Sadiq Khan is wrong about rent control

Rent control would worsen London’s housing crisis while hurting the poor, immigrants, and minorities. Yet Sadiq Khan wants to make it the central plank of his bid to win re-election as London Mayor. Khan has said the case for rent control is ‘overwhelming’ and that ‘Londoners overwhelmingly want it to happen’. But while some may see rent control as a way of capping the money going into the pockets of landlords, it would actually make London’s problems worse. Rent control would lead to less home building—what London actually needs. On top of that it will mean lower quality housing and discrimination against the most vulnerable.

From San Francisco to Stockholm, Berlin and New York, rent control has proven disastrous in every place it has been tried. Let’s take a look at Sweden: in 2018, the wait time for a rent-controlled Stockholm apartment was up to 35 years, with an average wait of ten years. Strong demand, the long wait and inaccessibility has led to bribes, patronage, a black market, and poorly maintained apartments.