Green Party Leader Calls for Three-Year Rent Cap

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, is set to propose a three-year "emergency brake" on private rent increases during the party's conference. He plans to frame housing affordability as a critical issue of generational fairness.

Polanski will advocate for government intervention to limit private rent hikes. His proposal suggests that rent increases should not exceed the lowest of three metrics: the consumer price index measure of inflation, wage growth, or 2%, for a period of three years. He contends that this measure would provide renters with essential breathing room while allowing for the development of a national Fair Rents Guarantee to ensure long-term affordability.

The Green Party leader is expected to argue that current housing costs are forcing multiple generations to live with their parents, impacting young adults seeking employment and couples unable to secure independent housing. He is quoted as saying, "For too long, landlords have been able to hike prices way beyond wages, leaving renters forced to meet the cost to keep a roof over their heads, cutting back and back and back on everything else."

While the government introduced the Renters' Rights Act earlier this year, which allows landlords to increase rent only once annually to the property's open market rate and makes evictions more difficult, Polanski believes it does not sufficiently address the "fear and uncertainty" faced by millions of private renters.

The Office for National Statistics reported that average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.5% to £1,377 in the 12 months leading up to January 2026. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has previously cautioned that rent controls could lead to unintended consequences, such as demand outpacing supply in the rental market.

The Green Party conference follows a period of growth for the party, which has seen an increase in local councillors and secured its fifth Member of Parliament. Polanski expects to argue that the Greens' electoral pressure has influenced the Labour Party's policy shifts on issues such as electoral reform and relations with the European Union, as well as sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlements and refugee resettlement programs.

Polanski's participation in the conference coincides with his candidacy in the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras by-election, a seat he hopes to win for the Greens. He has encouraged party activists to assist with his campaign efforts over the weekend.