Reeves considers freezing rents in bid to ease pain of price rises sparked by Iran war
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a temporary rent freeze to help households cope with rising living costs exacerbated by the Iran war. The proposal, part of a broader cost of living package, has drawn criticism from landlords and economists who argue it could reduce housing supply. Supporters say rent controls could address long-standing affordability issues in the private rental market. The government has not confirmed the plan, calling it speculation.
- ▪Rachel Reeves is weighing a one-year rent freeze to mitigate financial pressure from war-driven price increases in food and fuel.
- ▪Critics, including the National Residential Landlords Association, warn the freeze could undermine investor confidence and shrink rental supply.
- ▪New-build properties would be exempt from the freeze to avoid disrupting ongoing housing development.
- ▪The Labour Party previously rejected a similar rent freeze proposal while in opposition, despite now facing pressure to act on housing costs.
- ▪Around 20% of UK households live in private rented accommodation, according to Office for National Statistics data.
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NewsUKUK PoliticsReeves considers freezing rents in bid to ease pain of price rises sparked by Iran war‘Just build more houses’ say critics of ‘mind-boggling’ planSimon English Tuesday 28 April 2026 10:51 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2966253","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rent-freeze-landlords-rachel-reeves-b2966253.html","title":"Reeves ponders freezing rents in bid to ease pain of price rises sparked by Iran war"}}Related video: How renting in London became an unimaginable hellscapeYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more{}Rachel Reeves is considering forcing landlords to freeze rents for up to a year as it looks for ways to soften the blow from the Iran war on household budgets, as prices rise for food and fuel.The chancellor is considering the move as part of a wider cost of living package to be unveiled in the coming weeks, The Guardian reported.George Bangham, the head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation thinktank, urged the government to pursue the proposal. He said: “We have an affordability crisis in the private rented sector, which dates back to before the pandemic. if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "mpu1", renderedAtParagraph: 3'); }if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "mpu1", injectedAtParagraph: 3'); }“We know rent controls can fix an affordability crisis if done carefully, we just need to be willing to impose them.”But the idea met with immediate criticism from others, who say a better solution would be to build more houses and warn that the move could force private landlords to sell up and exit the rental market, reducing the supply of properties. Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Introducing a rent freeze would be a disaster for landlord and investor confidence and consequently the supply of homes in England. Any hope of growing the market – or even retaining the homes that millions of families rely on – would be lost. if (document.cookie.split(';').some(cookie => cookie.trim() === '__DEBUG__=true')) { console.log('Ad logs: "taboola-carousel-thumbnails", injectedAtParagraph: 6'); }“There is no evidence to suggest that it would make…
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