Wales only: This guide covers housing law in Wales under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. If your property is in England, see our Assured Periodic Tenancy guide. Welsh and English housing law are completely separate — you cannot use an English tenancy agreement for a Welsh property.
A Periodic Standard Occupation Contract is the standard form of private residential tenancy in Wales under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (RHA 2016), which came into force on 1 December 2022. It replaces the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) for all private lettings in Wales.
The terminology is different from England. In Wales, tenants are called contract-holders, tenancy agreements are called occupation contracts, and the written document you must provide is called a Written Statement.
Key point: If you are a private landlord in Wales and you are still using an English AST or an old-style Welsh tenancy agreement, you are not compliant with the law. The RHA 2016 has been in force since December 2022 and the Welsh Government's model written statement has been updated for June 2026 amendments.
Wales and England have completely separate housing legislation. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 is fundamentally different from England's Renters' Rights Act 2025 — it was introduced earlier, uses different terminology, and has different rules for possession, rent increases, and contract terms.
| Feature | Wales (RHA 2016) | England (RRA 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Document name | Occupation Contract / Written Statement | Assured Periodic Tenancy Agreement |
| Tenant name | Contract-holder | Tenant |
| No-fault possession | Section 173 Notice (6 months) | Section 8 only (S21 abolished 1 May 2026) |
| In force since | 1 December 2022 | 1 May 2026 |
| Minimum no-fault notice | 6 months | None — Section 21 abolished (landlord grounds need 4 months) |
| Written statement deadline | 14 days from occupation start | Before the tenancy is entered into |
| Deposit protection | 30 days | 30 days |
| Abandonment procedure | s.220 RHA — 4-week warning notice, then the landlord can end the contract by notice | No equivalent statutory process |
| Fixed terms | Fixed-term standard contracts are still possible, but most private lets are periodic | Abolished for new tenancies from 1 May 2026 |
The Renting Homes (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2026 came into force on 1 June 2026 and added two new fundamental terms to every occupation contract in Wales:
Contract-holders now have a statutory right to permit a person under 18 to live in or visit the property. Landlords cannot include a "no children" clause in a Welsh occupation contract. Any such clause is automatically void.
There is a narrow exception where a landlord's buildings insurance specifically excludes cover where children reside — but this exception ends when that insurance policy expires. Landlords relying on this exception must act on renewal.
Landlords in Wales cannot discriminate against contract-holders because they receive, have claimed, or intend to claim welfare benefits. Any "no DSS" clause or equivalent is void. The same narrow insurance exception applies.
Already using a Welsh occupation contract? If your contract started before 1 June 2026, these two new fundamental terms apply to it. You should have given the contract-holder a written statement of the changed terms (or an updated contract) by 14 June 2026 — if you have not, do it now and take advice before giving any section 173 notice. New contracts must use the current model written statement.
One of the most important — and most commonly breached — requirements of the RHA 2016 is the Written Statement obligation. This is separate from the occupation contract itself.
14-day deadline: The landlord must provide a Written Statement of the occupation contract to ALL contract-holders within 14 days of the start of occupation. This is a hard legal deadline. Missing it has serious consequences.
If you fail to provide the Written Statement within 14 days:
Use the current Welsh Government model written statement (updated for the June 2026 amendments), available free at gov.wales. It includes explanatory notes for the contract-holder.
Welsh occupation contracts have three types of terms: fundamental, supplementary, and additional. Fundamental terms cannot be removed or modified in any way that worsens the contract-holder's position. Any attempt to do so renders the modification void and the statutory term applies automatically.
| Fundamental Term | What it means for landlords |
|---|---|
| Deposit protection | Must protect deposit within 30 days and provide prescribed information — otherwise cannot serve s.173 notice |
| Anti-social behaviour | Contract-holder must not cause ASB — landlord can apply to court immediately without notice period |
| Children's rights (s.54A — June 2026) | Cannot prohibit children — any such clause is void |
| Benefits rights (s.54B — June 2026) | Cannot discriminate against benefit claimants — any such clause is void |
| Fitness for human habitation | Mandatory: smoke alarms, CO alarms, EICR every 5 years, gas safety certificate annually |
| Variation procedure | Can only vary terms in writing or via statutory notice procedure — oral agreements have no effect |
Wales abolished Section 21-style no-fault evictions in December 2022 — nearly 4 years before England. In Wales, the equivalent is a Section 173 Notice, but it is much more restricted:
The contract-holder can end a periodic occupation contract by giving the landlord at least 4 weeks' written notice. This is the statutory minimum — it cannot be reduced even by agreement. Important: where there are joint contract-holders, any ONE of them can end the contract for all by giving valid notice.
| Breach type | Notice period |
|---|---|
| Serious rent arrears (8 weeks' / 2 months') | 14 days — immediate court application if arrears persist |
| Anti-social behaviour | Immediate court application — no notice required |
| Other breaches | 1 month's written notice |
| Abandonment (s.220) | 4-week warning notice, then the landlord can end the contract by notice (no court order needed) |
Welsh landlords have several obligations that differ from or go further than England:
The Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022 set out specific requirements that are mandatory from the start of every occupation:
All private landlords in Wales must be registered with Rent Smart Wales. If you manage your own property, you must also be licensed. This is a Wales-specific requirement with no equivalent in England. Failure to register is a criminal offence.
Rent can only be increased by written notice under section 123 RHA (form RHW12) with a minimum of 2 months' notice; the first increase can be at any time, then no more than once every 12 months. Only contract-holders whose agreements started before 1 December 2022 (converted contracts) can challenge an increase at the Residential Property Tribunal.
As a Welsh landlord, you need the following documents for every new tenancy:
A landlord guidance pack for issuing the Welsh Government's model written statement, updated for the June 2026 amendments (s.54A and s.54B). Includes a pre-occupation checklist, 14-day document checklist, additional-terms schedule, covering letter and a guide to the RHW forms. The model written statement itself is free from gov.wales. Wales-specific — not a rebranded English AST.
Get the Welsh Occupation Contract Pack — £19.99 →You will also need:
Rent Smart Wales: Remember — you must be registered with Rent Smart Wales before you can legally let property in Wales. Registration is at rentsmart.gov.wales. Landlords who manage their own properties also need a licence. A DocPilot occupation contract does not replace Rent Smart Wales registration.