Posts with tag: landlords in Wales

ARLA and RLA want meeting over agent fees in Wales

Published On: March 20, 2017 at 10:46 am

Tags: agent fees in Wales,landlords,landlords in Wales,Rent Smart Wales

ARLA Propertymark and the Residential Landlords Association have both written to the Welsh Government asking for a meeting to discuss the possible ban on letting agents’ fees levied for tenants.

This issue was raised again this month by Assembly Members-the term for Welsh Government MP’s. Welsh Communities Secretary, Carl Sargeant, noted: ‘I’m very concerned that fees charged by letting agents are placing a disproportionate burden on tenants. I hope to be able to announce shortly how we as a Government propose to respond.’[1]

Concerns

In their letter, ARLA Propertymark and the RLA highlighted the significant number of common concerns from both letting agents and landlords. Most notably, peers are worried that service provided will be hit should money be removed from the sector.

This includes new legislation introduced by the Welsh Government that means that landlords and letting agents managing property in the country must be registered with Rent Smart Wales.

Under this scheme, should an agent fail to comply with their licensing agreements, they could put themselves at risk of fines. Without a licence, they would be unable to continue operating as a letting agent in the country.

ARLA and RLA want meeting over agent fees in Wales

In a statement, ARLA Propertymark said that it will continue to work with the sector to make sure politicians listen and understand the industry and subsequently follow evidence.

‘We hope that Mr Sargeant will engage with us to understand fully the importance of any future decision around banning fees and the effect this would have on letting agents, landlords and tenants in Wales,’ ARLA said in its statement. [1]

[1] https://www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2017/3/arla-and-landlord-body-pushes-for-meeting-over-agents-fees-ban

RLA wants Rent Smart Wales deadline extended

Published On: November 16, 2016 at 9:52 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlords in Wales,Rent Smart Wales,Rent Smart Wales deadline,RLA

There have been fresh calls to extend the registration deadline for Rent Smart Wales, which is looming next week (23^rd November).

The scheme requires anyone who rents out property in the country to either register or become licensed by this date.

Extension

However, the Residential Landlords Association said that many investors in Wales are still unaware of their obligations.

Rent Smart Wales said that landlords were given plenty of notice to register and therefore would not be extending the deadline.

Worryingly, A Freedom of Information request by the Residential Landlords Association indicated that just 32,230 landlords had registered by the 18^th October. This is out of a total of 130,000.

These figures were released by Cardiff council, which is administering the scheme for Wales as a whole.

Request

Mr Douglas Haig, RLA director for Wales said that he was to write to Community Secretary Carl Sargeant to request a new deadline, in order for landlords to be further educated on their responsibilities.

Despite this, Rent Smart Wales has argued that there has been a large increase in people registering as the deadline approaches. 46,300 of the 130,000 landlords in question have now registered, with another 11,400 starting the process.

Haig feels that communication has been ‘poor’ and that ‘very few’ landlords are aware of the scheme. In addition, he notes that others are leaving it till the last minute as registration licences last for five years from the date they are approved, not November 23^rd.

‘I don’t think it’s asking a lot for the Welsh Government or Cardiff council to come forth with an education plan to get this information out there. That would be a sensible approach,’ Haig explained.[1]

RLA wants Rent Smart Wales deadline extended

No changes

Responding to these calls, a Rent Smart Wales spokesman said: ‘We have no intention of extending the deadline. However, we do recognise that, due to the very high numbers of landlords visiting the website to register and apply for licenses, some are experiencing difficulties.’[1]

‘The Rent Smart Wales team consists of 79 posts and the team are working hard to reduce waiting times for customers. Once the November 23^rd deadline for complying has passed, enforcement powers will be used in a sensible and proportionate manner,’ they concluded.[1]

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-37939620

Only 2 weeks left to register for Rent Smart Wales

Published On: November 8, 2016 at 2:32 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlords,landlords in Wales,letting agents,Rent Smart Wales,rental accommodation

Landlords in Wales have just two weeks to sign up for Rent Smart Wales, before the scheme becomes a mandatory requirement.

A new registration and licensing system, Rent Smart Wales represents a large change for the private rental sector. The scheme is intended to push up the quality of rental accommodation in the country and went live last year.

Rent Smart Wales requirements

The scheme obliges all landlords and letting agents to register their investment properties and to undergo training to gain a licence, should an investor wish to self-manage their property.

Now, only 2 weeks remain until the 23^rd November deadline, after which it becomes an offence to either let or manage a property without the sufficient licence.

Designed to improve standards in the private rental sector in the principality, Rent Smart Wales offers training courses and information for landlords. In addition, it gives local councils a greater understanding of where properties are located.

Only 2 weeks left to register for Rent Smart Wales

Registration

David Cox, Managing Director, Association of Residential Letting Agents, observed: ‘The law means landlords in Wales-and those in the rest of the UK who own properties in Wales-need to register themselves and their properties with Rent Smart Wales, as well as being suitably trained and licensed to carry out letting or property management activities.’[1]

‘If landlords do not wish to get trained, they need to arrange for a trained and licensed agent to manage their properties on their behalf,’ he continued.[1]

However, concern is growing that a number of buy-to-let landlords and letting agents in Wales have not signed up for Rent Smart Wales.

