A Labour government would cap private-sector rent rises and abolish letting fees for tenants, Ed Miliband has pledged.

Speaking at the launch of Labour’s EU and local election campaign in Redbridge, north-east London yesterday, Mr Miliband outlined a package of housing reforms, including legislating to make three-year tenancies the norm.

The opposition leader said that housing costs were “one of the biggest causes of the cost of living crisis” and warned many face “terrible insecurity” at the hands of unscrupulous landlords.

He said: “Nine million people are living in rented homes today — over a million families and over two million children. That is why a Labour government will take action to deliver fairer deal for them.”

Under the proposals, tenants would get a three-year deal as long as they paid the rent on time and were not guilty of anti-social behaviour in the first six months.

Landlords could only serve them with two months’ notice to leave with “good reason” such as rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, breaches of the tenancy agreement or because they needed the property to live in or to refurbish.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey welcomed the move, which would also see Labour pledge to build an additional 200,000 homes a year by 2020.

“People need to know that the house they rent is their home and that they will have the peace of mind that comes with three-year security of tenure,” he said.

“These moves, coupled with Labour’s pledge to build 200,000 houses a year with a strong emphasis on council and social housing, should raise the quality of housing available and bring down the punishing cost of renting.”

Chair Liz Davies of the Haldane Society of socialist lawyers specialises in housing law.

She told the Star: “It still means that far too many people will have insecure homes and find themselves having to move after three years even though they have paid rent and behaved well.

“Since there are now more households renting privately than in social housing, Labour should be reintroducing full security of tenure so that tenants can have long-term homes.”