Welsh Government: Consultation on proposals for legislation to reform arrangements for renting homes

Press release from Welsh Government:

Minister for Housing and Regeneration Carl Sargeant will today (Monday 20 May) launch a White Paper for consultation on the Welsh Government’s legislative proposals to improve arrangements for renting homes.

The White Paper is a significant development. It delivers on the commitment to bring forward proposals based on the Law Commission’s 2006 Renting Homes report, which attracted considerable support during last year’s public consultation on the Welsh Government’s bold and ambitious programme of action to help people meet their housing needs.

Carl Sargeant said “Housing law is unduly complex and can create difficulties for both tenants and landlords in setting up rental contracts, resolving problems and also when ending tenancies.

“As a result of differences in the terms and conditions of the rental agreements of local authorities, housing associations and private tenancies, people are reluctant to move between landlords in the different sectors. This means the housing system in Wales is not as flexible and efficient as it could be.

“The differences also hamper mobility as tenants may be reluctant to move to another area for fear of losing their current level of security or tenancy terms.

“Our proposals are based on the considerable body of work that went into the Law Commission’s significant report in 2006 and we have worked closely with the Commission in developing our plans.

“The proposed new framework for renting a home provides a fairer, more transparent and flexible system and has benefits for tenants and landlords alike. It will also help people in situations of domestic violence and in dealing with the anti social behaviour of some households.

“I am determined to improve the efficiency of our housing system and this ground-breaking legislation is a significant step forward. These proposals will create a level playing field for all landlords and also provide a fairer deal for tenants, irrespective of who they rent their home from.”