Industry News
New tenancy regulations in Wales to become effective from July
J
ulie James the Welsh Minister for Climate Change has announced that a raſt of changes to housing and tenancy law in the country will
come into effect from 15 July 2022. Under the new law (Te Renting Homes (Wales)
Act 2016), tenants and licencees will become ‘contract-holders’ and tenancy agreements will be replaced with ‘occupation contracts’. Te new law is intended to make renting easier and to provide greater security to residents. For tenants (or contract-holders, using the new terminology) it will mean:
• receiving a written contract setting out their rights and responsibilities;
• an increase in the ‘no fault’ notice period from two to six months;
• greater protection from eviction; • improved succession rights, these set out who has a right to continue to live in a dwelling, for example aſter the current tenant dies; and
• more flexible arrangements for joint contract- holders, making it easier to add or remove others to an occupation contract.
For landlords it will mean:
• A simpler system, with two types of contract: ‘Secure’ for the social rented sector and ‘Standard’ for the private rented sector;
• Councils and housing associations will both be called community landlords. All other landlords
will be called private landlords;
• Ensuring homes are fit for human habitation (FFHH). Tis will include, electrical safety testing and ensuring working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are fitted;
• Rent can only be charged for a property that meets the FFHH requirements; and • Abandoned properties can be repossesed without needing a court order.
Electrical inspections of rented properties will be required every five years by a competent person, with condition reports detailing any remedial work necessary being issued aſter each inspection. Failure to comply with the new requirements will see properties deemed unfit for human habitation and fines of up to £30,000 imposed. Te Welsh Government believes these represent
the biggest changes to housing law in Wales for decades giving tenants (contract-holders) a minimum security of tenure of one year from the date of moving in. Tis means they will have the greatest protection from the start of their contract than in any other part of the UK. Te Act also provides protection against
retaliatory eviction. If a landlord responds to a request for repair by issuing a possession notice, they will no longer be automatically entitled to possession if the Court is satisfied the landlord issued the notice to avoid carrying out the repair. In addition, joint contract-holders can be added or removed from occupation contracts without the
need to end one contract and start another. Tis will make managing joint contracts easier and help those experiencing domestic abuse by enabling the perpetrator to be targeted for eviction. Responding to the news, Chris Norris, Director
of Policy & Campaigns at the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Tere is still a pressing need for more clarity as to what the supporting framework of the Act looks like. Te extent of landlords’ future obligations under this legislation also underlines how crucial it is that existing legislation be made fit for purpose before new regulations are introduced. “While we welcome the introduction of the Act,
it is vital that the supporting legislation is fit for purpose and scrutinised sufficiently. In particular, the occupation contract terms, which all landlords must use, needs to improve significantly from its original consultation draſt. Tese important steps must be taken before more complex regulations are introduced by the Welsh Government over the course of this year”
Skills and data holding back social landlords’ from digital transformation of services
Te lack of both skills and quality data is holding back social housing landlords who are attempting to digitally transform their organisations and better serve residents. A new survey, commissioned by conversation-
as-a-service leader Futr, has found that social landlords see the value in digital services, but still have some way to go before they can properly implement them. More than half (54 per cent) of respondents
said that a lack of digital skills and resources was their top barrier to digital transformation, closely followed by a lack of good quality/robust data, and a lack of investment (32 per cent). However, this does not appear to be diminishing
enthusiasm for the digital transformation process – just 2 per cent of respondents had no strategy and no plans to implement one soon, while 40 per cent had implemented a clear strategy, and 20 per cent had developed the strategy but had yet to implement it.
“Te focus on digital transformation is positive,”
said Kitty Hadaway, Head of Sales for Housing at Futr, which commissioned the research of 140 social landlords. Over 80 per cent of the landlords had seen an increase in resident demand for digital products in the previous 18 months. Ms Hadaway added: “Landlords recognise the
importance of delivering services and engaging with their tenants in a way that meets the needs and preferences of residents. “Nine in 10 housing associations we spoke
to said that it was very important for tenants to have a choice in how to contact landlords, and in today’s increasingly digital world that means complementing telephone lines with web, social, chatbots and messaging channels. But to deliver that in a coherent, integrated and consistent manner requires many to digitally transform.” It was not just residents demanding digital
means of communication; 90 per cent of landlords said staff were also pushing for these services,
22 | HMMFebruary/March 2022 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
highlighting how important digital transformation is in supporting teams to work effectively. Ms Hadaway said: “A lot of people will oſten
say that new technology means cutting jobs, but forward-thinking organisations will always see it as a way to augment their teams, not scale them back. “Particularly when a lack of skills is a major
concern, being able to introduce new services that help employees do their jobs, or focus on more complex matters, can help accelerate that digital transformation process while improving employee engagement. And that’s all on top of the boost to the customer experience.” First Choice Homes Oldham has seen
the benefits of pushing on with digital transformation. It deployed Futr’s chatbot and live chat services to support its contact centre team, going live in December 2020. Its customer satisfaction scores are averaging 89 per cent, with the chatbot handling an average of 1,000 customer interactions a month.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
