Housing campaigners slam Labour’s rent controls refusal

Demanding rent controls on the national housing demonstration in London earlier this month (Picture: Guy Smallman)

Labour ministers are lauding the Renters’ Rights Act—which comes into force on Friday—as a “once in a generation reform”.

But they’re refusing to tackle one of the biggest crise facing tenants—spiralling rents.

The Guardian newspaper reported earlier this week that chancellor Rachel Reeves had been considering a one-year freeze on rent increases.

But ⁠housing secretary Steve ​Reed ​told Times Radio on Wednesday that he is “crystal clear” that Labour is “not doing” a freeze for private tenants.

Paul from the Homes 4 All campaign group told Socialist Worker, “Steve Reed has got no idea about working class people and their current living standards.

“Private rents are pricing tenants out of homes, they are causing homelessness, sickness and state led child neglect.

“Renters, particularly in the private sector, are already expected to make huge sacrifices.”

Paul explained that Haringey Council in north London had sent a letter before Christmas the year before last to its residents. It included budgeting advice for tenants, with ideas such as “reduce excess food by eating leftovers”.

“What this letter shows is that landlords know what they’re doing,” he said. “The people who are collecting rent off of tenants know that people are struggling to eat and survive, and they simply don’t care.

“Without rent controls, people will be priced out of having a home at all and their quality of life will suffer even more.”

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The Renters Rights Act, which bans no fault evictions, wouldn’t have happened without campaigning. But Labour didn’t want it to go “too far” and landlords.

Paul added, “Renters have no security, no recourse. The new Renters’ Rights Act offers these things to a certain degree. But it doesn’t challenge the monopoly that the rich have on housing or the profiteering that is so damaging for ordinary people.”

The national housing demonstration earlier this month showed the scale of anger over the housing crisis.

Paul said, “We need a rent freeze, but we also need to look beyond that and include in our demands real alternatives to the private sector.

“We need more council housing and normal social rents that people can actually afford to pay.”