News from 8 June 2026
Find the Welsh landlord guidance.
Update, 7 September 2026. The June 2026 changes are already in force. For affected existing occupation contracts, the Welsh Government specified 14 June 2026 as the written-statement deadline. If this was missed, use the official guidance and get advice about putting the position right. The original June report follows.
New fundamental terms were added to many occupation contracts in Wales from 1 June 2026. They address discrimination connected with benefits and children. The update also required attention to the written statements for affected existing contracts.
What changed on 1 June
According to OpenRent’s landlord update, new fundamental terms have been added to many Welsh occupation contracts from 1 June 2026. The Welsh Government’s own Renting Homes landlord FAQ also says that, from 1 June 2026, occupation contracts contain two new fundamental terms covering discrimination linked to benefit claims and children living in or visiting the home.
In plain English, landlords should treat this as a documentation and process issue. Any advertising, referencing, decision-making, template wording and written statements used for Welsh homes should be consistent with the updated rules. Letting agents and online platforms may handle some of that work, but the landlord still needs to understand what has changed and keep an audit trail.
The immediate deadline highlighted by OpenRent is the 14-day window for existing occupation contracts that started before 1 June. In those cases, landlords may need to give the contract-holder a formal written statement setting out the variation to the contract. For contracts created on or after 1 June, the relevant wording should be included from the start.
