As a result of the Coronavirus epidemic, Welsh Assembly Government has announced new Regulations that temporarily extend the minimum notice periods that landlords must give to tenants with Assured and Assured Shorthold Tenancies to 6 months. These new Regulations have come into effect today (Friday 24^th July 2020).

What do you need to know?

• A six month notice period will apply to section 8 Notices served on or after 24 July 2020 (excluding Notices issued on grounds of anti-social behaviour to which a three month Notice will still apply)
• A six month notice period will apply to notices served on or after 24 July 2020 under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988

Martine Harris MRICS FARLA, Head of Lettings at Moginie James has commented on this legislation change:

“One very important point to bear in mind is this is just a temporary measure which is going to be reviewed again on 30 September 2020 and in the vast majority of cases, it is tenants themselves who give notice to their landlord, so these measures will probably only impact around 25% of notices on tenancies.”

However it makes sense, now more than ever, to minimise the chances of anything going wrong - Landlords can protect themselves by choosing a reputable agent like Moginie James who have a stringent policy in place in terms of ensuring thorough referencing checks are carried out on all tenants before agreeing to move anyone into a rental property.

Protect yourself by choosing a regulated agency who are members of Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), The Property Ombudsman (TPO) and are Rent Smart Wales (RSW) accredited. Moginie James have been awarded the highest grades by RSW over all 5 categories in their audit that all agents have to undergo as part of the Licence conditions.”

To find out more about the proposed changes and how they may affect you as a landlord, speak to your local experts at Moginie James. Just pop into your local branch!