Housing (Wales) Act 2014
PART 1REGULATION OF PRIVATE RENTED HOUSING
Introduction
1Overview of this Part
2Meaning of key terms
3Licensing authority
Prohibition of letting and management without registration and licence
4Requirement for a landlord to be registered
5Exceptions to the requirement for a landlord to be registered
6Requirement for landlords to be licensed to carry out lettings activities
7Requirement for landlords to be licensed to carry out property management activities
8Exceptions to requirements for landlords to be licensed
9Requirement for agents to be licensed to carry out lettings work
10Meaning of lettings work
11Requirement for agents to be licensed to carry out property management work
12Meaning of property management work
13Offence of appointing an unlicensed agent
Registration
14Duty to maintain register in relation to rental properties
15Registration by a licensing authority
16Duty to update information
17Revocation of registration
Licensing
18Licences that may be granted
19Licence application requirements
20Fit and proper person requirement
21Determination of application
22Licence conditions
23Duty to update information
24Amendment of licence
25Revocation of licence
26Expiry and renewal of licence
27Licensing appeals
Enforcement
28Prosecution by a licensing authority or a local housing authority
29Fixed penalty notices
30Rent stopping orders
31Revocation of rent stopping orders
32Rent repayment orders
33Rent repayment orders: further provision
34Power for Welsh Ministers to make regulations in relation to sections 32 and 33
35Offences by bodies corporate
Information
36Requests for information from authorities and use of information by authorities
37Power to require documents to be produced or information given
38Enforcement of powers to obtain information
39False or misleading information
Powers of the Welsh Ministers
40Code of practice
41Guidance
42Directions
Supplementary
43Activity in contravention of this Part: effect on tenancy agreements
44Restriction on terminating tenancies
45Landlords who are trustees
46Regulations about fees
47Information about applications
48Giving notification etc. under this Part
General
49Interpretation of this Part and index of defined terms
PART 2HOMELESSNESS
CHAPTER 1HOMELESSNESS REVIEWS AND STRATEGIES
50Duty to carry out a homelessness review and formulate a homelessness strategy
51Homelessness reviews
52Homelessness strategies
CHAPTER 2HELP FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS OR THREATENED WITH HOMELESSNESS
Introduction
53Overview of this Chapter
Key terms
54Application of key terms
55Meaning of homeless and threatened homelessness
56Meaning of accommodation available for occupation
57Whether it is reasonable to continue to occupy accommodation
58Meaning of abuse and domestic abuse
59Suitability of accommodation
Information, advice and assistance in accessing help
60Duty to provide information, advice and assistance in accessing help
Eligibility
61Eligibility for help under this Chapter
Applications for help and assessment
62Duty to assess
63Notice of the outcome of assessment
Duties to help applicants
64How to secure or help to secure the availability of accommodation
65Meaning of help to secure
66Duty to help to prevent an applicant from becoming homeless
67Circumstances in which the duty in section 66 ends
68Interim duty to secure accommodation for homeless applicants in priority need
69Circumstances in which the duty in section 68 ends
70Priority need for accommodation
71Meaning of vulnerable in section 70
72Power to amend or repeal provisions about priority need for accommodation
73Duty to help to secure accommodation for homeless applicants
74Circumstances in which the duty in section 73 ends
75Duty to secure accommodation for applicants in priority need when the duty in section 73 ends
76Circumstances in which the duty in section 75 ends
77Meaning of intentionally homeless
78Deciding to have regard to intentionality
79Further circumstances in which the duties to help applicants end
Referral to another local housing authority
80Referral of case to another local housing authority
81Local connection
82Duties to applicant whose case is considered for referral or referred
83Cases referred from a local housing authority in England
Notice
84Notice that duties have ended
Right to review and appeal
85Right to request review
86Procedure on review
87Effect of a decision on review or appeal that reasonable steps were not taken
88Right of appeal to county court on point of law
89Appeals against refusal to accommodate pending appeal
Supplementary provisions
90Charges
91Out-of-area placement
92Interim accommodation: arrangements with private landlord
93Protection of property
94Protection of property: supplementary provisions
95Co-operation
96Co-operation in certain cases involving children
General
97False statements, withholding information and failure to disclose change of circumstances
98Guidance
99Interpretation of this Chapter and index of defined terms
100Consequential amendments
PART 3GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS
Meeting accommodation needs
101Assessment of accommodation needs
102Report following assessment
103Duty to meet assessed needs
104Failure to comply with duty under section 103
105Provision of information upon request
106Guidance
107Duties in relation to housing strategies
General
108Interpretation
109Power to amend definition of Gypsies and Travellers
110Consequential amendments
PART 4STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING
Standards for housing provided by local housing authorities
111Standards
112Guidance
113Consultation on standards and guidance
114Information on compliance with standards
115Powers of entry
116Exercise of intervention powers
117Grounds for intervention
118Warning notice
119Power of Welsh Ministers to intervene
120Power to require local housing authority to obtain advisory services
121Power to require performance of functions by other persons on behalf of authority
122Power to require performance of functions by Welsh Ministers or nominee
