Rents in the private sector are increasing by less than inflation, and have gone up by just 1% in the last year across England.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that even in London, rents rose by an average of only 1.4% in the 12 months to March 2014.
This compares to a consumer prices index rate of 1.7% and a retail prices index rate of 2.5% over the same period.
The Residential Landlords Association says the statistics highlight how rent controls would work adversely for tenants.
Chris Town, vice-chair of the RLA, said: “It’s important that people who talk about controlling rents through linking them to inflation, realise that this could in fact hit many tenants who could face higher rents as a result.”
Private sector rents have risen by 9.5% across England over the past nine years and in London by 12.5%.
This compares with an RPI increase of 33.8% and a CPI increase of 13.3% over the same period. By contrast, council rents rose by 42.5% and housing association rents by 43.8% over the eight years between 2005 and 2013.
The latest rent data for the private rented sector, produced by the Office for National Statistics, can be accessed at: