One of Ed Milliband’s flagship election promises was the introduction of fresh landlord regulation, which included rent controls in the private rental sector. Mr Milliband felt strongly that tenants needed to be protected from ‘exploitive’ landlords trying to make a fast buck by putting up the rents as and when they felt like. Now Ed is out of the picture for good, the balance of opinion has changed in the Labour party.
It’s Wrong to Control Rents, Says Shadow Chancellor
Labour’s new shadow chancellor, Chris Leslie, has gone on record as saying that Labour was wrong to have sought to control rents in the private sector. Speaking as a landlord, he said it was wrong that landlords should be punished for seeking to make money from rental housing.
In an interview for the Guardian newspaper, he said:
“Part of the issue we always face on the centre-left is the temptation to want to control and run what’s going on in a particular market. It was reasonable to talk to people who were renting and say, ‘we understand your anxieties.’ But actually the solution is supply of housing, and not necessarily implying that landlords are all exploitative and opportunistic.”
More Transparency Needed in the Private Rental Sector
He believes the solution to the problem is not rent controls and more landlord legislation. Rather a new system of house building needs to be rolled out instead. He also says the PRS would benefit from greater transparency.
According to the parliamentary register of interests, Mr Leslie owns one rental property in London.
