Renting Homes Wales Act

The way you rent your home has changed

As of the 1st of December 2022, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 has changed the way you rent your home. This new law affects all landlords and tenants in Wales.

If you are an existing Newydd tenant, we must issue you with a copy of your occupation contract before 31st May. This law improves how we rent, manage and live in rented homes in Wales.

Under this law, new and existing tenants will become ‘contract-holders’ and tenancy agreements will be replaced with ‘occupation contracts'.

Types of contracts

There are two main types of occupation contract that can be issued in a variety of formats including electronic or a paper copy:

1. A secure contract replaces secure tenancies issued by local authorities and assured tenancies issued by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs)
2. A standard contract is the default contract for the private rented sector, but can be used by local authorities and RSLs in certain circumstances e.g. a ‘supported standard contract’ for supported accommodation.

Your occupation contract

Your occupation contract with us will have to be set out in a ‘written statement’. The purpose of the written statement is to confirm the terms of the contract. This written statement must contain all required contractual terms. These are:

1. Key matters: For example, the names of the parties and address of the property. These must be inserted in every contract.
2. Fundamental terms: These cover the most important aspects of the contract, including the possession procedures and the landlord’s obligations regarding repair.
3. Supplementary terms: These deal with the more practical, day to day matters applying to the occupation contract, for example, the requirement to notify the landlord if the property is going to be unoccupied for four weeks or more.
4. Additional terms: This addresses any other specifically agreed matters, for example a term which relates to the keeping of pets.

If you would like to know more about how the new law will affect you, please visit Welsh Government for more information.

eCymru has designed a short course to help tenants in Wales manage and live in a rented home in Wales. With seven informative topics, this course will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to be a responsible and successful contract-holder. To complete the course, simply read over the information and complete a quick quiz to demonstrate your understanding of your rights and responsibilities. Click here to take the course.