NLA report welcomed in Wales by Housing Minister

Launching the report in the Welsh Assembly, NLA Chairman Adrian Jeakings, welcomed the support of partners Citizens Advice Cymru and the housing minister Rebecca Evans in making the publication possible.

Watch the minister welcome the report here:

Based on a round-table with stakeholders and members of the National Assembly of Wales held in 2017, the report makes seven policy recommendations:

1. Ask the UK Government, during the negotiation of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, to consider which powers can be devolved to Wales to ensure it has effective control over housing policy.
2. Call on the UK Government to allow Universal Credit payments to be paid directly to the landlord, as they can be in Scotland, if this is the choice of the tenant.
3. Take, alongside enforcing bodies, a more robust approach when enforcing legislation to root out non-compliant landlords.
4. Set up a ministerial advisory group to ensure there is a meaningful and continual dialogue with sector stakeholders on policy developments affecting the PRS.
5. Commit to undertaking an annual survey on the condition of housing in Wales.
6. Explore ways to support landlords in meeting and surpassing energy efficiency obligations.
7. Use Rent Smart Wales as a vehicle to produce and disseminate comprehensive and digestible information on the rights and responsibilities of tenants to help increase their confidence in disputes with landlords

Download: Improving the Private Rented Sector in Wales

Download: Gwella'r Sector Rentu Preifat yng Nghymru