Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce a cap on rent rises that is linked to inflation.

Landlords cannot in general increase rent without their tenant’s permission, and there are no plans to change the rules regarding rent rises.

The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls to set the level of rent at the outset of a tenancy. Historical evidence suggests that these would discourage investment in the sector, and would lead to declining property standards as a result, which would not help landlords or tenants.