Zack Polanski calls for three-year UK private rent cap

Green Party leader Zack Polanski is set to deliver a major address at the party's conference in Brighton, framing the housing crisis as a core issue of generational fairness that places immense pressure on millions of renters across the UK.

Polanski will urge the government to implement a three-year freeze or cap that prevents private landlords from raising rents above whichever metric is lowest among the consumer price index inflation, wage growth, or 2%.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

During his speech to party activists, Polanski is expected to emphasize how soaring rent prices force generations to live with their parents, affecting everyone from 19-year-olds commuting to university to 25-year-olds struggling to find employment and 35-year-olds moving back home with their partners.

According to the Office for National Statistics, average monthly private rents in the UK climbed by 3.5% to reach £1,377 in the 12 months leading up to January 2026. While the government introduced the Renters' Rights Act earlier this year to limit rent increases to once per year at open market rates, the Green Party argues this legislation falls short of eliminating deep uncertainty for tenants.

"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."

Zack Polanski

Polanski will argue that slowing down private rent increases will grant renters crucial breathing space while giving ministers time to establish a national Fair Rents Guarantee. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has previously cautioned that rent controls could trigger unintended consequences, such as rental demand heavily outweighing supply.