Rent controls in London, as proposed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, “would be a disaster for aspiring tenants” according to the Residential Landlords Association and the National Landlords Association.
The Mayor has placed plans to introduce rent controls at the heart of his re-election bid despite warnings from experts that such proposals would result in landlords simply deciding that they were no longer going to rent their properties.
John Stewart, Policy Manager for the Residential Landlords Association, and Chris Norris, Policy Director for the National Landlords Association, said, in a joint statement: “Rent controls might appear attractive to those already renting but they would be a disaster for anyone looking for somewhere to rent.
“All they would achieve, as history and experience elsewhere tells us, is to drive landlords out of the market exacerbating an already serious shortage of homes available.
“Instead of putting out simplistic and superficially appealing proposals in an attempt to win votes, the Mayor should focus on boosting the supply of available housing using the powers he already has. Only then will he make any discernible impact on improving the affordability of housing across the capital.”