Government urged to consider Christchurch rent control

7:09 am on 15 April 2012

An expert in earthquake recovery says the Government should consider rent control as a way of addressing Christchurch's rental accommodation crisis.

Rents have increased 15% since the Canterbury earthquakes as extra demand is created by displaced homeowners.

David Alexander, the chief scientist at Swiss think-tank Global Risk Forum, says there's no reason why prices need to increase and there may be a place for Government-imposed rent control.

Professor Alexander says he'd also like to see the use of campervans to reduce demand for temporary accommodation, which he says work best when placed on people's properties, next to their damaged homes.

He says the only issue with temporary accommodation is that it can sometimes stifle the building of permanent housing.