Tenants’ union Acorn is pushing Labour to introduce tougher rent caps or face undermining work to reform renters’ rights.

Policy and research officer, Anny Cullum, said the Renters’ Rights Bill did much to strengthen renters’ security in their home but not enough to bring down rents to something that was properly affordable.

Speaking to LBC radio, she insisted the government needed to do more about affordability. “We’d like to see the amount that landlords can raise rent during a tenancy capped to either the lower of inflation or wage growth over the last three years,” said Cullum.

“What that will do is stop big spikes in rent which can effectively act as eviction by the back door because landlords won’t be able to evict people for no reason, but if they put the rent up to something they know their tenant can’t afford, then you’re being forced out anyway.

Rent increases

“We’re worried that without that, the work Labour have done to help keep people feeling secure in their homes, feeling confident to raise problems and get repairs done – because they’re not worried about Section 21 – could be undermined if they’re worried about large rent increases.”

Acorn has urged Labour to curb ‘upfront payments’ for new tenants to one month’s rent in a bid to make rented homes more affordable and believes landlord licensing schemes should be made easier to implement.

It has also called on the government to hand out compensation for evicted tenants, introduce longer protected periods and give them the right to pause rent payments in cases of serious, unaddressed disrepair.