The Green Party has made a renewed call for rent controls in London, as the capital’s mayoral race enters its final days.
Outlining her “renters’ charter” in Westminster on Monday, the Greens’ City Hall candidate Zoë Garbett said she would demand powers from the Government to freeze the capital’s private rents for two years and establish a “rent commission”.
She dismissed concerns that such a move could choke off the supply of new homes, as she insisted it would be possible to “make sure the market doesn’t collapse” by involving landlords in the process.
The Greens came third in the last mayoral election and insist that the poll on Thursday is not a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservatives.
Garbett said her charter was “all about getting a better deal for renters”, with her manifesto calling for the creation of “a fit-for-purpose public database to help renters know which landlords to avoid, so we can hold them to account”.
Khan launched an online “rogue landlord and agent checker” in 2017, which publicly lists those convicted in London of a criminal housing offence or fined over £500.
But Garbett said the existing database was “failing in its purpose” as there was too much data hidden. It was reported last year that some landlords had their name hidden because they had convinced officials that there were “exceptional circumstances” meaning was not in the public interest to name them.
The Conservative government has argued that rent controls do not work, as they can reduce the supply of new properties coming onto the market and lead to declining standards. Housing Secretary Michael Gove said last year that the measure would be completely the wrong approach.
Asked about this opposition to the policy, Garbett said: “I’ve researched rent controls and looked at the different models – and every city is different.
“This is about a rent commission that’s full of renters – so they get to decide what the model looks like. They’ll listen to landlords, we’ll make sure the market doesn’t collapse and we’ll keep that under review.
“But what we’ve got currently really isn’t working, and I think it’s that real pushback on rent controls. We know a lot of people in government have vested interests, are landlords themselves, and they succumb to that pressure.”
She added: “The current mayor of London only supports rent controls because the Greens in City Hall have really pushed for him to see that they’re important and I don’t think he has been calling for them loudly.”
Khan has previously called for a two-year freeze on private rents and the establishment of a rent commission to explore how a longer-term system of rent controls could work.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said, however that the party, is opposed to rent controls nationally, suggesting in a recent interview that he would not give Khan the power to introduce them in London.
Khan said on LBC’s mayoral debate that he was willing to “stand up to” Starmer over the issue.
The Green Party’s co-leader, Carla Denyer, said: “The Greens have consistently come third in the last few London mayoral campaigns. Despite what some have been saying, it is not a two horse race here in London. There is a large gap between Sadiq and the Conservative candidate.
“So voters can feel free to vote for the Greens, vote with their values – and that will get a stronger Green voice.”
She added: “I’ve been incredibly impressed by Zoë’s campaign. I tuned into the BBC debate a few nights ago, and thought she absolutely knocked it out of the park – clearly the strongest candidate and really brings a breath of fresh air to the London mayoral campaign.”
Khan has also warned London’s Tory councils that if he wins Thursday’s elections, he will not “not hesitate” to intervene in places where they are failing to approve enough homes.
London Labour said its analysis had revealed 2,566 fewer homes had been completed on average in Conservative boroughs than in their Labour counterparts since Khan took office in 2016.
Hall has promised to “build more family homes that Londoners can afford”, while arguing that Khan’s “failing London Plan” is filled with bureaucracy which has delayed developments from gaining planning permission.
The Labour mayor has pledged in his manifesto to create more mayoral development corporations – regeneration-focused zones which currently exist at Stratford’s Olympic Park and at Old Oak and Park Royal in west London.
He has also proposed new “land assembly zones” in places where fragmented land ownership is stifling the delivery of new homes. Charlton Riverside is one such area, but is not named in the manifesto.
Noah Vickers is the Local Democracy Reporter for City Hall, based at the Evening Standard.
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