Despite calls by the Labour Party at their conference for a boost to the supply of homes, their policies announced will critically undermine the housing tenure that has made up the majority of new dwellings created over recent years, warns the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

The RLA is warning that the extra regulations for the sector announced by Labour at this week’s conference will significantly damage the only sector that is boosting the supply of places to live.

Shadow Ministers announced plans for a national register of landlords, rent controls and banning so called ‘revenge evictions’.

However, nearly 60% of housing stock created since 1986 has been in the private rented sector and analysis by the RLA of figures produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government has revealed that of the more than 5m new dwellings created between 1986 and 2012, 57% of these have been private homes to rent.

Alan Ward, chairman at the RLA said: “The figures show that private landlords are the largest single investor group in the UK housing market. Without the increase in rented dwellings we have seen, the current housing crisis would be more like an Armageddon. Sadly Labour just does not get it on rented housing. Rather than supporting the sector to meet the ever growing demands being placed on it, Shadow Ministers are looking to make cheap political points by reaching for populist regulations without thinking through their consequences.”