Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026This is a legitimate concern, but it is easy to avoid. A two-tier system only emerges if rent controls are confined to certain areas, or only apply within-tenancy (and not to new tenancies). But rent controls can apply nation-wide, and between tenancy, so that *all* homes are good value. 180
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026And here's five more reports by think tanks backing rent controls: IPPR: www.ippr.org/articles/hou... JRF: www.jrf.org.uk/housing/how-... NEF: neweconomics.org/2026/05/a-mo... Positive Money: positivemoney.org/uk/publicati... Autonomy: autonomy.work/portfolio/re...common-wealth.orgTake Back Rent ControlsWhy rent controls are the policy Starmer needs. 2377
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026In the coming months I’ll be publishing more (with @drdonalbrown.bsky.social and Madeleine Pauker) on the detailed design of rent controls – and how they have an essential role to play in tackling the poor quality & energy inefficient nature of PRS homes. Do get in touch if this is of interest! 1364
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The excerpts in this thread are from my recent report, co-authored with Joe Beswick, published by @iipp-ucl.bsky.social & @neweconomics.bsky.social, drawing on great work by @ippr.org, @generationrent.bsky.social, @jrf-uk.bsky.social & others! You can find it here: www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...ucl.ac.ukTaking back control of rentsAuthored by Beth Stratford and Joe Beswick 1415
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026So we conclude that the risks of rent controls are real, but manageable. And they pale against the risks of continued inaction – entrenched poverty, spiralling public spending and millions of people locked out of housing security. 1434
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026We should expect the landlord lobby to scaremonger. They threatened a mass exodus in response to the Renters Rights Act, rising interest rates and the withdrawal of tax breaks (MITR). And yet govt the number of landlords & PRS dwellings is still rising (see p.24 of www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...) 1394
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Meanwhile that same rent reduction would save renters £2400 per year and govt £2bn per year in housing benefit spend. It's hard to think of any other policy that could deliver such meaningful relief for households most at risk in the current cost of living crisis, whilst SAVING THE GOVT MONEY! 16314
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Fortunately landlords are likely to exit quite slowly. Even a 20% fall in rent would leave the average mortgaged landlord with profit margins 4.5 x bigger than the average UK business! (see p22 -> www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...) 2457
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026And there are a range of policies that could protect sitting tenants while encouraging a shift of homes out of the insecure, unaffordable & hard-to-retrofit PRS into home ownership or permanently affordable ownership by councils, HAs & community-led orgs. (again, see www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...) 1414
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Opponents of rent controls typically argue that rent controls would lead to landlords selling up. Of course that presents risks. But it also presents a historic opportunity. Because when a landlord sells, the home does not vanish – only the owner changes! 16914
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I started looking seriously at rent controls when I realised that even a huge increase in house-building & housing benefit spend wouldn’t touch the sides of this crisis. (Bear in mind that renters in poorest quintile (5th) spend 63% of income on rent!) This👇 is p.7 of www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub... 1527
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026It's true that the rent controls that were in place for most of the 20th century were crude. But they protected tenants from exploitation. And their removal led to the most dramatic deterioration in rental affordability on record. 1626
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026For 30 yrs these supernormal returns and eye-watering margins have fuelled a Buy to Let frenzy: landlords outbidding first-time buyers & pushing up house prices, rather than using their savings to invest in UK productive capacity. Find me an economist who'd call that healthy! 1689
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026This power imbalance also helps explain why returns on landlord equity are considerably higher than in the broader real estate sector, despite the latter typically involving higher risk. (Graph from @jrf-uk.bsky.social , based on analysis I worked on with @autonomy-institute.bsky.social ) 2512
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The result is an inherent power imbalance that many landlords have exploited. This helps to explain why the average mortgaged landlord enjoys profit margins more than 5x the average UK business. (Profit margins for landlords without a mortgage – the majority – are bigger still!) 2668
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026None of these conditions hold in the private rented sector. Shelter is non-substitutable. Few renters can 'exit the market' without becoming homeless. And decades of record-high rents & house prices haven't sparked the building boom neoclassical theory predicts. 1819
