Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016: What It Means for Landlords

What is the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016?

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 is the Welsh law that sets the rules for renting a home in Wales. It came into force on 1 December 2022 and replaced tenancy agreements, including assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs), with occupation contracts. Tenants and licensees are now called contract-holders. The Act applies only in Wales; English tenancy law does not apply here.

There are two types of occupation contract. A secure contract is always periodic and is the type social landlords use. A standard contract can be periodic (rolling) or fixed-term. A contract made with a private landlord is a standard contract unless the landlord gives notice that it is to be secure, so in practice almost every private let in Wales is a standard contract. (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, ss.8, 11, 17)

For the detail of the contract itself (what goes in the written statement, periodic or fixed-term, and how it works for a house, a flat or a room), read our occupation contracts guide for houses, flats and rooms. This page covers the Act as a whole: what changed, what a landlord must do, and how a contract can end.

Key dates landlords need to know

The Welsh Government updated its model written statements on 29 May 2026 to include the 1 June 2026 terms. If your written statement was drafted before June 2026 and you have not issued the update, deal with that first. (gov.wales converted-contract guidance; Renting Homes (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2026 guidance for landlords; gov.wales model written statements)

What changed from the old tenancy agreement

What the Act requires a landlord to do

Give a written statement within 14 days

You must give the contract-holder a written statement of the occupation contract within 14 days of the occupation date, and you cannot charge for it. If you do not, the contract-holder can claim a day's rent for every day from the occupation date until you give the statement. This stops at two months' rent. If you still have not given it after that, interest runs on top. If the court finds the failure was intentional, it can increase that compensation by up to 100%. You cannot give a section 173 no-fault notice until the written statement is given. If you gave it late, you cannot give a section 173 notice for six months after that. (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, ss.31, 35, 87; Sch.9A paras 1, 2)

Keep the home fit for human habitation and in repair

The home must be fit for human habitation on the occupation date and for the whole contract. The fitness regulations add specific requirements:

• a mains-powered smoke alarm on every storey, interlinked with the others;
• a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a gas, oil or solid fuel burning appliance;
• an electrical condition report at least every five years (sooner if the report says so), with a copy to the contract-holder within 14 days of the occupation date.

Separately, you must keep the structure and exterior (including drains, gutters and external pipes) in repair, and keep the water, gas, electricity, sanitation and heating installations in repair and proper working order. Our fitness for human habitation guide covers the full standard. (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, ss.91, 92; Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, regs 5 and 6)

Protect the deposit within 30 days

If you take a security deposit, you must protect it in an authorised scheme and give the contract-holder the required information within 30 days of the day it is paid. If you do not, a court must order you to pay the contract-holder between one and three times the deposit when the contract-holder applies. More in our deposit protection guide. (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, s.45 and Sch.5)

Follow the rules on rent increases

On a periodic standard contract you can only increase the rent by giving at least two months' notice, and after the first increase, no more than once a year. See our rent increases guide. (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, s.123)

Do not restrict children or benefit claimants

Since 1 June 2026, most occupation contracts include a fundamental term that lets the contract-holder have a child live at or visit the home. A landlord must not interfere with that unless it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. A separate term means a landlord cannot prohibit a contract-holder from being a benefits claimant. Any other term that conflicts with these has no effect. (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, ss.54A, 54B)

How an occupation contract can end

Our eviction process guide covers each route to possession.

What to do next

If you let a home in Wales, check three things today: that every contract-holder has a written statement that includes the June 2026 terms, that your electrical report and alarms meet the fitness regulations, and that your deposit was protected with the required information given inside 30 days. Our Landlord's Guide to Renting in Wales lists every compliance guide in one place.

How Morgan Jones handles the Act for you

Morgan Jones lets and manages homes across Swansea and South Wales, and the Renting Homes (Wales) Act is our everyday work. For every property we fully manage we:

• issue the written statement inside the 14-day deadline;
• track the electrical report, gas safety check, alarms, EPC and deposit protection, because a missed requirement on any of them blocks a section 173 notice;
• serve the correct notices for you, because we hold the Rent Smart Wales agent licence;
• answer the phone: you speak to the people who manage your property, not a call centre.

Because we hold the agent licence and do all the letting and management, you only need your own Rent Smart Wales registration, not a separate landlord licence (see our Rent Smart Wales guide).

Full management is 10% + VAT of the rent collected. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. New landlords get their first 3 months of management free. Call 01792 651311 or send us a message and tell us about your property.