Guidance for Welsh landlords on converted contracts post 1 June 2023.

Well, here we are (at the time of writing this) at 1 June 2023.  If you are the landlord of a Welsh converted contract and have not served a conversion contract statement yet, you are now in breach.

Sorry!

By the way, here are a couple of definitions:

• Converted contract – a contract which existed prior to 1 December 2022 as a tenancy or license
• Substitute contract – where a new contract has been signed for a converted contract.

If you have not served your conversion contract document

As I say above, you are in breach of the rules.  However, you should still serve it as unless you do, you won’t be able to use the ‘no fault’ procedures for possession.

I have therefore left our Conversion Contracts page online for members to use.  It explains, with  draft wording and colour coding, how to prepare a conversion contract in the clearest way I could.

You will also need to serve the letters of variation which I gave on the blog post here.

If you are looking to create a new ‘substitute contract’

This is where you are getting a tenant or licensee whose contract pre-dated 1/12/22 to sign a new form of contract.

Landlord Law members will find our occupation contracts page here.

There is some slight variation in the two of the prescribed terms for this situation.  I have decided not to do a complete new contract but instead have drafted up a letter of variation which you can give your contract holder, which should serve.

You will find it in the ‘before you start’ section on the page.  Click the green box which says ‘is this a substitute contract?’.

If your pre 1 December 2022 contract holders have now left the property

Provided they gave you vacant possession, the contract will now be at an end and so you don’t have to worry about all this.  

Technically I suppose they were entitled to a conversion document setting out the terms of their contract from 1/12/22 until the time they left, but if you have not done this, I doubt whether this will cause you any problems.

Although if they are a litigious type you might want to consider sending it to them just as a precautionary measure.

If you are looking to sign up completely new contract holders 

You don’t need to worry about any of this!  It only affects you if your contract holder’s contract pre-dates 1 December 2022.