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Well, I for one am an economist who supports rent controls! Here’s why 🧵: Markets only work well if: -buyers & sellers have roughly equal power -producers respond to price signals & expand supply in response to scarcity -buyers can walk away if prices get too high 11419199
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Proud to have contributed to this report. Do have a butchers - lots of great ideas for Burnham and team... 176
Reposted by Beth StratfordTom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Look, put simply, people should not be comfortable saying that in public and the way to fix society runs directly through making them afraid to say it again. 3742411099
Reposted by Beth StratfordMusa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 15/08/2026From this review- “Think of all the diligent, decent black academics who have been lumbered with the embarrassment of having Arday as a figurehead” - no, think of *why* black academics are held collectively responsible in ways that white academics are not 745199993
Reposted by Beth StratfordPositive Money UK @positivemoneyuk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026⚡ Our new analysis finds that a windfall tax on bank profits could bring in *£19 billion* from just the UK's biggest four banks if announced in the Autumn Budget. Their profits for the first half of 2026 were £29.2bn (up 21% on the same period last year) 🤑 #TaxTheBankspositivemoney.orgWindfall tax on colossal bank profits could raise £19bn in 2026Burnham urged to resist lobbyists and tax banks to pay for his cost of living measures 2129
Reposted by Beth StratfordLaurie Macfarlane @lmacfarlane.bsky.social · 01/08/2026🚨 NEW: @danneidle.bsky.social claims Scotland’s 48% tax rate has lost public revenue. But is this actually true? My new deep-dive says no – Dan’s analysis doesn’t prove anything. It’s a long read, so buckle up 🧵 23834
Reposted by Beth StratfordGeorge Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Just loving how John Cleese, now reduced to one of his own caricatures, rages about immigrants coming to the UK and failing to accept "our" culture, from his home in ... (checks notes) ... Nevis in the Caribbean. 61075721805
Reposted by Beth Stratfordben smoke @bencsmoke.bsky.social · 26/07/2026following friday announcement that the govt will not be bringing in rent controls, i looked at the growing case for them (ft. london renters union @acornunion.bsky.social , @bethstratford.bsky.social, @zackpolanski.bsky.social + more) + what burnham's inaction means about his govt (link below) 1106
Reposted by Beth StratfordPositive Money UK @positivemoneyuk.bsky.social · 27/07/2026“The new Prime Minister has a clear chance to break away from the unpopularity of his predecessors by standing up to City lobbyists & taxing banks’ unearned windfalls.” This policy isn't just about raising billions, it's about showing the public whose side the Govt is on.mirror.co.ukAndy Burnham urged to unleash tax raid on banks amid £55billion profit bonanzaEXCLUSIVE: As Britain's big bank prepare to announce a round of bumper half year profits, critics argue a windfall could pay for the government's cost of living crusade 12316
Reposted by Beth StratfordNew Economy Brief @neweconomybrief.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Also including: - @autonomy-institute.bsky.social on caps on political donations - @clesthinkdo.bsky.social on ending trickle down economics with community wealth building - @bethstratford.bsky.social on rent controls - @pollytoynbee.bsky.social on the @highpaycentre.bsky.social 141
Reposted by Beth StratfordThe Autonomy Institute @autonomy-institute.bsky.social · 15/07/2026The only historic sustained improvement in housing affordability came at the start of the C20th with rent controls – @bethstratford.bsky.social Catch up with the full Forum 2029 event: youtu.be/Uh1_AUP_dx0?... 045
Reposted by Beth StratfordZack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Nigel Farage is correct about one thing. It’s the people vs the establishment. Reform are literally the establishment. And it’s the Green Party on the side of the people. Wealth tax. Rent controls. Now. Join.greenparty.org.uk 491261335
Reposted by Beth StratfordThe Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 10/07/2026Rent controls would save households up to £2,400 a year and the Government £2 billion a year. It's a no-brainer. But only the Green Party has a policy to introduce them. 27783301
Reposted by Beth StratfordDanny Sriskandarajah @dhnnjyn.bsky.social · 10/07/2026"Rent controls, an idea whose time has come" @zackpolanski.bsky.social at launch of joint NEF / @iipp-ucl.bsky.social report by @bethstratford.bsky.social Huge benefits for renters & gov. Negative impacts on landlords are marginal. Other countries have them, UK has had them before, so why not now? 2119
Reposted by Beth StratfordThe Autonomy Institute @autonomy-institute.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Right, only two days until we're back with our final Forum 2029 of this series! Don't miss out Weds 8th July, 18:30 'Tackling the private rental sector' w/ @bethstratford.bsky.social | Rosie Worsdale (@jrf-uk.bsky.social) | Beka Hesse (LRU) Sign-up: actionnetwork.org/events/forum... 032
