English: Diolch, Llywydd. I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen to acquaint the Assembly that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Bill, has given her consent to this Bill. Llywydd, I move the motion. I am pleased to open this debate on the Renting Homes (Fees, etc.) (Wales) Bill following the completion of Stage 3 last week. As Members will know, the Bill was introduced by the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd in her former role as Minister for Housing and Regeneration, and I would like to pay tribute to her leadership, commitment and openness to ideas in seeking to improve the experiences of tenants across Wales by steering the Bill through Stages 1 and 2 of the Assembly's scrutiny. The Bill has key aims of making renting reasonable, affordable and transparent. It does this by restricting in particular the significant upfront costs tenants can face when moving into or between homes. Many of our constituents, and too often those on low incomes, have been at the sharp end of letting fees. The Bill rebalances the relationship between tenant, agent and landlord, removing any doubt about what costs need to be budgeted for when renting. The reforms brought about by the Bill will help improve the reputation of the sector, which has become increasingly important in recent years. The Bill's development was informed by the almost 700 responses we received to our consultation with stakeholders, which gave us a robust evidence base for bringing forward the legislation, and I am grateful to all those who contributed. As always, the scrutiny process has helped sharpen our initial proposals, and I would like to pay tribute to the work of the members and officials of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee in leading this work. I also wish to acknowledge the efforts of stakeholder groups representing the interests of tenants, agents and landlords to this process, who either gave evidence in writing or in person. As with most Bills, both the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee and Finance Committee have examined its provisions thoroughly as they apply to their interests. I am grateful for their work in this area. Last week, Members provided thoughtful and considered responses to the Stage 3 Plenary debate on the Bill. There has been and remains a cross-party consensus on the need to legislate, and I am grateful that last week's discussion reinforced that view. The reports prepared by the committees have been valuable in helping us identify aspects of the Bill that were improved by amendments made at Stages 2 and 3. There has been a particular interest in the arrangements we have made to enforce the Bill, which have been strengthened further since the Bill was introduced by increasing the level of fixed penalties and also the extension of enforcement powers to the landlord and agent licensing authority, currently Rent Smart Wales. The Bill also now restricts the issuing of no-fault eviction notices, and ensures that utilities payments are permitted payments. I'm grateful to David Melding and Leanne Wood for the collegiate way in which they have worked with us on these matters. We have listened to arguments about the treatment of payments required when a contract holder defaults against the terms of their contract. As a result, the Bill now includes a regulation-making power that will restrict the use of default payments by setting a prescribed limit on them. I know there is considerable interest in commencing the Bill as soon as possible so that tenants can begin to benefit from no longer having to pay letting fees. Leanne Wood argued most passionately on behalf of students who wish to see fees banned in time for the start of the new academic year this autumn. That is my wish as well. Subject to the passage of the Bill through this final stage and subject to Royal Assent being granted, I intend for the Act to be commenced by the autumn. At that point, we will have in place an Act making renting more attractive, an Act that will reduce the up-front costs of renting to a minimum, and an Act that has robust restrictions and enforcement arrangements in place to further address the behaviour of rogue agents and landlords. Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Rwyf wedi fy ngorchymyn gan Ei Mawrhydi y Frenhines i roi gwybod i'r Cynulliad fod Ei Mawrhydi, ar ôl cael ei hysbysu ynglŷn â pherwyl Bil Rhentu Cartrefi (Ffioedd etc.) (Cymru), wedi rhoi cydsyniad i'r Bil hwn. Lywydd, rwy'n gwneud y cynnig. Mae'n bleser gennyf agor y ddadl hon ar y Bil Rhentu Cartrefi (Ffioedd etc.) (Cymru) yn dilyn cwblhau Cam 3 yr wythnos diwethaf. Fel y gŵyr yr Aelodau, cyflwynwyd y Bil gan y Gweinidog Cyllid a'r Trefnydd yn ei rôl flaenorol fel y Gweinidog Tai ac Adfywio, a hoffwn dalu teyrnged i'w harweinyddiaeth, ei hymrwymiad a'i pharodrwydd i drafod syniadau i geisio gwella profiadau tenantiaid ledled Cymru drwy arwain y Bil drwy Gamau 1 a 2 o broses graffu'r Cynulliad. Nodau allweddol y Bil yw sicrhau bod rhentu'n rhesymol, yn fforddiadwy ac yn dryloyw. Gwna hyn drwy gyfyngu'n arbennig ar y costau sylweddol y gall tenantiaid eu hwynebu ymlaen llaw wrth symud i gartrefi neu rhwng cartrefi. Mae llawer o'n hetholwyr, ac yn rhy aml, y rheini sydd ar incwm isel, wedi dioddef yn sgil ffioedd gosod. Mae'r Bil yn ailgydbwyso'r berthynas rhwng tenant, asiant a landlord, gan ddileu unrhyw amheuaeth ynglŷn â pha gostau y mae angen cyllidebu ar eu cyfer wrth rentu. Bydd y diwygiadau a gyflwynir gan y Bil yn helpu i wella enw da'r sector, rhywbeth sydd wedi dod yn gynyddol bwysig dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Cafodd datblygiad y Bil ei lywio gan bron i 700 o ymatebion a gawsom i'n hymgynghoriad â rhanddeiliaid, a roddodd sylfaen dystiolaeth gadarn i ni ar gyfer cyflwyno'r ddeddfwriaeth, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar i bob un a gyfrannodd. Fel bob amser, mae'r broses graffu wedi ein cynorthwyo i hogi ein cynigion cychwynnol, a hoffwn dalu teyrnged i waith aelodau a swyddogion y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb, Llywodraeth Leol a Chymunedau wrth arwain y gwaith hwn. Hefyd hoffwn gydnabod ymdrechion grwpiau rhanddeiliaid sy'n cynrychioli buddiannau tenantiaid, asiantiaid a landlordiaid yn y broses hon, a roddodd dystiolaeth naill ai'n ysgrifenedig neu'n bersonol. Fel gyda'r rhan fwyaf o Filiau, mae'r Pwyllgor Materion Cyfansoddiadol a Deddfwriaethol a'r Pwyllgor Cyllid wedi archwilio ei ddarpariaethau'n drylwyr o ran sut y maent yn berthnasol i'w buddiannau hwy. Rwy'n ddiolchgar am eu gwaith i'r perwyl hwn. Yr wythnos diwethaf, darparodd yr Aelodau ymatebion ystyriol a phwyllog i ddadl y Cyfarfod Llawn ar Gam 3 y Bil. Cafwyd consensws trawsbleidiol ar yr angen i ddeddfu, a cheir consensws o hyd, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar fod y drafodaeth yr wythnos diwethaf wedi atgyfnerthu'r farn honno. Mae'r adroddiadau a baratowyd gan y pwyllgorau wedi bod yn werthfawr i'n cynorthwyo i nodi agweddau ar y Bil a gafodd eu gwella gan welliannau a wnaed yng Nghamau 2 a 3. Roedd diddordeb arbennig yn y trefniadau a wnaethom ar gyfer gweithredu'r Bil, sydd wedi'u cryfhau ymhellach ers cyflwyno'r Bil drwy gynyddu lefel y cosbau penodedig yn ogystal ag ymestyn pwerau gorfodi i gynnwys yr awdurdod trwyddedu landlordiaid ac asiantiaid, sef Rhentu Doeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd. Mae'r Bil bellach yn cyfyngu hefyd ar gyflwyno hysbysiadau troi allan 'dim bai', ac yn sicrhau bod taliadau cyfleustodau yn daliadau a ganiateir. Rwy'n ddiolchgar i David Melding a Leanne Wood am y ffordd golegol y maent wedi gweithio gyda ni ar y materion hyn. Rydym wedi gwrando ar ddadleuon ynglŷn ag ymdrin â thaliadau sy'n ofynnol pan fydd deiliad contract yn methu cydymffurfio â thelerau eu contract. O ganlyniad, mae'r Bil bellach yn cynnwys pŵer i wneud rheoliadau a fydd yn cyfyngu ar y defnydd o ddiffygdaliadau drwy osod terfyn rhagnodedig arnynt. Gwn fod cryn ddiddordeb mewn cychwyn y Bil cyn gynted â phosibl fel y gall tenantiaid ddechrau elwa o beidio â gorfod talu ffioedd gosod mwyach. Dadleuodd Leanne Wood yn angerddol ar ran myfyrwyr sy'n dymuno gweld ffioedd yn cael eu gwahardd erbyn dechrau'r flwyddyn academaidd newydd yr hydref hwn. Dyna fy nymuniad innau hefyd. Yn amodol ar basio'r Bil drwy'r cam terfynol hwn ac yn amodol ar roi Cydsyniad Brenhinol, fy mwriad yw bod y Ddeddf yn cychwyn erbyn yr hydref. Yr adeg honno, bydd gennym Ddeddf ar waith sy'n sicrhau bod rhentu'n fwy deniadol, Deddf a fydd yn lleihau i'r graddau mwyaf posibl y costau ymlaen llaw sy'n gysylltiedig â rhentu, a Deddf sydd â chyfyngiadau a threfniadau gorfodi cadarn ar waith er mwyn mynd i'r afael ag ymddygiad asiantiaid a landlordiaid diegwyddor. Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd.