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By johnredwood on October 29, 2025

The government says its new housing legislation will be good for tenants. Existing tenants get greater security of tenure, can carry on living there after the expiry of a limited term lease and can delay or prevent a rent rise on review. Landlords will need to look after their properties better. So what’s not to like?

The problem is this legislation will lead many landlords to withdraw their properties from the market. All countries that have tried rent controls have cut the supply of rented accommodation, driving prices up for new space. People who are looking for a rented home get less choice and higher prices.

If government says a limited period lease is no longer enforceable many potential landlords who want to let for a specified period will not take the risk.

The rapid growth of private rented accommodation since the legislative changes of 1988 has been crucial to providing many more homes in the last 37 years. Reversing this will be damaging. Reversing it without cutting the level of inward migration is particularly damaging.

The government is miles off hitting its new housebuilding targets, with new home sales falling. The position is so dire in London with practically no new homes being built that the government has announced temporary suspension of the high social housing requirement, the high taxes or CIL payments and the fierce rules of the Building Regulator. They are also giving London £12 bn to help build more social homes, money taxpayers cannot afford, to offset the big costs and damage done by their regulations.

What a mess. Government needs to stop interfering so much.Their laws mean fewer homes and dearer rents.