The Welsh government has announced that it is delaying the implementation of the Renting Homes Wales Act until 1 December 2022.
The Renting Homes Act, first passed in 2016, will make changes to the duties required of landlords in Wales, including increasing eviction notice periods.
When the rules are finally introduced, landlords in Wales will need to offer tenants at least six months’ notice when serving a Section 21 eviction order.
Climate change minister, Julie James, who is responsible for housing, commented: “I have over recent months received representations from landlords, and particularly social landlords, who have requested that implementation of the Act be delayed.
“In the light of the unprecedented pressures they (landlords) face, including Covid recovery and supporting those who are fleeing the war in Ukraine, I have decided to postpone implementation of the Act until 1st December 2022. This will allow more time for landlords to complete the necessary preparations ahead of implementation.
“Wholesale reform of the type that the Renting Homes (Wales) Act is bringing about happens only very rarely – perhaps once in a generation. I want to do all I can to ensure landlords have adequate time to make the necessary preparations to comply with the requirements of the Act.”
Daryl McIntosh, Propertymark’s policy manager for the UK Devolved Nations, said: “This delay has come completely out of the blue.
“We understand that this is a huge piece of legislation that fundamentally changes the entire rented sector in Wales, but what is taking so long? Royal Assent was granted six years ago and the Welsh Government still hasn’t published all of the regulations.
“With hindsight the five-month delay probably shouldn’t come a surprise, and will give our member agents and their landlords, and the rest of the rented sector, some additional time to understand and implement the changes.
“We urge Ministers to get on with publishing the remaining regulations within their original timeframe of June and July to ensure there is sufficient lead-in time and to avoid any further delays and uncertainty.”
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, saidd: “The NRLA had warned for some time that the Welsh Government’s timetable for implementation of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act was unrealistic and provided insufficient time for landlords to prepare. It is reassuring that landlords’ concerns have been heeded, albeit late in the day.
“We welcome the announcement that implementation will be postponed until 1 December 2022. This will give the Government time to consider the many issues raised by private and social landlords ahead of these major changes coming into force.”
Get ready for a u turn.
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There won’t be a section 21 notice once the new law is introduced.
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oh it will.
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My understanding is that there will still be the Welsh equivalent of s21. The big change is in notice periods, which are set to be permanently at 6 months, after an initial 6 months’ secure tenancy – so a year in total. Happy to be corrected.
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Correct but for clarity, new tenancies after implementation 6 + 6 months which actually equates to 13 months in practice! There is still accelerated process’s for bad tenant behaviour. Existing tenancies pre date of new implementation should only require the 2 months moving to 6 months notice for a Section 21.
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Lol ……. I don’t know an agent that is not ready to go with the new rules, been warned enough but this did make me chuckle, after all they are the former local authority in disguise!
.……. representations from landlords, and particularly social landlords
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Unfortunately the Welsh Assembly Government would not have been ready for the implementation date of 15th July. Rent Smart Wales as their operators of the Housing (Wales) Act haven’t got any courses or modules passed themselves in order to train Landlords and the WAG template for the Standard Contract is riddled with errors. Welsh agents had hoped that WAG’s teething problems would have been sorted out in the first few months and they could have issued the Written Statements for existing fixed tenancies in December and January when offices tend to have less work demands, but with the delay this will come at a much busier time.
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They have had plenty of time, it was due for implementation in 2019. 2 years later and they now say it won’t work. What have they been doing while working from home during Covid … obviously not work, there’s no surprise. So it isn’t agents and landlords that need time to prepare, laughable.
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This was NOT delayed to give ‘ Landlords and Agents ‘ more time.
It was delayed at the request of Social landlords.
The fact that the delay applies to all landlords is a disguise of the influence and preferential concern given to the Social Housing sector in Wales. see our Twitter page for the local Government article that reveals the Social landlords plea to the Assembly.
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