According to the BBC, landlords in Wales will shortly have to contend with the intricacies of a Housing Bill, which will be the first one published by the Welsh Government. The government first released a White Paper in 2012, a document setting out exactly what it planned to include in its bill.
Key Proposals in Welsh Housing Bill
Key elements of the new Housing Bill likely to include:
• Landlord register – The government plans to make all landlords sign a mandatory landlord register before they are allowed tenants in their properties.
• Increased Council Tax on empty properties – Local authorities will be given the power to impose a higher level of Council Tax on any properties empty for more than one year.
Tackling Homelessness and Rogue Landlords
The government hopes that the new Housing Bill will tackle the problem of empty houses, of which there are many. In turn this should go some way towards resolving the issue of family homelessness in Wales. The government also wants to reduce the numbers of rogue landlords operating in Wales—these people will be targeted under the new legislation. According to the White Paper published last year, landlords will be forced to sign a landlord register, which should help to cut down the number of vulnerable tenants being ripped off by unscrupulous sharks in the private housing sector.
Whether or not the new Welsh Housing Bill proves to be successful remains to be seen. Only time will tell, but the Government has been vocal about its determination to provide homes for all families by the end of the decade and it is believed that this will be included in the bill.
