What is Rent Smart Wales?

Rent Smart Wales is a service hosted by Cardiff Council that ensures compliance with the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, in partnership with 22 Local Authorities. The Welsh Ministers designated Cardiff Council as the Licensing Authority for the whole of Wales in 2015.

In its role as Licensing Authority under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, the Rent Smart Wales service must process landlord registrations and grant licences to landlords and agents who are required to comply with the Housing (Wales) Act 2014.

The reason the Welsh Government chose one Council to act as administrator for the whole of Wales is to make the service easier for landlords, agents and tenants to access. The central register means that landlords only deal with one licensing authority rather than 22 separate local authorities; only one registration is required per landlord arrangement and for those who let and manage property one licence is sufficient to operate across Wales.

The Licensing Authority will work with Local Authorities to carry out their functions under the Act. In in some cases the Local Authority will lead enforcement action against those landlords and agents not complying with their legal obligations on behalf of the Licensing Authority.

In order to offer a complete service for the private rented sector in Wales, Rent Smart Wales has information available to assist tenants living in, or looking at moving into, the private rented sector. This includes a Tenant Guide, which can be found on the Rent Smart Wales website.

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