The Green Party has released details of its first manifesto for the May elections – and it shows a fiercely anti-landlord stance.
The manifesto for the 2026 Welsh Senedd election, to be held on May 7, contains a series of pledges about the private rental market.
Many seek to copy the provisions of Labour’s Renters Rights Act which comes into force in England next month.
The Greens in Wales want:
Rent controls, with the manifesto saying: “We will introduce a one-year rent freeze, including between tenancies, to provide immediate relief. This will be followed by rent controls, allowing Welsh Ministers to approve local authority Rent Pressure Zones where rent caps apply to keep housing affordable. Rent increases will only be permitted where landlords deliver genuine improvements to homes, particularly upgrades that improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions”;
A ban on Section 21 evictions;
A non-specific pledge to “stabilise rents and give tenants the protections they deserve”;
A ban on rental bidding wars “with penalties of up to £7,000 for accepting offers above the listed price”;
The creation of an independent Housing Ombudsman “to resolve disputes and challenge unfair charges”;
An extension of the existing Welsh Housing Quality Standard to the private sector “with stronger protections against damp, mould and unsafe conditions”;
Ensuring landlords cannot unreasonably refuse tenants the right to keep pets;
“Clarify landlords’ responsibilities to act on delivering reasonable adjustments for disabled tenants in properties which should include appropriate facilities for washing and bathing”;
The existing Rent Smart Wales enforcement agency “will collect and publish rental data so local authorities can monitor rents and enforce caps effectively.”
GarySmith2021 on
I’m curious what happens if the rent controls are below the costs of the property.
Also, won’t this heavily reduce renting stock?
Remmick2326 on
„labour aren’t doing enough for the people, so we’re copying their legislation because it’s helping the people“
initiali5ed on
Really this needs to be backed up with a mechanism for increasing council housing stock, two ways of doing this without building: cap inheritance at one residence/property per deceased with the rest going back to council stock or bring rental properties of non-compliant landlords into council ownership.
Zealousideal-Yam3169 on
Can we get mortgage rate controls too then to make sure they don’t go up?
AgeOfCardiff on
The utter ignorance in this thread is why the UK is in the state it’s in.
Any action to actually improve anything is met by hoards of people who repeat right wing buzzwords without any thought.
Greens would combine this with significantly increasing social housing building (Greens aimed for 150,000 per year in their 2024 manifesto). This would be an incredible bonus to the economy lowering private rent/house prices, decreasing poverty and boosting disposable income for many.
Between 1945 and 1980 we built 125,000 social homes per year, but for some reason many in here say it’s now too expensive and not possible. Get your heads out the sand.
Edit: One person commented this in response to saying we could do it after WW2 but not now?
>So all we need is huge amount of the population to die
Utterly braindead.
skinnydog0-0 on
If huge numbers of renters are paying 60+% of their income in rent there is very little for them to spend in the rest of the economy.
It’s a vicious circle that drives the majority in to poverty and increases the wealth gap.
If people don’t have money to spend in the economy- the country will die.
Coupled with the push for AI where are people going to work?
erbr on
This is the kind of thing you get when people use what is an essential need (housing) as a business. People that live in the city should be able to default to own a house but unfortunately people are pushed to rentals.
Does renting makes sense? Yes, for short stays, student accommodation, temporary housing but not on the long term.
How can you address this? Make it super expensive to own a house where you don’t live at. Make it easier to sell and buy houses when buying for main living place or selling for the same end. Set max rents per location and sqm. If it’s not profitable, sell it.
bogart991 on
The housing crisis is fundamentally a failure of supply and demand: stagnating construction at the low end of the market cannot keep pace with high net migration. Despite this, open discussion of population growth is often stifled by accusations of prejudice. Proposed policies, such as those from the Green Party, offer popular soundbites but historically lead to reduced rental stock and higher costs. A serious approach would prioritize planning reform and sustainable immigration levels, yet political parties will currently favors short-term rhetoric over structural solutions.
Equal_Tadpole2716 on
I’m sure ‚Landlord Today‘ will have an impartial view on the topic.
aigroti on
I think you could set a rule that no person or company is allowed to own more than 2 residential properties. Two to allow people who are in the process of selling a house while they bought another and also because while people may grumble I think it’s okay to allow the odd person to have their holiday home.
Probably taxed or having fees in some way so that companies trying to set up multiple subsidiaries is not commercially viable.
