Sadiq Khan calls for private rent freeze in London
The Mayor of London has called on the government to grant him powers to freeze rents for two years and save tenants an average of £3,000 amid cost of living crisis.
City Hall analysis, based on figures from the estate agent Savills, has estimated that a rent freeze would stop rises of on average £881 in the first year and around £2,100 in the second year.
Research from City Hall and YouGov previously estimated that a quarter of London’s 2.4 million privately renting adults had fallen behind on their rent, or said they were likely to do so, as a direct result of the pandemic.
This is the mayor’s second attempt to place controls on private rents in London, having pressed ministers on the issue in 2019 before he sought re-election.
Mr Khan said: ‘Private renters make up nearly a third of everyone living in the capital and they are set to be hit by a devastating combination of price and bill rises. Too often the needs of private renters are ignored by both landlords and the government.
‘Rising fuel and energy costs – which will hit renters in energy inefficient homes the hardest – are already causing anxiety and stress, with a big rise in the energy price cap due next month.
‘That’s why today I’m calling on ministers to give me the powers to stop rents rising in the capital, and help me to give people a chance to get back on their feet after the pandemic.’
Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, said: “With the cost of living spiralling out of control, the mayor is right that renters need more protections from unaffordable rent hikes. It’s too easy for landlords to raise rent on tenants and it’s too difficult for renters to negotiate, or challenge a rent increase at a tribunal.
‘Without intervention landlords can effectively evict their tenants by making their home too expensive for them to afford. The mayor needs powers to intervene for London’s millions of renters.’
As the price of food and petrol soars, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says the country is going to experience the worst cost of living crisis for 60 years, and the Resolution Foundation believes nationally 2.5 million families will be plunged into fuel poverty.
In related news, analysis by London Councils reveals almost double the number of homeless women than men are in temporary accommodation arranged by a borough in the capital.
Photo by Ethan Wilkinson