Sadiq Khan promises 6,000 new ‘rent control’ homes across London

Councils and housing associations will build the homes and be responsible for identifying the land for development, it was reported. It is unclear at this stage exactly what tenure the homes will be.

Rent controls have proved a controversial subject. Last summer, Lisa Nandy, then Labour’s shadow housing secretary, rejected the idea of rent control as “a sticking plaster on our deep-seated problems”.

However, Mr Khan and Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, have both called for rent freezes.

Under Mr Khan’s plans, the intention would be for rent to be capped at a third of the average key worker wage to “ensure affordability”, according to sources speaking to the i.

Mr Khan officially launched his re-election campaign last month with a promise to build 40,000 council homes in London by 2030 if he wins a third term.

Susan Hall, the Conservative mayoral candidate, said in response to the rent control plan: “If Sadiq has been able to do this the whole time, why is he just announcing it now? Rent controls have never worked, and Sadiq knows it.

“His hair-brained plan would worsen the housing crisis for Londoners and shows he simply isn’t listening.

“I am listening to Londoners, and that’s why I would build more family-sized homes, to increase supply and therefore bring down rents.”

In March, Mr Khan announced a new £100m housing kick-start fund to convert market-rate homes into affordable housing on development sites that have stalled because of economic conditions.

Speaking to Inside Housing in May 2023, Mr Khan also promised to create a new Greater London Authority-owned housing developer if he is re-elected as mayor.

Should Mr Khan be re-elected on 2 May, he would be the first person to achieve three terms as mayor since the directly elected position was created in 2000.