Welsh government revokes new landlord regulations

On November 15^th the decision was made by the Welsh government to introduce new regulations requiring landlords to provide a list of data to prospective tenants.

The intention was to implement this from Friday 13^th December, but the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has argued against it.

The association raised its concerns with certain information listed as a requirement, along with the short notice for the change.

In accordance with The Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Specified Information) (Wales) Regulations 2019, landlords have been told they will have to provide the following information in writing to a prospective tenant:

1. amount of holding deposit;
2. identify the dwelling in respect of which the deposit is paid;
3. name, address, telephone number and any email address of the landlord (and if instructed, the letting agent);
4. nature and duration of the contract;
5. proposed occupation date;
6. amount of rent or other consideration;
7. rental period; 
8. any proposed additional contract terms or proposed modifications or exclusions to fundamental or supplementary terms;
9. amount of any security deposit;
10. whether a guarantor is required and, if so, any relevant conditions;
11. reference checks the landlord (or letting agent) will undertake; and 
12. information the landlord or letting agent requires from the prospective contract-holder.

A big concern for the RLA was the requirement for landlords to provide a personal address at this stage in the process. After writing to the Minister for Housing and Local Government, the decision has been made to amend this regulation. Instead, the wording has been changed to require “contact details” to be provided, with no added definition for the term. The RLA has pointed out that this could be a business address instead of a home address.

The Welsh Government has also acknowledged that more time must be given to allow landlords and agents to prepare for these changes. The implementation of the replacement regulations has been delayed until 28^th February 2020.

Douglas Haig, Director for Wales and Vice-Chair of the RLA has commented: “We are delighted the Minister listened to what we had to say and has adjusted the regulations accordingly. This goes to show that working in partnership can lead to better and more balanced outcomes.

“We were very clear going into this that our only intentions were to ensure landlords could be compliant with the law and that their data was protected, and we are glad to have achieved these through constructive conversations with Assembly Members.”

Read the RLA’s full report here: https://news.rla.org.uk/wales-regulations-revoked-after-rla-campaign/