Due to the recent changes in the law, a Newport Landlord has been convicted and fined £4,400. The Landlord has been found guilty of operating a dangerous, unlicensed home in multiple occupation as well as failing to comply with Rent Smart Wales. Rent Smart Wales is a new law that has recently acquired its prosecution powers for those who own a property in Wales for rental purposes.
Robert Ivor is a landlord who is from Tram Lane Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran and is thought to be the first landlord to fall foul of the scheme put in place by the Welsh Government. The Rent Smart Wales scheme has been set up in an attempt to improve the private sector rental property available in Wales. In order for the scheme to work, all landlords who rent property in Wales, even if they themselves live outside the country, must register as part of this Rent Smart scheme.
The intention with the scheme is that the landlords will be registered and then it will be easier to locate and regulate the improvement of rental properties in Wales. The scheme came into action on November the 23rd 2016and from that point anyone that doesn’t follow the regulations that are set out by Rent Smart Wales are breaking the law. Robert was prosecuted under Section 7(5) of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 while at Newport Magistrates as he has failed to comply with the government scheme.
When Robert’s property was inspected in December last year, the Environmental Health officers found a number of problems that they deemed serious associated with the design and the layout of the property. These problem included the fact that an escape route had been blocked by furniture and a number of other items. In the event of an emergency, these blockages and obstacles could have proven fatal and Robert pleaded guilty when his case was in court. When checked by Rent Smart Wales it was found that the landlord was registered on to the government scheme but not licensed. Since the conviction and fine, Robert has completed the training that was required by Rent Smart Wales and has submitted an application for his licence.