Someone trying to rent out a single property is not normally economically feasible for a lot of people because they don’t have the overhead when there’s missed payments due to the boiler not working or no one in the property.
However I also think it’s also okay to allow property developers to keep apartment complexes they built for renting but it has to be owned all by one company. So they can build it and then rent it out themselves. They can sell each individual apartment but it will be difficult for other people to rent out a single flat.
Allowing flats to be owned by one company forces them to take accountability/responsibility as well as most younger people moving to the city likely could still want to rent if they might be moving around. It also gives a small financial incentive for the property developer to build more as the only way to access properties to rent out.
apple_kicks on
They did this in Netherlands and saw big boost in first time buyers because sell off from landlords
StraightAd5770 on
It’s wild how many people dismiss building social housing as impossible when we did it consistently for decades. The Greens‘ plan to combine rent controls with a massive construction push is the kind of joined-up thinking we desperately need. Just freezing rents without addressing supply would be a disaster, but this two-pronged approach actually tackles the root causes. We’ve got to move past the lazy, right-wing talking points and support real solutions.
Bolvaettur on
Nice unbiased reporting from slumlordtoday I’m sure
coffeewalnut08 on
Their proposals sound like Labour’s Renters Rights Act…
cosully111 on
Reddit claims itself to be full of intellectuals but basically every study ever done on rent control has concluded that it is a mistake. It nearly always leads to a reduced housing supply, deteriorating housing quality and higher rents in the uncontrolled market. People get locked into living in their cheap apartment as moving (even for a higher paying job) would typically be a financial negative overall
JonnyBe123 on
Ok so like many things „Green“ it’s all great in theory. For example, I supported the section 21 no fault evictions up until we had our new neighbours move in. A horrible family who are trashing the property, are loud, abusive, have had police called on them numerous times, social workers out, and are generally just a nuisance.
It’s already a complete challenge for the property agent to get them out and they have essentially been squatting now for 6 months. They now have to go to court with evidence as long as your arm to get them out and it might still take another 3 months due to a backlog. That means they are going to lose 6-9 months rent and have a trashed property with barely any legal recourse.
The agent shared that once section 21 comes in it would be almost impossible to remove them even with cause.
Porticulus on
I’m 100% behind much more social housing. The recent builds around my area say they will have… let’s say 20 out of 80 houses as social when the planning is approved. Once the building is done however, theirs about 2 that are social while a good quarter of houses sit empty because no one can afford them.
This exact situation has happened in two new estates in my area. It’s ridiculous!
ServoSkull20 on
I don’t believe for a second that a party that’s full of people who NIMBY seemingly every construction project that might impinge on their own costiuency will implement any large scale push for more housing.
middleofaldi on
Building more government owned housing is a good thing. Rent control is a bad thing and has been shown to make housing less affordable
The mere abolition of rent would not remove injustice, since it would confer a capricious advantage upon the occupiers of the best sites and the most fertile land. It is necessary that there should be rent, but it should be paid to the state or to some body which performs public services; or, if the total rental were more than is required for such purposes, it might be paid into a common fund and divided equally among the population. – Bertrand Russel
Reesno33 on
Yeah but its the greens, they can put any old mad shit in their manifesto as hardly anyone is reading it and even fewer are voting for them. „Free dildos and custard for everyone!“
fitzgoldy on
Rent controls just don’t work…proven time and time again.
YesIAmRightWing on
people kid themselves otherwise but we more or less have rent controls in the UK now.
Draenix on
Rent control only benefits the people are already renting. It does nothing to make things more affordable for people that are looking to move in.
Frosty-Break1884 on
I hope it works out. I fucking hate the current housing crisis.
Folkmar_D on
I wish that every party could provide how they are going to cover the costs and finances to cover most of their pledges, because Labour had good ideas until they realized there is a black hole in the budget which they are trying to fill in now, and I have to say (among all the chaos) they are not doing bad so far.
ronnydelta on
It wouldn’t work. Scotland has already had rent controls for ages and it did nothing.
Potential_Cover1206 on
Look up how rent control works in reality. Scotland imposed rent controls. Go and look how that worked out in practise.
reditor6632 on
Housing cost is the single biggest reason our economy is stagnant. When people are spending so much of their income on the rent, be it 50-60% even if they have a mortgage. It leaves very little money for luxuries such as eating out, holidays, etc. And as we live in a service based economy most of our gdp comes from ‘luxury’ services
DerpDerpDerp78910 on
The Green Party are full of lunatics. Just ignore them to be honest.
