants try either to buy or find another place to rent.
Starmer is right, we need to build houses and flats in a big way like we did after the war.
Richard. I agree you have to cover the costs as in any Business.
Although they don’t need them for me I am too much below the Market.
The war was different they had to replace the one that were Bombed. My Aunt had the nylons burner off her running for the Shelter, my wife was a baby in the pram when the house was Bombed and flattened, when the dust settled she was covered in broken glass in the pram, her Uncle was trapped under a door with a broken arm others RIP.
I think you’ll never have enough housing when they are subsidised it will always be over subscribed like the NHS is abused. When people take responsibility for their own lives and livelihoods, fen for themselves and not expecting to be kept by others the problems would disappear.
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