Rent Smart Wales is a service within Cardiff Council, in place to administer the requirements for landlord registration and agent and landlord licensing under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. The Welsh Ministers formally designated Cardiff Council on the 1st April 2015. This means Cardiff Council are the Licensing Authority who will do this work for every local authority area in Wales.
The reason the Welsh Government chose one Council to act as administrator for the whole of Wales is to make the service easier for landlords, agents and tenants to access. The central register means that a landlord only has to complete one registration and if they self- manage; only apply for one licence to cover them for the whole country. The same applies to agents, who need only apply for one licence.
The Licensing Authority will work with local authorities to carry out their functions under the Act. Local authorities for each area may lead enforcement action against those landlords and agents not complying with their legal obligations on behalf of the Licensing Authority.
In order to offer a complete service for the private rented sector in Wales, Rent Smart Wales also has information available to assist tenants living in, or looking to live in, the private rented sector. This includes a Tenant Guide, which can be found on the Tenants Page. Click the link for more information Rent Smart Wales