Trade association the NRLA has warned that rent controls would prompt a third of landlords to sell up if they were introduced in England.

This comes with a warning that attempts to restrict how much landlords can raise rents would make a ‘chronic’ housing supply problem even worse.

The organisation’s comments today are a clear attempt to lobby the Governments of England and Wales (Scotland already has rent controls) as Labour Ministers in Cardiff consider a recent consultation on rent controls and Labour’s Mayor of London Sadiq Khan continues to push his Westminster colleagues to limit rent increases.

The Government has said that it would seek to limit how much landlords can raise rents and how often, although draft legislation on this has yet to emerge.

The NRLA campaign comes as research by Pegasus Insight shows that during the second quarter of the year 82 per cent of landlords in England and Wales reported strong demand for properties from tenants, while landlords were two times more likely to have sold properties over the previous year than to have purchased rental homes.

According to the data, eight per cent had bought properties to rent out, compared with 17 per cent who had sold.

Looking to the year ahead while 10 per cent said they planned to purchase new homes to rent out, one-third planned to sell over the same period.

“Whichever way you look at it there are more renters looking for a place to live than there are homes available,” says Ben Beadle (main image), Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association.

“Ultimately rent controls would be a disaster for tenants. All they would do is choke off supply further, undermining what little choice tenants currently have when looking for somewhere to live.

“Housing is expensive because we don’t have enough of every type of property, be it for owner occupation, social rent or private rent. The only way to solve this crisis is to boost supply right across the board.”