Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for a three year “emergency brake”on private rent increases.
In his speech to the Green Party conference today, Polanski called on the government to prevent rents rising by more than the lowest of CPI inflation, wage growth or 2% for three years.
He said; “For too long, landlords have been able to hike prices way beyond wages, leaving renters forced to meet the cost to keep a roof over their heads, cutting back and back and back on everything else”
Average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.5%, to £1,377, in the 12 months to January 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The property website Zoopla’s latest rental market report found UK rents for new tenancies are 2.6 per cent higher in the 12 months to July 2026, up from 1.6 per cent in February and are on track to reach 4-5 per cent by the year end.
In response, our Chief Executive, Holly Williamson, said:
“Homes are the foundations of our lives. But when we are forced to part with more and more cash, we end up sacrificing the dream of owning our own home, or saving for a holiday, just to keep a roof over our heads.
“A limit on rent increases would be a welcome commitment for the millions of private renters who desperately need breathing space. The government should recognise that renters cannot keep absorbing unaffordable increases year after year and rethink its opposition to limiting rent rise”
