Residential Tenancies in Wales

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 received Royal Assent on 18^th January 2016.   Its provisions will come into effect in line with the Commencement Orders – at the time of writing the exact date is not known.  This new piece of legislation will see the end of Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements (ASTs) in Wales. The Act introduces two new forms of ‘occupation contract’ for letting residential property in Wales: a Secure Contract and a Standard Contract, the latter will replace the AST.  The legislation will apply to existing tenancies as well as new Agreements.  Existing ASTs will need to be converted to Standard Contracts.  Landlords in Wales will need to keep abreast of the legislation as it is being introduced during 2016.