Zack Polanski called for a rent-rise limiting triple lock to ease housing costs for young people in his conference speech.
The Green Party leader, who is standing in next week’s Holborn and St Pancras by-election, spoke at the gathering in Brighton on Friday afternoon, when he called for an end to “fear and uncertainty” in the rental market.
The London Assembly member set out plans for a “three-year emergency brake”, which would temporarily limit rent rises to the lowest of either Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation, wage growth or 2%.
These are similar metrics to the ones used to uprate the state pension each year, which rises by the highest of either inflation, wage growth or 2.5%.
“For too long, landlords have been able to hike prices way beyond wages,” Mr Polanski said.
He described “25-year-olds who can’t find a job, no matter how many tens or hundreds of applications they put in, who can’t imagine ever being able to afford to rent even a room of their own, never mind being able to put down roots in their own home”.
The party leader also described “30, 35-year-olds moving back to their parents’ place with their partners in tow, sometimes their kids too”, warning that for many of them “times get tougher and those months turn to years”.
Mr Polanski said: “Today I’m calling for a three-year emergency brake on private rents – no rent rises above CPI, wage growth or 2% – whichever is lower.
“No sudden hikes, no evictions under the guise of rent rises, no more fear and uncertainty.
“That emergency brake would give renters vital breathing space.
“Let wages begin to catch up with the rents that have outstripped them for too long.
“And give government time to develop a national fair rents guarantee – to keep rents fair and affordable for everyone, forever.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average UK monthly private rent increased by 3.7% in the 12 months to July 2026.
Between May and July this year, annual wage growth – excluding bonuses – stood at 3.5%.
Earlier this week at the Labour Party conference, Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled plans to make changes to the state pension triple lock.
Under his plans, from 2030 the state pension would rise every year by at least inflation or 2.5%, with no automatic annual link with increases in average earnings.
