Posts with tag: landlords in Wales

Still No Date for Rent Smart Wales, Despite Countdown Starting

Published On: August 24, 2015 at 8:56 am

Author:

Categories: Finance News

Tags: ,,,

The Welsh Government has revealed that the countdown has started for Rent Smart Wales to come into force, but no date has yet been set on the scheme’s introduction.

Still No Date for Rent Smart Wales, Despite Countdown Starting

Still No Date for Rent Smart Wales, Despite Countdown Starting

The Welsh Government is launching Rent Smart Wales, a registration and licensing scheme. It aims to improve letting and management standards for private tenants in Wales.

However, a date has not been set on when the scheme will begin.

The new legislation means that anyone who owns and rents out private property in Wales must register with the central licensing authority, through Rent Smart Wales. All managing agents and landlords are also required to obtain a new license.

Once part of the scheme, landlords and agents must keep their information up-to-date and comply will all regulations.

Lesley Griffiths, the minister with responsibility for housing, says: “The new legislation we are introducing will not only improve the situation for tenants – informing them of their rights and responsibilities – it will also help good landlords by improving the sector’s reputation.

“When Rent Smart Wales is introduced this autumn, it will provide a simple way for landlords to register and for them and their agents to become licensed. Ahead of the changes, I encourage landlords and agents to subscribe to register their interest and to receive useful news and updates.”1 

1 https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2015/8/countdown-is-on-for-rent-smart-wales–only-there-is-still-no-date

 

 

 

Welsh Letting Agents Must be Trained Too

Published On: July 16, 2015 at 5:46 pm

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,

New legislation regarding the private rental sector in Wales will not only apply to landlords, but also to letting agents.

Welsh Letting Agents Must be Trained Too

Welsh Letting Agents Must be Trained Too

The Welsh Government is introducing the Rent Smart Wales scheme, which will require all private landlords in the country to be licensed. The date of the scheme’s launch is yet to be confirmed.

Find out what the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) thinks about it: /rla-believes-that-landlords-dont-need-more-regulation/.

The scheme requires landlords to register their rental properties and undertake unspecified training to obtain a license, if they wish to manage the property themselves.

Now, it has been revealed that letting and management agents will also have to be licensed and trained.

Documents regarding the scheme can be found here: http://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/housing-supply/renting/privately/landlord-and-agent-registration/?lang=en.

The relevant part of the documentation says: “Training for agents has yet to be set, but will cover both the agents’ relationship with tenants as well as with their client landlords. Classroom based and online training should be available in future.”

The legislation, amendments to the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, gives power to individual local authorities to implement the legal aspects of the scheme as well as register landlords and grant licenses.

After the first year of operation, in autumn 2016, the enforcement powers detailed in the legislation – including fixed penalty notices and prosecution – will be introduced, and landlords and agents that ignore the obligations will have action taken against them by local authorities and the licensing authority.

RLA Believes that Landlords Don’t Need More Regulation

Published On: July 15, 2015 at 12:45 pm

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,

RLA Believes that Landlords Don't Need More Regulation

RLA Believes that Landlords Don’t Need More Regulation

As the Welsh Government launches its Rent Smart Wales scheme, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has spoken out about its thoughts.

Yesterday, the Welsh Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths AM, revealed the Rent Smart Wales initiative, which is a new landlord and agent registration and licensing scheme that will come into effect in the autumn.

The Welsh Government has not yet confirmed when a landlord will be able to register with the scheme, prepare for training, apply for a license or specified the cost of licensing. However, the RLA expects this to be from £200 per managing landlord.

The Vice Chairman for the RLA in Wales, Douglas Haig, says: “Whilst we encourage all landlords to comply with the new regulations and follow the Welsh Government’s guidance, the RLA believes that this will detract local authorities’ attention away from tackling the minority of landlords who are criminals and stretch resources further.

“We believe that existing regulations in the private rented sector are sufficient to tackle the criminal landlords, however, we do not see adequate enforcement of the powers that already exist.

“A better deal for tenants would be to put the resources used to create the scheme into enforcement instead.”1

1 http://news.rla.org.uk/enforcement-key-to-protecting-tenants-say-landlords-not-more-regulation/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARLA Criticises Additional Licensing Scheme in Wales

Published On: June 29, 2015 at 12:55 pm

Author:

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: ,,,

ARLA Criticises Additional Licensing Scheme in Wales

ARLA Criticises Additional Licensing Scheme in Wales

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has criticised plans to form a private sector licensing scheme in Cardiff, as it arrives just before Wales introduces a compulsory licensing scheme for landlords and agents.

The obligatory licenses cover the whole country and will be administered by Cardiff City Council.

The Managing Director of ARLA, David Cox, says that it is “illogical” to launch a new additional licensing scheme so close to the introduction of the Welsh Agent and Landlord Licensing Scheme (WALLS).

He continues: “We would strongly argue that Cardiff Council should allow WALLS to be implemented and properly evaluated before creating potentially an entirely unnecessary secondary layer of local licensing.

“Indeed, it is important to remember that imposing multiple layers of additional compliance on landlords will only increase the costs of operating a rental portfolio, which in turn will result in a reduction in supply of properties in the designated area and thus increased rents for tenants.”1

Cox wrote in a letter responding to a consultation by Cardiff on its plans to introduce the additional licensing scheme. He says that ARLA is questioning the Council’s lawful ability to do so.

1 http://www.propertyindustryeye.com/arla-hits-out-at-citys-plans-for-additional-licensing-scheme/