A public consultation is underway for the Welsh Government’s Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Bill.
The National Assembly’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee is examining the Bill at stage one of the law-making process.
At the first stage the Committee will consider the general principles of the Bill, including whether it will achieve its objectives and whether or not those objectives could be achieved through other, existing legislation or means.
The Welsh Government says the Bill:
“…will prohibit certain payments in connection with the granting, renewal or continuance of standard occupation contracts. It will also make provision in respect of the treatment of holding deposits. Any person guilty of an offence under the Bill is liable on summary conviction to a fine.”
John Griffiths AM, Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee said:
“This Bill, if passed, could substantially change the rented sector in Wales by ending the charging of fees by landlords and letting agents.
“We will be examining this Bill in detail to see whether it is necessary and whether it will achieve its aims.
“I would ask anyone with an interest in this area, from a landlord, letting agent or tenant perspective, to look closely at the Welsh Government’s proposals and send their ideas to our consultation.”
Anyone wishing to submit evidence should first visit the Committee’s web pages.
The Committee will also be holding an online discussion people can contribute to through a service called Dialogue. More information about dialogue and how to contribute can be found here.
The closing date for the consultation is Friday 7 September 2018.