Green Party leader calls for rent controls because ‘landlords are better off than renters’
9:20 AM, 3rd February 2026, 3 months ago
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The Green Party leader has claimed “landlords can charge whatever they want” as he calls for rent controls to be introduced.
In an interview on the BBC, Zach Polanski claimed Mayors should have the power to cap rents.
The Green Party previously passed a motion at their party conference to abolish landlords.
If you are a landlord, you are doing better than a renter
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Polanski claimed renters were feeling the pinch as “they’re stuck in an overinflated market where landlords can often charge what they want.”
However, Ms Kuenssberg hit back and argued against the stereotype that landlords are wealthy.
She asked Mr Polanski: “A lot of landlords are also struggling right now, and a lot of them aren’t wealthy people, they have saved up and having a rental income is money they rely on.”
However, Mr Polanski claimed: “Ultimately, if you are a landlord, you are doing better than a renter.
“We have landlords that own dozens and dozens of properties, and it’s about the deep injustice between a very small group of people who own a lot and the masses of people who own absolutely nothing.”
Mayors should have the power to cap rents
The Green Party wants to introduce rent controls and Mr Polanski claimed there was evidence of countries that have introduced rent controls successfully.
However, as previously reported by Property118, rent controls can do more harm than good. In Scotland, rent increases accelerated following the introduction of rent controls in September 2022, with Scottish renters experiencing the steepest annual rent growth in the UK at 11.6%.
While the rent cap has now ended in Scotland, rent controls are set to return under the Housing (Scotland) Act in 2027.
Ms Kuenssberg also pointed out that countries such as the Netherlands have seen rental shortages since rent controls have been introduced.
Mr Polanski claimed Mayors should have the power to cap rents and pointed out that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pushed for rent controls.
He said: “I sit as an elected member of the London Assembly, and Sadiq Khan, as London Mayor, was calling for rent controls. He said that when we had a Labour government and a Labour mayor, that would be the difference this country needed. But I don’t know if people have noticed, there hasn’t been much difference.
“Rent controls should be based on local incomes, local affordability and housing stock, as we need to build more homes. If the national government wants to introduce rent controls at a national level, I wouldn’t oppose that either, it’s just that someone needs to do it.
“The problem we need to fix is spiralling rents that are getting more and more expensive.”
You can view the BBC’s interview with Mr Polanski by clicking below with his comments on renters starting at 1:20
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Member Since June 2019 - Comments: 781
9:26 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Mayors are far better off than me, how about a council tax freeze?
Member Since March 2025 - Comments: 4
9:35 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Oh my god…what an arrogant, ill-thought out set of remarks, borne out of the need to be popular.
Show me a place where rent caps and controls have worked, and I’ll show you a unicorn.
If rent caps are introduced, homelessness will go through the roof and the poorest in society won’t have anywhere to live.
It’s not rocket science.
Member Since August 2025 - Comments: 2
9:36 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Reply to the comment left by David Tarry at 03/02/2026 – 09:35
We are better off because we have worked hard, saved hard and not played as hard.
Member Since July 2024 - Comments: 12
9:39 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Another sweeping statement from an idiot who believes he can increase the size of women’s breasts by hypnotherapy and that all drugs should be legalised if this moron ever became PM I’d leave and go to France in a small boat!
Member Since June 2022 - Comments: 11
9:43 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Why not cap rent such that landlords may have a max % return. In that way we know the value of private rentals are equal for all.
Most companies have annual returns of around 15 – 20%.
So unless people like Polanski are prepared to take on the big companies to cap their profits – which I very much doubt – stop attacking the small landlords. When all said, the business has to be profitable.
Member Since January 2025 - Comments: 91
9:49 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
… ‘forward’ to the rent controls of the Rent Act 1977. All nicely choreographed by the Labour Party – “not me guv but an idea that needs considering”.
As this poster has been warning the so called property industry voices for some time – while they were busy cosying up to a political party whose only real intention is to redistribute assets through taxes and regulations.
This will be Labour’s ‘pièce de résistance’ timed just before they go to the electorate. Don’t be surprised when they announce this together with other redistributive devices and call a snap election to ‘reassert control’.
Member Since October 2023 - Comments: 205
10:35 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Being a communist, he doesn’t understand how free markets work.
Landlords cant charge “whatever they want” they can only charge what the market will support.
There are 2.5 million landlords in the UK, so plenty of competition……….sort of the exact opposite of a monopoly!
Member Since January 2025 - Comments: 91
10:57 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
… the small landlords are the low hanging fruit… attacking them will garner support from the millions of renters locked out of home ownership through this and the previous governments inept policies… but you need to learn that a politician is never wrong… it was the job of the so called voices of the property sector to put their case but they were too busy naval gazing while most well represented sectors walked away with inflation busting pay rises…
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1447 - Articles: 1
11:04 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
My HB tenants had newer cars than me, had +50″ TVs, the latest iPhones and iPads, went on holidays at least twice a year, spent loads of money on Christmas presents.
Member Since January 2025 - Comments: 91
11:05 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 3 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Smallfry at 03/02/2026 – 09:39
… actually, you’d do well if you entered this country in a small boat having thrown away your passport mid çhannel…