Andy Burnham's renewed call for rent controls in Greater Manchester has reopened one of the most contentious debates in UK housing policy, pitting tenant advocacy against the fundamentals of a private rented sector that now houses roughly 20% of English households. The Greater Manchester mayor's proposal, which would seek devolved powers to cap rent increases in a region that has seen average rents climb by over 30% since 2020, arrives at a moment when landlord confidence is already fragile following the Renters' Rights Act, mounting mortgage costs, and tightening EPC requirements. For a market that has absorbed successive waves of regulatory tightening since 2016, this latest intervention could prove the tipping point that accelerates landlord exits rather than protects tenants.