Rent increases private or public. Which is worse?

 The latest Zoopla rent report states that private rents have increased by 21% over the last 3 years.  This is the June 2025 report.

I thought I would analyse this before Generation Rent and Angela start arguing that this is another example of greedy landlords.

Firstly the rent increase is based on new tenancies. Given the Renter Reform Bill will introduce rent controls, it is driving behaviour to raise rents to market levels now before they are subject to legal controls.

So let's look at the wider historic data. Private rents increased by 4.2% in 2022, 6.2% in 2023 and 9.1% in 2024.

For comparison rent increases for COUNCIL and SOCIAL housing for the same period was 2022 7%, 2023 7% and 2024 7.7% so in total 21% whereas the total for the private sector over the same period was 19.5%.

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This is a clear example of caring private landlords caring for their tenants whilst greedy socialist government bodies exploit vulnerable tenants. There needs to be controls in place to stop social landlords exploiting their tenants with massive rent increases and poor standard of potentially lethal sub-standard housing.

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So returning to the headline.  Private landlords have increased rent broadly in line with the overall market - largely driven by inflation. Given landlord costs, through things like section 24, have increased this is fully understandable.  Costs of massively increased compliance have also increased (and are set to increase) which ultimately is reflected in rent increases.

The social sector has not been immune to rent increases.  If anything the private sector has not kept pace with the social sector rent increases.

Still I'm sure these stats will be twisted to the greedy narrative.