Islington Council has declared the borough is in a state of "private renting crisis" and called on the Government to give local authorities powers to introduce rent controls.
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borough → declare → controls
A majority of councillors voted on September 24 to lobby both the Mayor of London and the Housing Secretary for powers to impose long-term rent controls, alongside an emergency rent freeze in the borough.
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majority → vote → borough
The move comes amid soaring rents in the borough, with council leaders warning that increasing numbers of residents are struggling to afford housing.
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numbers → come → housing
The council's housing chief, Labour councillor Jason Jackson, said unaffordable rents were driving people to seek homelessness support and temporary accommodation.
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people → say → support
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average private rent in Islington reached £2,868 in August 2026, up 6.2 per cent on the previous year.
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rent → accord → year
Labour councillor Michael O'Sullivan told the meeting: "Ordinary people cannot live in Islington unless they live in conditions that are slum-like and very, very overcrowded."
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that → tell → conditions
He also warned landlords could seek to evade the recent abolition of Section 21 'no-fault' evictions by significantly raising rents to force tenants to leave.
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landlords → warn → tenants
We had this before, and it's about time to reintroduce it," he said.
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he → have → it
Private renters spend a greater share of their income on housing than any other tenure type, according to the 2023-24 English Housing Survey, which found renters spend an average of 34 per cent of their income on housing costs.
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renters → spend → costs
The debate comes against a backdrop of ongoing concerns about conditions in parts of Islington's private rented sector.
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debate → come → sector
In recent years the council has taken action against landlords for offences including overcrowding, poor housing conditions and operating unlicensed properties.
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council → take → properties
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One high-profile case in 2020 saw two landlords fined a combined £110,500 after officers found 35 people living across three two-bedroom flats.
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people → read → flats
Not everyone is convinced rent controls alone will solve the problem.
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controls → convince → problem
Private tenant Bill Mitton, whose dispute with a landlord over severe disrepair was previously reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said the housing crisis required a broader response.
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crisis → report → response
"I'd like to see the whole problem addressed: rent levels, the supply of housing and social housing, empty properties, standards in rented accommodation, and the genuine costs faced by landlords, rather than treating rent controls alone as the complete answer," he said.
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he → like → answer
Islington is not the first council to make the case for rent controls.
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Islington → make → controls
Hackney, Brighton and Hove, Oxford and Worcester have all passed motions calling for similar powers.
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Hackney → pass → powers
Successive governments, however, have resisted introducing rent caps.
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governments → resist → caps
In July, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner ruled out rent controls, arguing that the Renters Rights Act had already strengthened protections for tenants.
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Act → rule → tenants
The legislation, which came into force in May, abolished no-fault evictions and fixed-term tenancies, limited rent increases to once a year and restricted the amount of rent landlords can demand upfront.
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landlords → come → rent
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously called for rent control powers to be devolved to City Hall, but the Government has said it has no plans to do so.
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it → call → plans
The effectiveness of rent controls remains highly contested.
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effectiveness → remain → controls
Supporters argue limits on rent increases would improve affordability and provide greater security for tenants.
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limits → argue → tenants
The think tank Autonomy has suggested that freezing rents and limiting future increases could save tenants billions of pounds over several years.
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freezing → suggest → years
Critics, however, argue the policy can reduce the supply of rental homes by encouraging landlords to leave the market.
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policy → argue → market
The Institute for Fiscal Studies said in August that international evidence suggested rent controls can be costly and inefficient, with landlords often seeking alternative ways to recover lost income.
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landlords → say → income
For now, Islington's motion has no direct legal effect, but adds to growing pressure on ministers to reconsider whether councils and London's mayor should be given powers to regulate rents.
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councils → have → rents
The Aporia
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