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The Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019 (‘the 2019 Act’) has had a very positive impact on protecting tenants in the private rented sector from unfair fees, saving tenants on average £200 per tenancy. 


The large majority of tenancies issued by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), also known as housing associations, are not affected by the 2019 Act. However, as we have noted previously, the 2019 Act has had an unintended consequence in relation to a minority of tenancies used by RSLs which are assured shorthold tenancies. Since its implementation, the 2019 Act has resulted in a prohibition on the charging of service charges by RSLs and supported accommodation providers in relation to such assured shorthold tenancies. This contrasts with the position in relation to the vast majority of tenancies in the social housing sector, which are assured tenancies, where no prohibition on service charges applies. 


In recent weeks, and where possible, RSLs have acted to transfer tenants with an assured shorthold tenancy to an assured tenancy, which is the predominant RSL tenancy and which offers greater security of tenure for tenants. Most of the affected tenants would, in any case, have transferred to assured tenancies at the conclusion of their assured shorthold tenancy. 


My statement of 9 December made clear that the unintended consequences of the 2019 Act should be remedied as soon as possible and I committed to keeping Members informed of developments. Since then, my officials and I have taken a series of steps to resolve the matter.


Following close liaison with Community Housing Cymru and Cymorth Cymru, as bodies representing RSLs and supported accommodation providers, and detailed discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions, my officials wrote to RSLs and providers of supported accommodation on 22 December. That letter set out that we were intending to make a legislative change which would be retrospective in effect, so that all of the charges which have been required since the 2019 Act came into force would be regularised. It explained that in light of the potential harmful impact on individuals’ benefit claims, officials had agreed with the Department for Work and Pensions that ceasing to request service charge payments pending a legislative change would not be in the best interests of those tenants. The letter went on to say that the Welsh Ministers would not be seeking to take any action in respect of this issue against any RSL in its capacity as the regulator.  


On 22 January, officials wrote in similar terms to local authorities, in light of their enforcement powers under the 2019 Act and their functions in respect of housing benefit payments and the commissioning of housing support services. That letter noted that whilst it is a matter for local authorities to consider how to use their enforcement powers and exercise other functions that relate to this matter, it is important that they are able to do so taking full account of the context of this particular situation.


On 1 February, after first seeking the views of organisations representing the interests of both social housing providers and tenants, I tabled two Stage 3 amendments to the Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill (‘the Bill’) that retrospectively add service charges, made by community landlords (which include RSLs) and supported accommodation providers, to the list of permitted payments included in Schedule 1 to the 2019 Act. Those amendments were subsequently passed by the Senedd during the Stage 3 proceedings held on 10 February.


I am satisfied that, subject to the Bill being passed by the Senedd and receiving Royal Assent, the amendments it makes to the 2019 Act will resolve the service charge issue and that this action is in the best interests of all concerned, including tenants.







Translation:


 
Mae Deddf Rhentu Cartrefi (Ffioedd etc.) (Cymru) 2019 (‘Deddf 2019’) wedi cael effaith bositif iawn ar warchod tenantiaid yn y sector rhentu preifat rhag ffioedd annheg, gan arbed £200 i denantiaid, ar gyfartaledd, fesul tenantiaeth.


Nid yw Deddf 2019 yn effeithio ar fwyafrif helaeth y tenantiaethau a drefnir gan Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig, a elwir hefyd yn gymdeithasau tai. Fodd bynnag, fel rydym wedi’i nodi cyn hyn, mae Deddf 2019 wedi arwain at sefyllfa na fwriadwyd mewn perthynas â lleiafrif o denantiaethau Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig sy’n denantiaethau byrddaliadol sicr. Ers ei gweithredu, mae Deddf 2019 wedi arwain at wahardd Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig a darparwyr llety â chymorth rhag codi ffioedd gwasanaeth mewn perthynas â thenantiaethau byrddaliadol sicr o’r fath. Mae hyn yn wahanol i’r sefyllfa mewn perthynas â mwyafrif helaeth tenantiaethau’r sector tai cymdeithasol, lle nad oes gwaharddiad ar godi ffioedd. 


Dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, a lle bo modd, mae Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig wedi cymryd camau i drosglwyddo tenantiaid sydd â thenantiaeth fyrddaliadol sicr i denantiaeth sicr, sef prif denantiaeth Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig ac sy’n cynnig y sicrwydd deiliadaeth mwyaf i denantiaid. Byddai’r rhan fwyaf o’r tenantiaid hyn wedi’u trosglwyddo i denantiaethau sicr beth bynnag ar ddiwedd eu tenantiaeth fyrddaliadol sicr.


Roedd fy natganiad ar 9 Rhagfyr yn ei gwneud yn glir y dylid cywiro canlyniadau anfwriadol Deddf 2019 cyn gynted â phosibl, ac ymrwymais i roi gwybodaeth reolaidd i’r Aelodau am unrhyw ddatblygiadau. Ers hynny, mae fy swyddogion a minnau wedi cymryd cyfres o gamau i ddatrys y mater.


Ar ôl gweithio’n agos gyda Cartrefi Cymunedol Cymru a Cymorth Cymru, cyrff sy’n cynrychioli Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig a darparwyr llety â chymorth, ac ar ôl trafodaethau manwl gyda’r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau, ysgrifennodd fy swyddogion at Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig a darparwyr llety â chymorth ar 22 Rhagfyr. Nododd y llythyr hwnnw ein bod yn bwriadu gwneud newid deddfwriaethol a fyddai’n ôl\-weithredol ei effaith, er mwyn cyfreithloni’r holl ffioedd sydd wedi’u codi ers i Ddeddf 2019 ddod i rym. Roedd yn esbonio bod swyddogion wedi cytuno â’r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau, yng ngoleuni’r effaith negyddol bosibl ar fudd\-daliadau unigolion, na fyddai rhoi’r gorau i godi ffioedd gwasanaeth tra bo’r newid deddfwriaethol yn cael ei wneud o fudd i’r tenantiaid hynny. Aeth y llythyr yn ei flaen i ddweud na fyddai Gweinidogion Cymru yn ceisio cymryd unrhyw gamau yn erbyn Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig mewn perthynas â’r mater hwn, yn rhinwedd eu swydd fel rheoleiddwyr.  


Ar 22 Ionawr, ysgrifennodd swyddogion mewn termau tebyg at awdurdodau lleol, yng ngoleuni eu pwerau gorfodi o dan Ddeddf 2019 a’u swyddogaethau mewn perthynas â thaliadau budd\-daliadau tai a chomisiynu gwasanaethau cymorth tai. Roedd y llythyr hwnnw yn nodi, er mai mater i awdurdodau lleol yw ystyried sut i ddefnyddio eu pwerau gorfodi a chyflawni swyddogaethau eraill sy’n ymwneud â’r mater hwn, ei bod yn bwysig eu bod yn gwneud hynny gan roi ystyriaeth lawn i gyd\-destun y sefyllfa arbennig hon.


Ar 1 Chwefror, ar ôl mynd ati’n gyntaf i holi barn sefydliadau sy’n cynrychioli buddiannau darparwyr tai cymdeithasol a thenantiaid, cyflwynais ddau welliant Cam 3 i Fil Rhentu Cartrefi (Diwygio) (Cymru) (‘y Bil’), sydd, yn ôl\-weithredol, yn ychwanegu ffioedd gwasanaeth, a godir gan landlordiaid cymunedol (sy’n cynnwys Landlordiaid Cymdeithasol Cofrestredig) a darparwyr llety â chymorth, at y rhestr o daliadau a ganiateir yn Atodlen 1 Deddf 2019\. Cafodd y gwelliannau hynny eu pasio gan y Senedd yn ystod trafodion Cam 3 ar 10 Chwefror.


Rwy’n fodlon y bydd y gwelliannau y mae’r Bil yn eu gwneud i Ddeddf 2019, a chymryd bod y Bil yn cael ei basio gan y Senedd ac yn cael Cydsyniad Brenhinol, yn datrys y broblem o ran ffioedd gwasanaeth, a bod hyn o fantais i bawb, gan gynnwys tenantiaid.