New landlord rules and Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 to come into effect on 15 July 2022. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 will come into effect on 15 July 2022. The act represents the biggest change to housing law in Wales for decades.  The law aims to increase protection for tenants through the introduction of a single, clear framework and make it easier to rent a home in Wales.

Under the new law ‘occupation contracts’ will replace existing tenancies and licences. There will be two new occupation contracts that are to replace the current tenancy and licence agreements. These are:

On 15 July 2022, all existing tenancy agreements will automatically convert to an occupation contract. Whilst an occupation contract can be initiated verbally, it needs to be followed up with a written statement of the contract. Written statements need to be given within 14 days of the occupation date for new contracts from 15 July 2022. Written statements for converted contracts need to be issued by 15 January 2023.

There will also be new rules for serving notice:

• The notice period for ‘no fault’ evictions (currently known as Section 21) will be six months
• Evictions on ‘no fault’ grounds will not be permitted until 6 months after a contract starts
• Landlords must meet certain obligations to serve a ‘no fault’ eviction notice, such as registration, licensing, deposit protection and health and safety provisions
• Break clauses will only be allowed for fixed-term occupation contracts of 2 years or more and the break clause cannot be exercised for the first 18 months

As the life a landlord seems to get even more complicated with the changes to legislation, we are here to help. If you are on a Property Management contract with us, you can rest assured that we will sort all changes for you. If you are a landlord going it alone, we are still here for support and advice.

Give us a call to see how we can help.

Chester 01244 401440
Mold 01352 752220
Property Management Department 01352 754451