123Power to direct exercise of other local housing authority functions
124General power to give directions and take steps
125Directions
126Duty to co-operate
127Powers of entry and inspection
Service charges for social housing
128Exemption from offences relating to service charges for social housing
129Application of duties relating to service charges to local authority tenancies
General
130Consequential amendments
PART 5HOUSING FINANCE
Housing Revenue Account subsidy
131Abolition of Housing Revenue Account subsidy
Payments in relation to Housing Revenue Accounts
132Settlement payments
133Further payments
134Additional provision about payments
General provision
135Provision of information upon request
136Determinations under this Part
PART 6ALLOWING FULLY MUTUAL HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS TO GRANT ASSURED TENANCIES
137Amendment of Schedule 1 to the Housing Act 1988
138Amendment of Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988
PART 7COUNCIL TAX FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DWELLING
139Amount of tax payable for certain types of dwelling
PART 8AMENDMENT OF THE LEASEHOLD REFORM, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ACT 1993
140Amendment of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993
PART 9MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL
Miscellaneous
141Minor amendments to the Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013
General
142Orders and regulations
143Meaning of local housing authority
144Power to make consequential and transitional provision etc
145Commencement
146Short title
SCHEDULE 1REGISTER OF PRIVATE RENTED HOUSING
PART 1CONTENT OF REGISTER
Landlords
1An entry in the register relating to a landlord must...
Agents
2An entry in the register for a person licensed to...
PART 2ACCESS TO REGISTER
3(1) A licensing authority must notify a person of the...
4(1) A licensing authority must notify a person of the...
5(1) A licensing authority must notify a person of the...
SCHEDULE 2ELIGIBILITY FOR HELP UNDER CHAPTER 2 OF PART 2
Persons not eligible for help
1(1) A person is not eligible for help under section...
Asylum-seekers and their dependants: transitional provision
2(1) Until the commencement of the repeal of section 186...
Provision of information by Secretary of State
3(1) The Secretary of State must, at the request of...
SCHEDULE 3MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS
PART 1HOMELESSNESS
Housing Act 1985
1In paragraph 4 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Act...
Housing Act 1996
2The Housing Act 1996 is amended as follows.
3In section 167 (allocation of housing accommodation in accordance with...
4In the Part title of Part 7 (homelessness), after “Homelessness”...
5In subsection (1) of section 179 (duty of local housing...
6In subsection (1) of section 180 (assistance for voluntary organisations),...
7In subsection (1) of section 182 (guidance by the Secretary...
8In subsection (1) of section 183 (application for assistance), after...
9In subsection (1) of section 187 (provision of information by...
10In section 193 (duty to persons with priority need who...
11In section 198 (referral of case to another local housing...
12In subsection (4) of section 200 (duties to applicant whose...
13After section 201 (application of referral provisions to cases arising...
14In subsection (1) of section 213 (co-operation between relevant housing...
Homelessness Act 2002
15The Homelessness Act 2002 is amended as follows.
16In the cross-heading above section 1, after “strategies” insert “...
17In section 1 (duty of local housing authority to formulate...
18In subsection (7A) of section 3 (homelessness strategies), omit “in...
Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010
19In subsection (1)(a) of section 50 of the Mental Health...
Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
20(1) The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act...
Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013
21In subsection (7)(d) of section 7 of the Prevention of...
Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
22(1) The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 is...
PART 2GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS
Local Government Act 2003
23(1) The definition of “housing” in subsection (4) of section...
Housing Act 2004
24(1) The Housing Act 2004 is amended as follows.
Housing (Assessment of Accommodation Needs) (Meaning of Gypsies and Travellers) (Wales) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3235)
25The Housing (Assessment of Accommodation Needs) (Meaning of Gypsies and...
Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013
26(1) The Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013 is amended as...
PART 3STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING
Housing Act 1985
27In section 24 (rents for occupation of local housing authority...
Housing Act 1996
28(1) The Housing Act 1996 is amended as follows.
PART 4COUNCIL TAX FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DWELLING
Local Government Finance Act 1992
29(1) The Local Government Finance Act 1992 is amended as...
PART 5AMENDMENTS TO THE MOBILE HOMES (WALES) ACT 2013
30(1) The Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013 is amended as...

Housing (Wales) Act 2014

2014 anaw 7

An Act of the National Assembly for Wales to provide for the regulation of private rented housing; to reform the law relating to homelessness; to provide for assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers and to require local authorities to meet those needs; to make provision about the standards of housing provided by local authorities; to abolish housing revenue account subsidy; to allow fully mutual housing associations to grant assured tenancies; to make provision about council tax payable for empty dwellings; and for other housing purposes.

Having been passed by the National Assembly for Wales and having received the assent of Her Majesty, it is enacted as follows: