Occupation Contracts for Tenants

There are upcoming changes to the way you rent.

Hi tenants I'm Sam (Marketing Manager). You may or may not know that there are upcoming changes due to the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. I'll be introducing a brand new 10-part series that will cover some of the changes that are approaching.

We want to make sure that you understand these changes and when they are coming into place - we've even told the doggos but they gave us no response 

Pssst...you can catch us and the doggos on our Instagram - here
Some things to note
As a tenant you will now be known as a contract-holder. It may be confusing at first but if you see any websites mentioning a "contract-holder" they are referring to tenants.

AST's are becoming occupation contracts from the 15th July 2022

This means your old contracts will be replaced by the new 'occupation contract'. With occupation contracts people who rent their homes will now be given a minimum of 12 months protection against eviction if they have not breached the terms of the contract.

What do I have to do?

If you are one of our managed tenants (eg. You are paying your rent directly to us) then your existing contract will be converted automatically to an occupation contract . You should be given a written statement for your converted contract by 15th January 2023 at the latest.

For this reason our managed tenants won't need to do anything when the contract converts other than ensure you're happy with the contract.

If you're not one of our managed tenants then you will need to contact your landlord and ensure they issue you a written statement by 15th January 2023.

Should I check the converted contract?

Make sure you check that you're happy with the converted contract when you recieve it and that no changes were made from the original contract that you did not allow (eg. A pets clause that was removed)

What if I don't have a contract at the moment?

If you're going to be getting a contract after 15th July 2022 then you must receive your occupation contract written statement within 14 days of the occupation date. We recommend that you sign the contract you receive although it's not a requirement

What is an occupation contract?

Just like an AST an occupation contract is given to you as part of the process of renting out a property. It contains the terms that you need to follow.

This means you should read this contract through to be completely sure you're happy with it.

There are currently 2 types of standard occupation contract. A fixed term standard contract and a periodic standard occupation contract.