Deadline for landlords to issue updated contract terms

Most landlords in Wales must have provided existing contract holders with updated contract terms, either through a new written statement or a notice of variation, by 14 June 2026¹. The deadline follows changes that came into force in Wales on 1 June 2026, intended to stop landlords directly or indirectly discriminating against contract holders who either receive benefits or have children¹.

The rules for renting a home in Wales changed on 1 December 2022, when most existing domestic tenancies and licences converted to occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016¹. Under an occupation contract, the renter is known as the contract-holder². There are two main types: secure occupation contracts, usually where the landlord is a community landlord such as a local authority, a Registered Social Landlord or a Private Registered Provider of Social Housing; and standard occupation contracts, usually where the landlord is a private landlord².

The written statement sets out the key information and terms of the contract, and landlords must give contract-holders one¹. The deadlines reported are:

Landlords should not charge a fee for providing the written statement, though they can charge a reasonable fee for further copies if the contract-holder asks for them¹. Where a landlord has not provided the statement within the required timeframe, the guidance states that the contract-holder may be entitled to compensation, and that in some circumstances it can limit the actions a landlord can take to end the occupation contract².

Not all agreements are occupation contracts. Business tenancies covered by Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 cannot be occupation contracts¹. Other exclusions reported include fixed term tenancies of more than 21 years, tenancies covered by the Rent Act 1977 or the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976, armed forces accommodation, direct access accommodation, B&B homeless accommodation arranged by a local authority with a private landlord, accommodation supporting asylum seekers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and accommodation provided for probation or bail purposes³. Lodger agreements only become occupation contracts if the landlord gives notice saying so before or at the time the agreement is made².

Why it matters for households

The deadline affects people renting in Wales whose landlord is a community landlord or a private landlord and who held a contract before the 1 June 2026 changes. Those households should have received updated terms by 14 June 2026, either as a new written statement or a notice of variation¹. The updated terms are the mechanism for the anti-discrimination changes that took effect on 1 June 2026¹.

The written statement is the document that records the rights and responsibilities of both parties, so a household that has not received one, or has received one it does not agree with, has no current record of the terms it is being held to². The guidance states that a contract-holder who has not received the statement within the required timeframe may be entitled to compensation, and that the failure can in some circumstances limit the landlord's ability to end the contract². No fee should be charged for the statement itself¹.

For households in rent arrears, the same guidance sets out how housing costs are supported. Universal Credit takes five weeks from claim to payment and sometimes longer, and the DWP should start paying the housing costs element within five weeks¹. New Housing Benefit claims can still be made by people who have reached State Pension age or who live in certain supported, sheltered or temporary housing². Where a payment is reduced because of spare bedrooms, the reduction is 14% for one spare bedroom and 25% for two or more¹.

What happens next

The 14 June 2026 deadline has passed. The guidance does not set out a further deadline for landlords who have not yet provided updated terms, and no enforcement timetable for the 1 June 2026 changes has been reported¹. Contract-holders who have not received a written statement within the required timeframe are directed to seek advice, and those unsure what type of occupation contract they hold, or who disagree with the type they have been given, are directed to Shelter Cymru¹.

The regulation and policy hub covers how rules of this kind are made and enforced, and who speaks for consumers sets out the bodies that represent households in these processes.