Cox notes: ‘Given the 23^rd November deadline for registration and licensing is only two weeks away, it’s concerning that it appears only about one quarter of agents are currently licensed.’[1]

‘If landlords and agents find themselves unlicensed when the deadline arrives on 23^rd November, they will be unable to practice, so it’s important to act to soon to ensure the necessary qualifications and other regulatory requirements have been undertaken before then, in order to comply with the legislation,’ he concluded.[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/11/deadline-looms-for-landlords-to-register-in-wales

Thousands of landlords still haven’t signed up to Rent Smart Wales

Published On: September 15, 2016 at 10:43 am

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: buy-to-let landlords,landlords in Wales,letting agents,Rent Smart Wales

Concerning new figures have revealed that thousands of landlords in Wales have not yet signed up for Rent Smart Wales. This is despite there being less than two months remaining before the scheme becomes a mandatory requirement.

Rent Smart Wales

Rent Smart Wales is a registration and licensing system in Wales, which went live last year. The scheme requires all landlords and letting agents to register their properties and undergo training to obtain a licence should they wish to self-manage their investment.

Landlords and letting agents in Wales have been given a deadline of 23^rd November in which to comply with the new legislation. After then, it becomes a criminal offence to let or manage a property without the sufficient licence.

In particular, landlords in Swansea are causing concern, with extremely low numbers signed up to the scheme.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that only 1,565 landlords in Swansea had already registered with Rent Smart Wales at the end of August. This is only just over a fifth of the total number of landlords required to do so.

Quality

The scheme is designed to improve the quality of rental accommodation in Wales, through both providing training courses and giving local councils a better understanding of where properties are situated.

However, Rent Smart Wales estimates that 8.3% of homes in Swansea are privately rented. This amounts to around 7,500 eligible properties in the city.

Welsh Liberal Democrat politician, Peter Black, noted: ‘with the registration period almost over, the failure to enlist the vast majority of landlords into this compulsory scheme has put it into crisis mode.’[1]

‘Unless there is a surge of registrations in the final two months then it will become impossible to administer this scheme effectively. Swansea tenants will miss out on the protections offered by the legislation and those living near badly managed privately rented properties will have fewer options to deal with problems.’[1]

‘This is not Swansea Council’s fault. This scheme is being administered by Cardiff Council on behalf of the Welsh Government. However, ministers are trying to do it on the cheap. They have not given sufficient resources to Rent Smart Wales to promote the scheme and councils do not have funds to chase those who do not register,’ he continued.[1]

Thousands of landlords still haven’t signed up to Rent Smart Wales

Numbers

According to a Welsh Government spokesperson, more than 19,000 private landlords in Wales have signed up to the scheme. In addition, more funding has been made available to local authorities to enforce the scheme.

The spokesperson said, ‘after just nine months, more than 19,000 private landlords have registered and more than 33,000 have taken the first step and opened accounts on the scheme. This compares with just 3,000 or so registered with the previous voluntary scheme.’[1]

‘We are committed to improving the arrangements for people who rent their home from private landlords and the benefits of Rent Smart Wales are already emerging-96% of those who have completed the relevant training have said it will make them a better landlord.’[1]

[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/9/thousands-of-landlords-have-not-signed-up-to-the-rent-smart-wales-scheme

Just One Week to Rent Smart Wales

Published On: November 16, 2015 at 2:05 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord licensing scheme,landlords in Wales,Rent Smart Wales,Welsh landlords

Just One Week to Rent Smart Wales

It is just one week until the Welsh government launches its Rent Smart Wales scheme.

The new regime will enforce compulsory licensing and registration of all landlords and letting agents in Wales. The Welsh government has released a code of practice to help landlords and agents stick to the law.

All landlords and agents that belong to the scheme must adhere to the requirements of the code or risk losing their license. This means that they would be unable to let or manage any residential properties.

The first part of the code sets out what landlords and agents must do to comply with the law.

The second contains information on what can be done to raise standards above the minimum level required by the new scheme.

Find the code of practice here: http://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/housing-supply/renting/privately/landlord-and-agent-registration/rent-smart-code-of-practice/?lang=en

Rent Smart Wales to Launch on 23rd November

Published On: October 26, 2015 at 1:03 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Landlord News

Tags: landlord licensing scheme,landlords in Wales,Rent Smart Wales

Rent Smart Wales to Launch on 23rd November

The Welsh Government’s registration and licensing scheme, Rent Smart Wales, will launch on 23^rd November.

The Welsh Government previously announced that the scheme would begin in the autumn, but the exact date has now been revealed.

Under Part 1 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, landlords must be registered and letting agents must be licensed. Landlords and agents can start applying on 23^rd November and they have 12 months to comply with the new law.

The Welsh Government states that in its first year, Rent Smart Wales will focus on raising awareness of the new requirements and encouraging compliance.

It hopes to improve the private rental sector in the country and benefit those renting privately by tackling any rogue landlords.

Following the launch, the next year will see landlords registering with the scheme, and some may consider licensing themselves, or commissioning a licensed agent to manage their properties. Landlords can choose to do both, meaning that they are licensed to let their homes.

If you have properties in Wales, find out all you need to know here: https://www.rentsmart.gov.wales/en/