Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has ruled out bringing in rent controls in England as part of Andy Burnham's cost-of-living blitz.
Ms Rayner said the Renters Rights Act is "already having a significant impact on the market", allowing people to challenge rent hikes at tribunals and preventing bidding wars for rental properties.
Rent controls not under consideration
Asked about rent controls by BBC Breakfast, she said: "That is not something that we're looking to do because we've seen what's happened in areas like Scotland. It hasn't necessarily brought rents down." She added: "I think that's a better way of stabilising the rental market."
The new Prime Minister previously called for rent freezes when he was Greater Manchester Mayor. He suggested it was an issue being looked at to help with the cost of living while speaking to journalists on Monday.
However, rent controls - which can include capping price increases or freezing rents for a period of time - are understood to not be part of plans currently on the table.
Temporary rent controls were imposed in Scotland in 2022 but expired last year. Under legislation due next year, Scottish ministers will be able to designate rent control areas and councils will have powers to cap rent increases on some properties at a maximum of 6%.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Green Party leader Zack Polanski are among advocates for action on rent, but landlord groups have warned it could damage supply by putting people off renting properties.
1.5 million homes target more challenging
Ms Rayner, who returned to Cabinet this week after 10 months on the back benches, also suggested the Government could miss its manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It certainly got more challenging, and we've seen things like construction costs go up etc, which has had a real negative impact on that. But I'm not dropping it. I'm just saying that it is a really difficult stretched target."
Pressed again, she said: "Yeah, I'm going to keep the target, but it's like me saying I'm going to run the London Marathon in under five hours. That would be a real challenge for me, but I'd do it… Look, I am straight talking. 1.5 million homes is a difficult target. It was when I made the target, but I'm going to keep the target, and I'm not going to be defeated. And the one thing I will say is that people have underestimated me all my life. And if you tell me that I can't do something, I'll go hell bent to get it done."
In the run up to becoming PM, Mr Burnham promised the biggest council house building drive since the post-war era, saying the country was stuck in a "housing trap" and the crisis was harming the public finances. He has not yet offered further details, but last year suggested a target of building half a million social homes by 2030. Mr Burnham has also floated the idea of reforming the way land and property is taxed, and has previously advocated for scrapping stamp duty.
