Articles by James Wood
Rental Reform: Periodic tenancies - a deep dive
The abolition of the fixed term tenancy was one of the most surprising announcements in the recent white paper on rental reform. We look at the likely impact of proposals and what adjustments need to be made for plans to work.
Renting Homes Wales: Secondary legislation announced
New secondary legislation has been released by the Welsh Government in preparation for the introduction of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act in December. Most of these changes are minor adjustments to allow for existing legislation to continue. Our policy manager James Wood takes a look at the changes.
Rental reform: What you need to know: possession grounds and court reform
The long-awaited white paper on rental reform has now been published, with housing law in England is set to change substantially in the next few years. Fixed term assured and assured shorthold tenancies will be replaced and landlords will be required to sign up mandatory redress. NRLA policy manager James Woods looks beyond the headlines.
Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016: Update for landlords
As of July 15 2022, the Renting Homes Wales Act will come into force, ending the assured shorthold tenancy regime and introducing a raft of changes to the way most landlords in Wales operate. NRLA policy manager James Wood writes about some of the key changes landlords need to be aware of.
What you need to know: smoke and CO alarms in properties
The government has now published legislation that will amend the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 from 1 October 2022. These amendments will bring social housing in line with the PRS, making it mandatory for social housing to fit smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as well.
Renting Homes Wales - what you need to know
As July 15 2022 approaches, landlords in Wales continue to prepare for the introduction of Renting Homes Wales. Once the act applies in Wales, landlords will see significant changes to the way they manage their properties. The NRLA has produced new guides to help you get ready for the changes up ahead.
Blog: Your right to rent update
In welcome news for landlords, the Government has made it easier to perform right to rent checks from April this year. Under the new rules for right to rent, landlords now have a range of options for performing a right to rent check on prospective tenants, including using digital verification technology that can be performed remotely.
Blog: Wales legislative update
With Renting Homes Wales set to come into force from July 15 2022, the Welsh Government is busy producing the additional legislation and materials required to implement the Act. Alongside this, the Welsh Government has taken steps to increase council tax on second homes and holiday lets, as well as inviting the NRLA to provide evidence on second homes at the Local Government and Housing Committee. Policy Manager James Wood explains more.
The enforcement lottery: local authority inspections and notices
The latest paper in the enforcement lottery series looks at the work local authorities do prior to commencing prosecution. The results of the paper are based on an FOI asking local authorities to provide the rates of HHSRS inspections, number of complaints received, and the number of formal notices served around property conditions.
Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016: What landlords need to know
After a six year wait, the Welsh Government has announced that the Renting Homes Wales Act will come into force on July 15 2022.This legislation fundamentally changes how landlords operate in Wales, with all PRS tenancies replaced by "occupation contracts" with new required terms and rules around repossession. In this blog NRLA policy manager James Wood explains what landlords need to know.
