PRS 'Needs Rent Controls and Indefinite Tenancies'

Inflation-busting rent rises should be banned and indefinite tenancies should become the norm in the private rented sector (PRS), a leading think tank has said. Civitas also said Ed Miliband’s controversial proposals for reform of the private rented sector ‘do not go far enough’. It warned that the availability of housing benefit is creating a ‘vicious cycle’ of inflation with landlords able to fix ‘artificially high’ rents at the lower end of the market. Dismissing concerns that rent regulation would deter investors from the sector, the report said rent should not be allowed to rise above inflation once freely set at the start of the tenancy. It also said tenants should ‘ordinarily’ be allowed to remain in the property ‘for as long as they wish’ to make the tenure suitable for families. Read more on Inside Housing.