Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on low-income tenants of landlords adjust their rental prices in relation to section 24 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2015.

The Government estimates that only 1 in 5 landlords would pay more tax as a result of the restrictions to landlords’ finance cost relief, once it is fully implemented. When introduced, the government did not expect this measure to have a significant impact on either house prices or rent levels.

The restrictions came in to effect in April 2017. The most recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) index of private housing rental prices shows that rental prices increased by 0.9% in the 12 months to September 2018. A year ago (the 12 months to September 2017) the annual rate of growth was 1.6%.