Biggeordiegeek on
Every single one of those polices is one I can get behind
I know landlords, heck I am one myself, albeit for a single flat that I used to live in, and cannot be arsed to sell
Good landlords are not what these provisions are aimed at, but bad ones, of which I am sad to say there are too many
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The Green Party has released details of its first manifesto for the May elections – and it shows a fiercely anti-landlord stance.
The manifesto for the 2026 Welsh Senedd election, to be held on May 7, contains a series of pledges about the private rental market.
Many seek to copy the provisions of Labour’s Renters Rights Act which comes into force in England next month.
The Greens in Wales want:
Rent controls, with the manifesto saying: “We will introduce a one-year rent freeze, including between tenancies, to provide immediate relief. This will be followed by rent controls, allowing Welsh Ministers to approve local authority Rent Pressure Zones where rent caps apply to keep housing affordable. Rent increases will only be permitted where landlords deliver genuine improvements to homes, particularly upgrades that improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions”;
A ban on Section 21 evictions;
A non-specific pledge to “stabilise rents and give tenants the protections they deserve”;
A ban on rental bidding wars “with penalties of up to £7,000 for accepting offers above the listed price”;
The creation of an independent Housing Ombudsman “to resolve disputes and challenge unfair charges”;
An extension of the existing Welsh Housing Quality Standard to the private sector “with stronger protections against damp, mould and unsafe conditions”;
Ensuring landlords cannot unreasonably refuse tenants the right to keep pets;
“Clarify landlords’ responsibilities to act on delivering reasonable adjustments for disabled tenants in properties which should include appropriate facilities for washing and bathing”;
The existing Rent Smart Wales enforcement agency “will collect and publish rental data so local authorities can monitor rents and enforce caps effectively.”
I’m curious what happens if the rent controls are below the costs of the property.
Also, won’t this heavily reduce renting stock?
„labour aren’t doing enough for the people, so we’re copying their legislation because it’s helping the people“
Really this needs to be backed up with a mechanism for increasing council housing stock, two ways of doing this without building: cap inheritance at one residence/property per deceased with the rest going back to council stock or bring rental properties of non-compliant landlords into council ownership.
Can we get mortgage rate controls too then to make sure they don’t go up?
The utter ignorance in this thread is why the UK is in the state it’s in.
Any action to actually improve anything is met by hoards of people who repeat right wing buzzwords without any thought.
Greens would combine this with significantly increasing social housing building (Greens aimed for 150,000 per year in their 2024 manifesto). This would be an incredible bonus to the economy lowering private rent/house prices, decreasing poverty and boosting disposable income for many.
Between 1945 and 1980 we built 125,000 social homes per year, but for some reason many in here say it’s now too expensive and not possible. Get your heads out the sand.
Edit: One person commented this in response to saying we could do it after WW2 but not now?
>So all we need is huge amount of the population to die
Utterly braindead.
If huge numbers of renters are paying 60+% of their income in rent there is very little for them to spend in the rest of the economy.
It’s a vicious circle that drives the majority in to poverty and increases the wealth gap.
If people don’t have money to spend in the economy- the country will die.
Coupled with the push for AI where are people going to work?
This is the kind of thing you get when people use what is an essential need (housing) as a business. People that live in the city should be able to default to own a house but unfortunately people are pushed to rentals.
Does renting makes sense? Yes, for short stays, student accommodation, temporary housing but not on the long term.
How can you address this? Make it super expensive to own a house where you don’t live at. Make it easier to sell and buy houses when buying for main living place or selling for the same end. Set max rents per location and sqm. If it’s not profitable, sell it.
The housing crisis is fundamentally a failure of supply and demand: stagnating construction at the low end of the market cannot keep pace with high net migration. Despite this, open discussion of population growth is often stifled by accusations of prejudice. Proposed policies, such as those from the Green Party, offer popular soundbites but historically lead to reduced rental stock and higher costs. A serious approach would prioritize planning reform and sustainable immigration levels, yet political parties will currently favors short-term rhetoric over structural solutions.
I’m sure ‚Landlord Today‘ will have an impartial view on the topic.
I think you could set a rule that no person or company is allowed to own more than 2 residential properties. Two to allow people who are in the process of selling a house while they bought another and also because while people may grumble I think it’s okay to allow the odd person to have their holiday home.
