Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have gathered in support of their position against rent controls, including regarding their impact on likely levels of (1) rent, and (2) property to rent in the private sector.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department regularly reviews research and evidence related to various aspects of the private rented sector.
The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector.
Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.4% in the 12 months to June, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.2%.
Asked by: Lord Gascoigne (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing rent controls on (1) the functioning of the private rented sector, (2) the quality of rental accommodation, (3) rental housing supply, and (4) the delivery of new housing.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department regularly reviews research and evidence related to various aspects of the private rented sector.
The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector.
Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.4% in the 12 months to June, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.2%.
Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Housing and planning on 20 October 2025 (HC78220), whether they remain opposed to rent controls.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector.
Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.4% in the 12 months to June, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.2%.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of local authorities which have increased enforcement action against landlords in the private rented sector in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the resources available to local authorities for enforcement.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not currently collect data that would enable an assessment of changes in enforcement activity against landlords at local authority level over the last five years. From April 2027 we intend to require local authorities to provide MHCLG with a suite of data on the private rented sector in their local area. We expect that data to include, for example, the number of formal enforcement notices issued; the number of civil penalties issued by category of offence; revenue received from civil penalties; total number of staff in private rented sector enforcement teams; and total spend on private rented sector enforcement.
Through the Renters’ Rights Act, the government is strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers and extending and increasing ring-fenced civil penalties to support a ‘polluter pays’ approach to enforcement in the private rented sector.
In accordance with the new burdens doctrine, we will ensure additional net costs on local authorities resulting from the Act are fully funded. To that end, the Department is providing £41.12 million to local housing authorities for this financial year to help them undertake their new enforcement responsibilities. This funding is in addition to the £18.2 million provided in 2025/26.
Our intention is to use fees from the Private Rented Sector Database to provide funding over the long term for local authorities to use on work to improve compliance in the private rented sector.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between local housing allowance rates and the availability of affordable accommodation in the private rental sector.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, such as rent levels and the housing markets across the country were considered against the fiscal context and the level of housing support that Government provides overall.
Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential merits of requiring (a) letting agents and (b) landlords to provide a reason to rental housing applicants for applications being unsuccessful to ensure compliance with the (i) Equality Act 2010 and (ii) Renters Rights Act 2025.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 extends existing protections against discrimination in the lettings process under the Equality Act 2010 to those in receipt of benefits or with children
The Act also provides local authorities with strong investigatory and enforcement powers to bear down on rental discrimination practices in the private rented sector. It addresses both overt discriminatory practices, such as ‘No DSS’ adverts, and situations where landlords or letting agents use other indirect practices in order to prevent someone entering into a tenancy.
My Department also encourages good practice across property agents. The Property Ombudsman already has a code of practice for letting agents which is mandatory for its members; and we will publish, later this year, a non-statutory code of practice setting out minimum best practice standards, and consider legislation to ensure compliance.
Our new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, once established, will be able to publish guidance and codes of practice for landlords, which will further help to drive up standards across this sector.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the estimate that 43% of the landlord data required for the Private Rented Sector database can be provided on day one by letting agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Letting agents will be able to support landlords with the registration of their properties on the PRS Database, providing certain property information on their behalf.
Both landlords and letting agents have been extensively involved throughout the Databases digital design process to help shape many aspects of its user interface in order to maximise the user-friendliness of this functionality.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to allow letting agents to submit data to the Private Rented Sector database on behalf of their landlords.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Letting agents will be able to support landlords with the registration of their properties on the PRS Database, providing certain property information on their behalf.
Both landlords and letting agents have been extensively involved throughout the Databases digital design process to help shape many aspects of its user interface in order to maximise the user-friendliness of this functionality.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to ensure that the Private Rented Sector database integrates with systems used by estate agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Letting agents will be able to support landlords with the registration of their properties on the PRS Database, providing certain property information on their behalf.
Both landlords and letting agents have been extensively involved throughout the Databases digital design process to help shape many aspects of its user interface in order to maximise the user-friendliness of this functionality.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure that estate agents and landlords have an opportunity to shape the Private Rented Sector database.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Letting agents will be able to support landlords with the registration of their properties on the PRS Database, providing certain property information on their behalf.
Both landlords and letting agents have been extensively involved throughout the Databases digital design process to help shape many aspects of its user interface in order to maximise the user-friendliness of this functionality.