Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2019

housing
Sep 24 | 2019

Renting Homes (Fees) (Wales) Act in a nutshell:

If you are a landlord (or an Agent) who has rental properties in Wales, you will know that complex changes have been brought into force, that will have a wide ranging effect on how you rent in Wales.  There are differences between The Renting Homes Act Wales (2019) and the Tenant fees Act 2019 (that applies to England only). Under the Wales Act, which come into force after 1 September 2019:
  • There are now permitted payments that can be made to a Landlord or an Agent, and payments that are not permitted.  If an Agent or a Landlord has requested payments from a tenant that are not permitted under the Act, then the Landlord has breached the Act and there are serious implications for him/her.  Further, if they hold a license through 'Rent Smart Wales' then any breach would be reported to  the scheme and the license could be revoked.   An example of a permitted payment would be 'rent' or a 'deposit'.  However, there are a lot of unpermitted payments, for example, charging a tenant to renew a tenancy agreement.
  • If you are holding a deposit as a means of securing a property, there are now strict time scales for you to return the deposit to a tenant.  If you are a tenant and you have agreed to secure a  property by entering into a holding deposit arrangement, and you have not breached that arrangement, then the tenant is entitled to the deposit returned within 7 days.
  • If you are an Agent, it is an offence not to publicise your fees; it is important to be open and transparent.
There are serious implications for Landlords and Agents who are in breach of the above. It is therefore important that a Landlord is familiar with the complex changes. If you are looking for free housing advice for Landlords, free advice for Lettings Agents or Tenants, then call our Housing Lawyers for initial free guidance on the complex changes.

Tags :

User Menu