Zack Polanski to propose three-year emergency brake on private rent increases

Zack Polanski is set to call for a three-year "emergency brake" on private rent increases when he opens the Green Party's conference later.

In his speech to party activists on Friday afternoon, the Green leader will seek to frame housing as a key issue of generational fairness.

He will urge the government to prevent private rents rising above whichever is lowest out of the consumer price index measure of inflation, wage growth or 2%, for three years.

According to the party, he will also argue pressure from the Greens has forced Labour into a change of political direction on some issues.

The Green Party of England and Wales is billing the gathering in Brighton as its biggest ever, after announcing earlier this year that its membership had tripled since Polanski's election as leader just over a year ago.

In his speech, Polanski is expected to say generations are having to live with their parents because of rent prices, from 19-year-olds commuting to university, 25-year-olds unable to find a job, to 35-year-olds moving back home with their partners.

"For too long, landlords have been able to hike prices way beyond wages, leaving renters forced to meet the cost to keep a roof over their heads, cutting back and back and back on everything else," he is expected to say.

A slowdown on private rent increases "would give renters vital breathing space" and give time for ministers to create a national Fair Rents Guarantee that keeps rents affordable for the future, he is expected to say.

Earlier this year, the government brought in the Renters' Rights Act under which landlords can only increase rent once a year to the property's open market rate.

Average UK monthly private rents increased by 3.5%, to £1,377, in the 12 months to January 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Act also means tenancies are rolling rather than fixed term, and makes it harder for landlords to evict tenants.

But Polanski is expected to argue it does not go far enough in ending "fear and uncertainty" for the millions of private renters in the UK.