Wales Tenancy AgreementWales Tenancy Agreement

For properties in Wales, you need an Occupation Contract under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. The old Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) system was replaced on 1 December 2022. Private landlords use Standard Occupation Contracts, which give similar possession rights to ASTs but with longer notice periods and stronger tenant protections.

No. ASTs are only valid for properties in England. Using an AST for a Welsh property would be legally non-compliant - it would be treated as a Standard Occupation Contract under Welsh law, but with potentially missing terms and compliance issues. Always use a Wales-specific Occupation Contract template.

Key differences include: (1) 6-month notice period for no-fault eviction vs 2 months in England, (2) Mandatory written statement within 14 days, (3) Stricter fitness for human habitation requirements covering 29 matters, (4) Joint tenants can leave individually without ending the whole contract, (5) Different terminology - tenants are "contract-holders".

For Section 173 (no-fault) notices, landlords must give at least 6 months notice and cannot serve it during the first 6 months of occupation. This is significantly longer than England's 2-month Section 21 period. Section 181 breach notices have shorter periods depending on the grounds (14 days for serious rent arrears).

Yes, this is mandatory. Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, you must provide a written statement of the occupation contract within 14 days of the occupation date. If you don't, you cannot serve a Section 173 possession notice until you do. Our template serves as both the contract and the required written statement.

Yes. Deposits must be protected in one of the three authorised schemes (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS) within 30 days. The same schemes operate in both England and Wales. Failure to protect a deposit affects your ability to serve possession notices and may result in compensation claims.

Before or at the start of occupation, you must provide: (1) Written statement of the occupation contract (within 14 days), (2) EPC, (3) Gas Safety Certificate (if applicable), (4) EICR electrical safety certificate, (5) Deposit protection prescribed information (within 30 days). Our wizard checks these requirements.

The property's location determines which law applies. Properties in Wales (Welsh postcodes/local authority areas) use Occupation Contracts. Properties in England (English postcodes/local authority areas) use ASTs. If you're unsure, check which local authority the property falls under.

Wales follows similar fee ban rules to England. You cannot charge for most fees - only rent, deposits (capped), holding deposits, and charges for specific contract defaults. The Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019 mirrors England's Tenant Fees Act 2019.

When a fixed-term Occupation Contract ends, it automatically becomes a periodic contract on a month-to-month basis with the same terms. You don't need to create a new agreement. To end the contract, either party must serve proper notice under Welsh law.

Our template uses English with correct Welsh legal terminology. While there's no legal requirement for bilingual documents, contract-holders have the right to communicate in Welsh. If a contract-holder requests Welsh language documents, you should make reasonable efforts to accommodate this.

Our Occupation Contract template includes all terms required for valid Section 173 and Section 181 notices. If you later need to evict, our eviction products use the same case data from your contract, ensuring consistency and compliance with Welsh eviction procedures.