The Welsh government has published draft legislation that changes the terms of converted contracts and any renewals that replace them.
They close off a number of regulatory grey areas that could potentially cause issues for landlords in Wales during court proceedings.
The new legislation means that the original converted contract terms should be provided by 31 May 2023 and any renewed terms agreed already should be provided by 14 June 2023.
If there has been a change in the identity of the contract-holder between 1 December 2022 and 31 May 2023, the landlord must provide a copy of the written statement to them by June 14 2023.
After 1 June, if a new contract replaces a converted contract, landlords and agents will have 14 days from the start of the contract to provide a written statement. This allows landlords to safely renew their contracts after this date without facing penalties and makes it easier administratively as these contracts are largely indistinguishable from standard contracts.
This news follows the introduction of the Renting Homes Wales Act on 1 December 2022, which requires that all existing assured shorthold tenancies and licences in Wales should be converted into occupation contracts.
The Welsh government’s announcement means that landlords will now be able to work towards a firm deadline as regards ensuring their contracts are compliant with the Renting Homes Wales Act’s key requirements in this area.
Ben Beadle, chief executive at the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “This announcement provides some much needed clarity for landlords on when they need to meet the obligations set out in the Renting Homes Wales Act.
“Above all, it means that landlords now have a level of certainty with respect to the timeline they can now work towards over the coming months.
“However, all of this confusion and subsequent tweaking to regulations was totally avoidable. The Welsh Government should have listened to the concerns of industry stakeholders properly and in our view, much more needs to be done by the Welsh Government to restore the confidence of landlords, which has been badly damaged by the botched roll-out of these reforms.”
To find out more about the relevant amendments to Section 12 click here.
