Viðreisn leader declines to say whether she backs rent brake

Foreign Minister and Viðreisn leader Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir did not say whether she or her party supports a proposed rent brake when questioned in Iceland’s parliament on Thursday, mbl.is reported.

Jens Garðar Helgason, an MP for the Independence Party, criticised the bill from the social affairs and housing minister, arguing that it conflicts with Viðreisn’s support for market solutions, property rights and freedom of contract. He cited criticism of the planned changes to tenancy law from central bank governor Ásgeir Jónsson and former minister Þorsteinn Víglundsson, now director of the Federation of Industries and a former deputy leader of Viðreisn.

Þorgerður said Helgason had taken the central bank governor’s comments out of context, noting that Jónsson had said he had not read the bill. Rather than state her position, she referred to commitments made by previous governments, including administrations involving the Independence Party, to strengthen tenants’ rights and housing security.

She cited government statements from 2019 and 2024 on reviewing tenancy law, protecting tenants against rent increases and setting clearer rules for determining rent. She said the current government was following through on those goals and that its measures had helped support labour-market agreements.

Helgason repeated his question, asking whether Þorgerður supported keeping the bill under consideration despite the warnings and whether linking it to the extension of collective agreements was irresponsible. She said the government had sought reasonable outcomes in the labour market from the outset and that measures were needed to secure long-term price stability. She did not clearly say whether she or Viðreisn backed the bill.