Landlord campaigners attack Sadiq Khan’s rent control re-election plans

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  • 03/03/2020
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Landlord campaigners attack Sadiq Khan’s rent control re-election plans
London mayor Sadiq Khan is to put rent controls at the heart of his re-election campaign, in a move which would be a ‘disaster’ for aspiring tenants, according to landlord organisations.

 

Khan (pictured) is set to demand Boris Johnson hands over the power to introduce the policy, should he win another term in office when voting takes place on 7 May.

Under his previous rent control proposals, he wanted to establish a new London Private Rent Commission, with renters on its board, to implement and enforce measures to reduce rents and keep them at lower levels.

The mayor currently has no statutory powers over the private rented sector,

Khan warned the prime minister would be “ignoring the democratic will of millions of Londoners” if he refused to handover more control in the event of victory.

John Stewart, policy manager for the Residential Landlords Association, and Chris Norris, policy director for the National Landlords Association, issued a joint statement on the proposals.

They said: “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 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.”

 

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