Probably taxed or having fees in some way so that companies trying to set up multiple subsidiaries is not commercially viable.
Someone trying to rent out a single property is not normally economically feasible for a lot of people because they don’t have the overhead when there’s missed payments due to the boiler not working or no one in the property.
However I also think it’s also okay to allow property developers to keep apartment complexes they built for renting but it has to be owned all by one company. So they can build it and then rent it out themselves. They can sell each individual apartment but it will be difficult for other people to rent out a single flat.
Allowing flats to be owned by one company forces them to take accountability/responsibility as well as most younger people moving to the city likely could still want to rent if they might be moving around. It also gives a small financial incentive for the property developer to build more as the only way to access properties to rent out.
They did this in Netherlands and saw big boost in first time buyers because sell off from landlords
It’s wild how many people dismiss building social housing as impossible when we did it consistently for decades. The Greens‘ plan to combine rent controls with a massive construction push is the kind of joined-up thinking we desperately need. Just freezing rents without addressing supply would be a disaster, but this two-pronged approach actually tackles the root causes. We’ve got to move past the lazy, right-wing talking points and support real solutions.
Nice unbiased reporting from slumlordtoday I’m sure
Their proposals sound like Labour’s Renters Rights Act…
Reddit claims itself to be full of intellectuals but basically every study ever done on rent control has concluded that it is a mistake. It nearly always leads to a reduced housing supply, deteriorating housing quality and higher rents in the uncontrolled market. People get locked into living in their cheap apartment as moving (even for a higher paying job) would typically be a financial negative overall
Ok so like many things „Green“ it’s all great in theory. For example, I supported the section 21 no fault evictions up until we had our new neighbours move in. A horrible family who are trashing the property, are loud, abusive, have had police called on them numerous times, social workers out, and are generally just a nuisance.
It’s already a complete challenge for the property agent to get them out and they have essentially been squatting now for 6 months. They now have to go to court with evidence as long as your arm to get them out and it might still take another 3 months due to a backlog. That means they are going to lose 6-9 months rent and have a trashed property with barely any legal recourse.
The agent shared that once section 21 comes in it would be almost impossible to remove them even with cause.
I’m 100% behind much more social housing. The recent builds around my area say they will have… let’s say 20 out of 80 houses as social when the planning is approved. Once the building is done however, theirs about 2 that are social while a good quarter of houses sit empty because no one can afford them.
This exact situation has happened in two new estates in my area. It’s ridiculous!
I don’t believe for a second that a party that’s full of people who NIMBY seemingly every construction project that might impinge on their own costiuency will implement any large scale push for more housing.
Building more government owned housing is a good thing. Rent control is a bad thing and has been shown to make housing less affordable
The mere abolition of rent would not remove injustice, since it would confer a capricious advantage upon the occupiers of the best sites and the most fertile land. It is necessary that there should be rent, but it should be paid to the state or to some body which performs public services; or, if the total rental were more than is required for such purposes, it might be paid into a common fund and divided equally among the population. – Bertrand Russel
Yeah but its the greens, they can put any old mad shit in their manifesto as hardly anyone is reading it and even fewer are voting for them. „Free dildos and custard for everyone!“
Rent controls just don’t work…proven time and time again.
people kid themselves otherwise but we more or less have rent controls in the UK now.
Rent control only benefits the people are already renting. It does nothing to make things more affordable for people that are looking to move in.
I hope it works out. I fucking hate the current housing crisis.
I wish that every party could provide how they are going to cover the costs and finances to cover most of their pledges, because Labour had good ideas until they realized there is a black hole in the budget which they are trying to fill in now, and I have to say (among all the chaos) they are not doing bad so far.
It wouldn’t work. Scotland has already had rent controls for ages and it did nothing.
Look up how rent control works in reality. Scotland imposed rent controls. Go and look how that worked out in practise.
Housing cost is the single biggest reason our economy is stagnant. When people are spending so much of their income on the rent, be it 50-60% even if they have a mortgage. It leaves very little money for luxuries such as eating out, holidays, etc. And as we live in a service based economy most of our gdp comes from ‘luxury’ services
The Green Party are full of lunatics. Just ignore them to be honest.
Every single one of those polices is one I can get behind
I know landlords, heck I am one myself, albeit for a single flat that I used to live in, and cannot be arsed to sell
Good landlords are not what these provisions are aimed at, but bad ones, of which I am sad to say there are too many