Rent controls are always and everywhere a disaster
14 May 2024
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Labour Market
Housing and Planning
Harrison Griffiths writes for The Spectator
15 May 2024
Economic Theory
25 June 2024
Matthew Lesh quoted in The Telegraph
IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh has been quoted in The Daily Telegraph criticising a new Labour Party-commissioned report recommending a cap on rent rises in England and Wales.
Matthew said:
“Rent controls are always and everywhere a disaster. Scotland tried a cap on rent increases for existing tenancies. The result was landlords significantly increasing rents on new tenancies, which jumped by 14pc in the year to September 2023.
“It has become more difficult for new tenants to find somewhere to live, with the average search time increasing from 12 to 16 weeks. There are reports of landlords pulling their properties from the market and spending less on maintenance and improvements.
“The only solution to the housing crisis is to fix Britain’s broken planning system so that enough homes can be built where people want to live. This fiddling will only make things worse.”
Read the full piece here.
Matthew said:
“Rent controls are always and everywhere a disaster. Scotland tried a cap on rent increases for existing tenancies. The result was landlords significantly increasing rents on new tenancies, which jumped by 14pc in the year to September 2023.
“It has become more difficult for new tenants to find somewhere to live, with the average search time increasing from 12 to 16 weeks. There are reports of landlords pulling their properties from the market and spending less on maintenance and improvements.
“The only solution to the housing crisis is to fix Britain’s broken planning system so that enough homes can be built where people want to live. This fiddling will only make things worse.”
Read the full piece here.
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