Great turn-out today at our parliamentary drop-in on rent controls! Some really productive conversations with MPs and staffers Lovely to host it with @jelliott94.bsky.social, @georgebangham.bsky.social, @bethstratford.bsky.social, @rachaelhenry.bsky.social and Grace Brown 1/2

1/ ❓What happens when you get sick or have a baby? For millions in the UK, these life events can quickly lead to financial insecurity. Today, my colleague @meriahlberg.bsky.social and I are publishing a new @jrf-uk.bsky.social report on the UK's in-work protections. 🧵

📆 27th May at 10am Join us and @Autonomy_Inst for a discussion of last week's rent controls briefing! We'll set out the findings, including the scale of returns many landlords generate, as well as the impact of interest rates on these profits. Sign up: https://bit.ly/49a5qlx

New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found the majority of landlords make above average rates of return AND that limiting rent increases in England could save the government more than £600m a year by 2030. Makes you think, right? 👉🏽 www.jrf.org.uk/housing/how-...

"Private renters would have had an extra 2.2 million rental properties to choose from if the market had grown at pre-2016 rates": LandlordZone. Pretty devastating? But it precipitated a rebound in home ownership; people paying their own mortgage rather than their landlords..

Read our report on rent controls and tax reform (which I believe Zack is citing below) ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/jrf-...

Zack Polanski@zackpolanski.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Rent controls. Now.

The debate about rent controls is too often about negative impacts (which need to be taken seriously). But can landlords actually afford to bear more financial risk than they are bearing now? New research suggests yes - important reading for policymakers.

The Autonomy Institute@autonomy-institute.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Our new report – The Property Premium – is out today, with @jrf-uk.bsky.social 🎙️ Key finding: being a private landlord has been the best investment option available to individuals in England over the past decade. Read the full report here: autonomy.work/portfolio/th...

Powerful new research from @jrf-uk.bsky.social demonstrates how a rent cap could save renters over a grand a year (and the government £600m). Unchecked rents are driving renters out of their homes. These are serious proposals - the government should pay attention. inews.co.uk/news/how-ren...

Finally, we have data to show vast majority of landlords earn supernormal returns: even with high interest rates, 63% outperform a 60:40 equity-gilt portfolio & 71% beat the broader real estate sector. Proud to have co-authored this with @autonomy-institute.bsky.social autonomy.work/portfolio/th...

Around a quarter of private renters in the UK spend over 40% of disposable income on rents. This is among the highest rates across the world. Meanwhile new analysis for JRF finds being a private landlord has been one of the best investment options available to individuals.

🚨 NEW! Our report out today concludes rent controls can ease the pressure on renters, without jeopardising the private rented sector. A rent control could: - Make renters nearly £1200 a year better off by 2030 - Reduce the housing benefit bill by £600m, even with annual LHA uprating Here's how 👇

New from JRF: we need Rent Controls (and Tax Reform). Landlords have been cashing in on rents and house price growth, making excessive returns, while tenants are paying exorbitant rents which drive economic insecurity, poverty and homelessness. New policy and research from us⬇️

Britain's big cities are not very dense. But why? And where should they be looking to build upwards? The answer lies in the postwar housing (blue) built in "collars" around the big city centres. This is very low density + should be the priority for densification. Quick thread:

Centre for Cities@centreforcities.bsky.social · 3mo ago

British cities are missing around 2.3 million homes compared to international peers. New research shows this “density gap” is central to housing and growth challenges. Read our latest report 'Course correction: How to densify British cities'👇 www.centreforcities.org/publication/...

Last week, we published our briefing on affordability in the private rented sector (PRS) We pointed to average rent-to-income ratios being persistently high as one of the key issues renters face. Today, we'll explain how this is particularly acute for low-income households ⬇️

Joseph Rowntree Foundation@jrf-uk.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🚨 New briefing out today! Our latest analysis looks at the challenges faced by renters in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) We've identified a few distinct but connected ways of understanding the affordability pressures that private renters are facing 🔽

Shocking statistic ⬇️ The hallmark of a generation increasingly unable to achieve the milestones previous generations took for granted.. Its is an issue we discussed in our latest UK Poverty report, one which clearly intersects with low-incomes and lack of opportunity.

