Letting & Property Management Specialists

Rent Smart Wales –
Landlord Registration and Licensing
Part 1 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014

Since 23 November 2015 all Landlords in Wales must become registered.  Landlords have a year to comply with this new obligation. The Welsh Government has announced the detail behind the Rent Smart Wales initiative, the Landlord registration and Landlord Licensing Scheme.  Full details can be found at www.rentsmart.gov.wales
The 2 main requirements are:- 
REGISTRATION. If you are a landlord with property in Wales you must register your details and the address of your property.  This applies to ALL Landlords whether or not you have an Agent

LICENSING. If you perform any property management you must be licensed. Your letting/managing Agent must be licensed also.

Registering as a landlord
Registering as a landlord can be done on-line at rentsmart.gov.wales or telephone 03000 133344 to request a paper form to complete.

• There will be a fee payable to register. Landlord registration costs £33.50 if completed on-line or £80.50 for paper applications.
• You are required to notify the authority should your contact details or circumstances change
• Registration will be valid for 5 years after which a new registration must be made and a further fee paid.
• Limited registration information will be publicly available on-line

Landlords must complete the registration themselves; an Agent or another person who is not the Landlord cannot do it on their behalf.

Licensing
If you are a self managing Landlord you will also need to apply for a licence

• The application for a licence can be made on line and a fee will be payable (The fee is currently £144.00)
• Only 1 licence is required, regardless of the number of properties managed.
• The licence holder must comply with a Welsh Minister approved Code of Practice containing letting and management standards in relation to rental properties.
• The Landlord must undertake relevant training.
   
• The licence holder is required to notify the authority should their contact details or circumstances change.
• The licence will be valid for 5 years after which it must be renewed and a further fee paid.

Further information on the new legislation can be found on the Rent Smart Wales website www.rentsmart.gov.wales and we recommend that all Landlords read this information