The proposal calls on the party leadership to go beyond the local rent controls in the Private (Housing) Tenancies Bill.

Campaigners Living Rent want a system where rents are capped and linked to housing quality and a move to indefinite contracts.

Emma Saunders, an activist with Living Rent, said this vote meant there was now a consensus going into the Scottish Parliamentary election that rent controls were a necessary step to resolving the housing crisis.

Emma said: “For far too many private tenants in Scotland, rents are too high and the quality of housing too low. With today’s vote by SNP delegates, there is now a clear consensus across the board that rent controls are a sensible solution to this.

“The challenge is now to make sure that we get it right, and that the model of rent controls we introduce genuinely brings rents down and protects tenants.”

Rent controls are currently in place across Europe, including in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.