Green Party Leader Pushes for Three-Year Private Rent Cap

Green Party leader Zack Polanski is preparing to call for a three-year “emergency brake” on private rent increases as he addresses the party’s annual conference in Brighton on Friday. In his keynote speech, Polanski aims to position housing as a central generational fairness issue, urging the government to cap annual rent rises below the lowest of the consumer price index inflation rate, wage growth, or 2%.

The gathering is billed as the largest in the party’s history, following a tripling of membership since Polanski took leadership just over a year ago. He is expected to highlight how soaring rents force younger generations to remain in the family home, citing examples ranging from university students commuting from home to 35-year-olds moving back with partners.

Polanski argues that landlords have long been able to raise prices beyond wage growth, leaving tenants to sacrifice essentials just to maintain housing. A temporary slowdown in rent increases, he contends, would provide vital breathing space for renters while ministers develop a national Fair Rents Guarantee to ensure long-term affordability.

While the government previously introduced the Renters’ Rights Act—which limits rent increases to once a year and converts tenancies into rolling agreements—Polanski is set to argue these measures do not go far enough to eliminate the “fear and uncertainty” facing millions of private renters. According to the Office for National Statistics, average UK private rents rose by 3.5% over the 12 months to January 2026, reaching £1,377 per month.

The proposal comes as the Greens face questions about their political strategy, particularly regarding Labour’s shift under Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Co-deputy leader Rachel Millward noted that Labour has moved rhetorically closer to the Greens on issues such as electoral reform and sanctions on Israeli settlements, policies Polanski claims resulted from Green electoral pressure.

Complicating the timing, Polanski is standing as the Green candidate in the upcoming Holborn and St Pancras by-election, triggered by Sir Keir Starmer’s departure from Parliament. He has stated he will return immediately to the constituency after delivering his conference speech and has encouraged activists to assist with campaigning over the weekend.