Yet more reforms for rental sector to be debated at conference

Welsh housing minister Julie James is to address agents, landlords and other property professionals at the Residential Landlord Association’s Future Renting Wales conference later this month.

The event on November 28 will discuss the long-awaited implementation of the Renting Homes Act (Wales), expected next year.

The association says further sweeping changes to the sector in Wales are predicted, with all current and new tenancy agreements to be converted to the new standard contract, a fitness standard for private rented homes and measures to tackle retaliatory eviction.

Also at the event property expert Kate Faulkner will discuss the wider issues affecting the private sector market, including disruptive technologies and Brexit, with Laurence Bowles, an associate director within Savills’ research team, examining the unique aspects of the private rented sector in Wales.

Property lawyer and RLA policy director David Smith will be looking at the impact of possession reform and the fee ban in Wales, with Bethan Jones of Rent Smart Wales addressing the future of the controversial registration and licensing scheme.

The conference is open to anyone with an interest in private rented housing, from those renting out a single property to portfolio landlords, letting agents, Assembly Members, councillors, journalists, and housing charities.

Douglas Haig, RLA vice-chair and director for Wales, who will also be speaking at the conference, says: “Hundreds of landlords have attended our Future Renting Conferences here in Wales to pick up valuable insights into the market and the impact of new legislation.”