The Green Party leader has claimed “landlords can charge whatever they want” as he calls for rent controls to be introduced.

In an interview on the BBC, Zach Polanski claimed Mayors should have the power to cap rents.

The Green Party previously passed a motion at their party conference to abolish landlords.

If you are a landlord, you are doing better than a renter

Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Polanski claimed renters were feeling the pinch as “they’re stuck in an overinflated market where landlords can often charge what they want.”

However, Ms Kuenssberg hit back and argued against the stereotype that landlords are wealthy.

She asked Mr Polanski: “A lot of landlords are also struggling right now, and a lot of them aren’t wealthy people, they have saved up and having a rental income is money they rely on.”

However, Mr Polanski claimed: “Ultimately, if you are a landlord, you are doing better than a renter.

“We have landlords that own dozens and dozens of properties, and it’s about the deep injustice between a very small group of people who own a lot and the masses of people who own absolutely nothing.”

Mayors should have the power to cap rents

The Green Party wants to introduce rent controls and Mr Polanski claimed there was evidence of countries that have introduced rent controls successfully.

However, as previously reported by Property118, rent controls can do more harm than good. In Scotland, rent increases accelerated following the introduction of rent controls in September 2022, with Scottish renters experiencing the steepest annual rent growth in the UK at 11.6%.

While the rent cap has now ended in Scotland, rent controls are set to return under the Housing (Scotland) Act in 2027.

Ms Kuenssberg also pointed out that countries such as the Netherlands have seen rental shortages since rent controls have been introduced.

Mr Polanski claimed Mayors should have the power to cap rents and pointed out that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pushed for rent controls.

He said: “I sit as an elected member of the London Assembly, and Sadiq Khan, as London Mayor, was calling for rent controls. He said that when we had a Labour government and a Labour mayor, that would be the difference this country needed. But I don’t know if people have noticed, there hasn’t been much difference.

“Rent controls should be based on local incomes, local affordability and housing stock, as we need to build more homes. If the national government wants to introduce rent controls at a national level, I wouldn’t oppose that either, it’s just that someone needs to do it.

“The problem we need to fix is spiralling rents that are getting more and more expensive.”

Matthew Dean

16th February 2026.