Sadiq Khan unveils cash for London’s tenants to tackle landlords

“Mr Khan also wants to exempt new build-to-rent homes from any rent caps to encourage supply.”
Good luck putting that into law. It means that full open market rents are acceptable for some tenants but not others. Will the exemption apply throughout the life of the building or will it be for a fixed period and then no more increases above the (arbitrary) cap.
Given that Khan and his mates realise that what they are doing will deter investment without the cap, why are they discriminating against existing landlords who may have provided homes for many years?
And to Jordan McCay and any other prospective investors, a question. Do you trust the Government not to shaft you after you have spent your money?

Giving cash help to pressure landlords in legal battle is not the answer,. It would be far better to educate people, encouraging people to go to work rather than sitting home looking to social benefits . To the landlord The cost of updating multi story flats and no parking plus cost of materials work that out ? perhaps someone should be looking into the real issue where prices and labour costs are rising uncontrollably and if landlords abandon market then where the revenue is going to come from to help the unemployed. It appears the London may become derelict place soon. Everyone is failing to understand where it’ would been sensible to regularlise the rental prices and price control on materials rather than putting more and more people out of work and further create poverty.
Joe

It’s things like this that pushes rent up. Landlords will cover their back from day 1. Never saw a law that is in favour of landlords, yet all councils come to landlords to provide housing so that they can show they fulfilled their election promises of more housing in their borough.
If you see the pattern, this is not about landlord and tenants anymore. This is about bureaucrats working with politicians. They want to force private landlords out, they will then own most rental properties themselves, then the government will say these companies are helping the housing market so they will protect them, with what not in return. This tactic has worked in a lot of corrupted countries.

“three-quarters of Londoners would back such rent rise limits”

I assume that the other quarter are landlords and more enlightened tenants, who realise that rent caps will ultimately reduce supply and push rent up.

Astonishing.

A landlord/tenant I know told me that during Covid his work came mainly from Chelsea landlords whose rich tenants were using the temporary stay on evictions as an opportunity not to pay their rent.

Labour seem to have got into a bubble with GR and the environmental mob, without taking any account of the landlord perspective. Risks around rental have gone up. Costs have risen, whether it is MTD, compliance including licensing costs, the cost of reaching EPC C, etc. Mortgage costs have risen and they and insurers are bound to factor in the additional risk. Throw in rent control, and the figures just don’t add up.

I assume the attraction of rent control is that it hides, at least in the short term, rent rises resulting from the imbalance between demand and reducing supply.

A fund to TACKLE landlords, it makes it feel like a “them and us” situation… as if all landlords are evil and all tenants as pure as driven snow. No landlords = no property to rent, where would all these folk live?

“I believe the next step is for Ministers to devolve the power to cap rents so we can tackle the capital’s problems of both affordability and supply.”

Anyone with a brain cell would realise that market rent depends on supply and demand. The only way rent would come down long term would be if a) there are more properties and/or b) London’s population is reduced.

Rent caps will not fix anything.

Looking forward to putting my tick in the box for Reform
Say good bye to idiots

Reply to the comment left by Sarah O’Connell at 27/03/2026 – 09:19
Sorry typo. Landlord/tenant lawyer.

Ban no fault evictions- landlords exits. Rents rise (supply Vs demand).
Cap rents – more landlords exits. Rents rise(supply Vs demand).
Tax landlords more – landlord pass cost to tenant. Rent rise.
OR
Landlord exits. Rents rise (supply Vs demand).
Increase interest rates – landlord passes cost to tenant. Rent rise.
Increase the cost of compliance for landlords. Landlord passes cost to tenant Rent rises.
I know this and I am not a genius.
Why doesn’t the govt know this?