IPPR's proposed rent double lock: what its affordability research says
The think tank's May 2026 proposal would link rent increases to wages or inflation. Its headline estimate concerns households and is modelled, rather than a direct count.
IPPR's 11 May 2026 research release proposed limiting rent increases using the lower of wage growth and inflation. This was a think-tank recommendation, not an announcement that such a cap had become law.
Understanding the headline number
IPPR estimated that 2.4 million UK private-renting households faced unaffordable rents. The unit is households, not individual people. Its definition was spending at least 30% of income after tax and benefits on rent.
The figure was a modelled estimate for 2026/27, using the Family Resources Survey 2023/24 and a tax-benefit model. It should therefore not be presented as a direct census of current tenants.
The proposed policy
The suggested double lock would apply a wage or consumer-price index, with the lower measure determining the limit. IPPR also proposed temporary exemptions for new-build accommodation and major renovations.
Its projection of 2.5 million affected households by the end of the parliament represented an increase of about 340,000 from 2023/24, not 340,000 on top of the 2.4 million estimate. These projections depend on the model's assumptions and are not guaranteed outcomes.
