RH 17

Y Pwyllgor Cymunedau, Cydraddoldeb a Llywodraeth Leol/

Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee

Bil Rhentu Cartrefi (Cymru)/Renting Homes (Wales) Bill 
Ymateb gan: Martin Hemming

Response from: Martin Hemming

Dear SIrs.

I am inclined to agree with your aims to clarify and simplify the letting legislation.However I am dismayed that, in order to achieve this , you have come up with a Model Contract that will result in a document which will be in excess of 30 pages in length.

This is unacceptable purely in terms of the volume of paper involved, and is not a progressive step. It may not seem too onerous for landlords who rent only one property and enjoy long periods of occupation, But I rent to students who typically have a 40 week fixed term and then leave.

I have 24 tenants in shared Licensed HMO. Since, in the interest of fairness, the tenants receive individual contracts. I will be faced with producing

24 times in duplicate, a 30 plus page document which amounts to nearly

1500 pages of printed matter at least once a year.

Furthermore this all has to be posted to guarantors for signing and return.

My current tenancy contract, which is legally correct and has been tested in court, is 6 pages in total and I doubt that most of the tenant read that.

To present tenants with anything longer will achieve nothing more than inconvenience to all concerned and especially the landlord. Unnecessary paperwork does not help us in our aims to provide good accomodation for our tenants.