Reposted by Beth StratfordPeter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 04/06/202661% of all political donations in the last quarter came from just 14 people Reform took in £9.3m from a handful of super rich donors British democracy is being bought. We urgently need action to take the money out of our politics 341121663
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Also, these are the figures for MEDIAN profit margins. But as it happens AVERAGE profit margins for MORTGAGED landlords are also 5 times bigger than average UK business profit margins 020
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 04/06/2026These are actually the profit margins of mortgaged landlords!! Nearly 60% of landlords have no mortgage, according to my analysis of HMRC data, so their profit margins are even bigger. Analysis to be published in a few weeks, watch this space! 111
Reposted by Beth StratfordCompass @compassoffice.bsky.social · 30/05/2026"Landlord profit margins are on average around 42% and ordinary business owner's margins are on average 8%. [...] Vast majority of landlords are making supernormal returns" Economist @bethstratford.bsky.social #ChangeNOW 🤝 2148
Reposted by Beth StratfordHelen Warrell @helenwarrell.bsky.social · 03/06/2026If you read one thing today, make it @stephenkb.bsky.social's admirably clear and rational analysis of the police's actions following Henry Nowak's murder, from the @financialtimes.com Inside Politics newsletter www.ft.com/content/aa94...ft.comWhat Henry Nowak’s murder does — and does not — tell us about policingKemi Badenoch says his killing needs to be seen as a ‘Stephen Lawrence moment’ but the failures in both cases differ 8210128
Reposted by Beth StratfordJack Bailey @jack-bailey.co.uk · 03/06/2026Last year, we shared a paper showing that Labour's accommodation of the radical right did not work. We now have a new version of the paper online: osf.io/preprints/so... 12520285
Reposted by Beth StratfordNew Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · 17/05/2026Everyone should be able to access a safe, secure, affordable home. But unaffordable rents make it impossible for people to live good lives. That's why we're calling for an "emergency brake" which would cap rent increases at the lower of inflation or 2%. Read more: neweconomics.org/2026/05/a-mo... 0155
Reposted by Beth StratfordJoseph Elliott @jelliott94.bsky.social · 15/05/2026Around 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. 2119
Reposted by Beth StratfordShare The Wealth @sharethewealthuk.bsky.social · 18/05/2026A tiny 2% annual wealth tax could raise over £5bn a year from the top 15 billionaires on the Sunday Times Rich List alone. That could cut household energy bills by an average of £150 a year using @jrf-uk.bsky.social's Rising Block Tariff proposal. So why isn't the government doing it now? 12820
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Props to @msingerhobbs.bsky.social @darrenbaxter-clow.bsky.social @georgebangham.bsky.social and many others that I can't find to tag right now... ❤️✊ 010
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 14/05/2026And exciting to see THREE major think tanks coming out with reports calling for rent controls! 1) @ippr.org - www.ippr.org/articles/hou... 2) @jrf-uk.bsky.social - www.jrf.org.uk/housing/how-... 3) @neweconomics.bsky.social - neweconomics.org/2026/05/a-mo...jrf.org.ukHow tax reform would make rent controls feasible to deliverThis first report from our Ending the Rent Squeeze programme shows combining rent control and tax reform is an impactful, viable way of bringing down rent costs. 191
Reposted by Beth StratfordThe Autonomy Institute @autonomy-institute.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Our 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...autonomy.workThe property premium: the nature and trajectory of landlord profits in EnglandNew Autonomy analysis of landlord profits in England over the previous decade. 21014
Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Finally, 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... 33624
Reposted by Beth StratfordPatriotic Millionaires UK @patmillsuk.bsky.social · 13/05/2026Millionaires are five times more concerned about doctors leaving the UK than they are about other millionaires emigrating 💸 Our poll also found millionaires are proud to live in the UK, and they're willing to pay more tax to invest in our country and its young people. 513166
Reposted by Beth StratfordThe Onion @theonion.com · 07/03/2026Trump’s War On Iran: Myth Vs. Fact theonion.com/trumps-war-on-iran-myt… 211767264
Reposted by Beth StratfordJosh Ryan-Collins @jryancollins.bsky.social · 08/03/2026The @europarl.europa.eu looks set on tuesday to vote through a report on the EU housing crisis that rejects the idea that financialisation has been a key driver. Read my co-authored letter with @danielagabor.bsky.social arguing aginst the report's findings www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...ucl.ac.ukLetter to the European Parliament's HOUS CommitteeAuthored by Josh Ryan-Collins and Daniela Gabor 194
Reposted by Beth StratfordUCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose @iipp-ucl.bsky.social · 28/11/2025🏠 A foundation for future housing strategy 'Taking Stock', a paper led by IIPP's @stefanhorn.bsky.social & @bethstratford.bsky.social, outlines the foundational analysis and key frameworks of the Homes that Don’t Cost the Earth (#HDCE) project. ✍️ Read the paper here: buff.ly/TWVFHMn 061