Greens call for ’emergency brake’ three-year rent cap

Private rent rises must be capped at 2% or less for three years under proposals made by Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

The move would see landlords being restricted to whichever is lowest out of inflation, wage growth or 2%.

The Greens’ party conference is being held in Brighton where delegates will be told an ’emergency brake’ on rent rises is needed.

That would, the Greens claim, help in the cost-of-living crisis and adults having to move back into their parents’ homes.

Emergency rent rise limits

Mr Polanski will say: “No sudden hikes, no evictions under the guise of rent rises.

“That emergency brake would give renters vital breathing space.”

He is expected to add: “Let wages begin to catch up with the rents that have outstripped them for too long.

“And give government time to develop a national fair rents guarantee – to keep rents fair and affordable for everyone, forever.”

Landlords are ‘super-earners’

The party’s co-deputy leader Rachel Millward told BBC Breakfast that most landlords were ‘super-earners’ and a rent cap wouldn’t affect them.

She said they were making more money than other sectors and ‘would be able to absorb a slight reduction in rent’.

However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has previously warned that rent controls would have ‘unintended consequences’, including demand exceeding supply in the market for homes to let.

The Greens have long campaigned for rent controls and the issue is part of its manifesto.

Existing rent increase rules

The Renters’ Rights Act allows landlords to increase rent only once a year, to the property’s open market rate.

It also replaces fixed-term tenancies with rolling agreements and makes it harder for landlords to evict tenants.

Mr Polanski is expected to argue that the legislation does not go far enough in ending ‘fear and uncertainty’ for private tenants.

According to the Office for National Statistics, average monthly private rents rose by 3.7% in the 12 months to July 2026.