ARLA Propertymark is calling on the Welsh government to deliver on its commitment to provide letting agents and landlords with at least six months to prepare for the upcoming changes in the PRS in Wales.
Legislation was passed last week that will extend the amount of notice landlords have to give from two to six months.
The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill will also mean the minimum contract a tenant can be offered will be for 12 months.
The bill is due to come into force in spring 2022, after the Welsh government said scrutiny was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new law will offer tenants “more protection, stability and security in their homes”, according to the Welsh government.
However, landlords would still be able to repossess properties if a tenant breached their contract, under the new law.
Reflecting on The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill, ARLA Propertymark president, Angela Davey, commented: “The Welsh Parliament’s approval of the Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill will introduce significant changes to the way the private rented sector operates in Wales. Collectively, having one standardised legal framework is going to enable everyone to operate in exactly the same way, giving clarity on rights and responsibilities through standard written contracts.
“While in some cases these changes will provide more financial security for landlords, it also means it will take landlords 12 months to reclaim their property in the case of “no fault evictions”, which is a hammer blow to the sector.
“We call on the Welsh Government to now stick to its commitment for at least a six-month lead time, or longer, in light of Covid to allow agents and their landlords in Wales to prepare for the upcoming changes.”
Comments (5)
Oooh look ARLA are writing letters again rather than trying to fight for agents and the PRS!
What about landlords rights we seem to be the victims in a lot of case s now how can some Tennant’s still have the right to deny access to a property when there are legal requirements for gas boiler devices and the new electrical condition reports that need to done .I have a tenant who stopped paying any rent and then moved away to work .not giving up the property when he went .and will not answer any contact from myself or my agent surely these type of tenants give up all rights by not correspond with any of us. leaving a property vacant for several months with unpaid rent just doing what he fancies .when he pleases . surely he does not have any rights if he doesn’t want to even talk about safety issues and rent arrears .lost for words do these tenants believe they can go though life treating everyone with disrespect and make a mockery of the real law
This has slipped under my radar…. does anyone know :-
1/ What happens if a tenant voluntarily only wants a 6 month contract? i.e. house mover willing to go into rented to break a chain
2/ Do existing tenancies transition to these rules when they are implimented in 2022 or do these new rules only come into force for new tenancies created after their implimentation date?
With the world as it is …Spring 2022 will be here before you know it….
Last December, the WAG Housing Policy Division advised Welsh ARLA members that Landlords / Agents could not serve a “no fault notice” to get rid of a tenant until 6-months had passed and then the notice period would be 6-months, rather than 2-months under Housing Acts. This means that the Landlord cannot regain possession for 12-months, unless the Tenant is in breach of contract. The Tenant can still leave after the initial 6-months by giving 1-months notice.
They also said that Agents / Landlords would have to issue their new standard tenancy agreement to all existing tenants within 6-months of implementation, thus replacing all ASTs in Wales. WAG have made no provision for short-term Winter lets.
Professional Landlords generally want long term tenants to get a continuous income stream, so this change only affects “reluctant landlords, or Landlords if they have a change of circumstances and need to sell.
Any landlord in Wales with an empty property would be wise to put it on the market as soon as possible.