Michael Carty@mjcarty.bsky.social · 4mo ago

'I'm the lucky one' - more than one in three young men now live with their parents www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Shocking statistic ⬇️ The hallmark of a generation increasingly unable to achieve the milestones previous generations took for granted.. Its is an issue we discussed in our latest UK Poverty report, one which clearly intersects with low-incomes and lack of opportunity.

Michael Carty@mjcarty.bsky.social · 4mo ago

'I'm the lucky one' - more than one in three young men now live with their parents www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Rents staying flat very much suggests that any worries about a mass exodus of landlords in advance of the Renter's Rights Act coming in next month were unfounded.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 4mo ago

Private rents in Great Britain stop rising for first time since 2017

🚨 New briefing out today! Our latest analysis looks at the challenges faced by renters in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) We've identified a few distinct but connected ways of understanding the affordability pressures that private renters are facing 🔽

It's a bit of a myth that rents are constantly increasing faster than earnings or overall inflation - on average, they're not. So what *is* the problem of unaffordability in the private rented sector? And what does this mean for how we go about fixing it? Our take 🧵⬇️

New poverty statistics have been published. 4.5 million private renters (34%) and 4.1m social renters (36%) are in poverty. Poverty rate for private renters is fairly static, slightly down for social renters (21-23 to 24/25), and slightly up for those buying with a mortgage.

New stats show rents have increased by over 25% in some areas since LHA rates were frozen. Rent growth recently has been exceptionally high, levels of housing support are inadequate. The result? Families cover their rent with money meant for food and toiletries.

"Cost-of-living pressures from rent are easing rather than intensifying"? Not for the 2.3 million private renting households who say it's difficult to afford their rents. The rate of which rents are rising may be slowing, but renters are still under pressure.

BBC NEWS@bbcnewsunofficial.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Rent tops £1,000 a month in more areas - find out where The cost of renting privately has surged in the last five years, but tenants may now see a slowdown.

🗣️"When we fail to make sure we all have a decent home that we can afford, we’re failing in our most basic responsibility to protect people’s dignity." Lead Analyst @jelliott94.bsky.social in @the-independent.com on the two abysmal new records in today's homelessness stats https://bit.ly/4sa931L

Rough sleeping hits record high in England

The number of households in temporary accommodation is also at record levels

independent.co.uk

New statistics released today show two abysmal new records: - A record high number of people sleeping rough - A record high number of households and children living in temporary accommodation These are the most devastating indicators of the failure of our housing system ⬇️

Everyones keen for a bit of rent control.. (via YouGov)

🏘️ ‘High rents and rising mortgage costs are hitting families hard' Around 4 in 10 renters are in poverty once housing costs are taken into account, Lead Analyst @jelliott94.bsky.social explains.

A new way to explore UK Poverty data ⬇️ Poverty is deepening. Developing solutions to tackle this problem starts with clear, accessible evidence. To make our data more accessible we’ve published all charts, maps and tables from our UK Poverty 2026 in a new, interactive dashboard.

Poverty is deepening. 🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning. People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people. This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.

📅 Save the date! On Thursday 29th Jan, we'll be hosting a webinar to discuss the findings of our UK Poverty 2026 report. We'll share insight and discussion about our report that will set out the depth and breadth of poverty in the UK. Don't miss out, sign up now: https://bit.ly/459R16V

New English Housing Survey data shows a big increase in mortgage holders and private renters reporting difficulty in affording housing costs since 2019-20. High interest rates and rents continuing to exert a lot of pain on families, and continued LHA freeze isn't helping either.