Landlords in Wales face tougher rules on evicting tenants as part of another shake-up for the country’s private rented sector.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth announced upcoming legislation to strengthen tenants’ rights, improve housing affordability and restrict no-fault evictions, following changes introduced under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, which replaced assured shorthold tenancies with occupation contracts and extended notice periods for landlords.

The country currently still allows no-fault possession under section 173 of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, with a six-month notice period.

He also made comments about fairer rent which could signal that Plaid Cymru is considering rent controls in the country.

Value

“The value my government places on fairness has motivated us to take action to strengthen the rights of tenants in the private rented sector,” ap Iorwerth told the Senedd. “This will lay the groundwork for more substantial changes that will improve housing affordability, make rent fairer and limit no fault evictions. We are also developing proposals to legislate for the Right to Adequate Housing, because nobody should be forced to suffer the anxiety and unacceptable stigma which so often comes with having nowhere to call home.”

He said the Welsh government would initially focus on strengthening the enforcement framework and Rent Smart Wales’ regulatory role, as well as requiring the sharing of rent data. “This will lay the groundwork for more substantial changes that will improve housing affordability, make rents fairer, and limit no-fault evictions, to be brought forward later in this Senedd term.”

Plans

Plaid Cymru also plans to introduce a Community Right to Buy scheme to enable local groups to identify and register assets deemed to be of high value to their community, giving the community first refusal if the current owners decide to sell their property. It promised to support the delivery of 20,000 additional social homes by 2030.

It will also introduce a Welsh tribunals Bill early in this Senedd term to create a new tribunal system for Wales. The system will not only be able to meet the current requirements of the different jurisdictions, but will also be flexible enough to offer a forum that could be used for dispute resolution in other devolved policy areas, said ap Iorwerth.

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