This guidance is specific for tenancies in Wales. If you're looking for information relating to tenancies in England, please go here.
One of the changes due to come in as part of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 is that some terms and phrases that you are currently used to using will change and some new phrases will be introduced.
Below we've put together a guide to what the new phrases mean:
| Additional Terms | Terms that can be added to a Standard Occupation Contract so long as they don't conflict with any pre-existing terms and everyone is in agreement. |
| Contract-Holder | Refers to the tenant(s) for a property |
| Converted Occupation Contract | The phrase used to describe a tenancy agreement that started before 1st December and continues after that date |
| Dwelling | New term for a property being let by a landlord |
| Fundamental Terms | These are terms which must be included in all Standard Occupation Contracts. Some Fundamental terms can be changed if everyone agrees and the change benefits the Contract-holder (tenant). |
| Key Matters | Essential facts about the tenancy, such as the address of the property and the rental amount. |
| Landlord’s Notice | Technical term for a landlord serving notice (replaces a Section 8 or Section 21 notice). |
| Occupation Contract | The new phrase for a tenancy agreement/contract. |
| Occupation Date | The date on which the tenancy will start, previously known as the start date. |
| Standard Occupation Contracts (SCOs) | These will be the most common type of tenancy agreement under the new system. They will replace Assured Shorthold tenancy (ASTs) which are currently the most common type of tenancy in Wales. |
| Supplementary Terms | These are terms which are included in a Standard Occupation Contract as standard. They can be changed or removed so long as everyone is in agreement |
| Written Statement | A document that will be given to tenants whose tenancies pre-date 1st December 2022. The Written Statement will convert their current tenancy to a new Standard Occupation Contract. Landlords will have six months to issue Written Statements to all relevant tenants. |