February 06, 2017
An investigation has been launched after details of hundreds of landlords who have not yet registered on a Wales-wide scheme were revealed.
Rent Smart Wales contacted people who had started but not finished the registration process, but the email addresses of recipients could be seen in the message.
Cardiff council, which handles Rent Smart Wales, said it is aware of an issue and it is being investigated.
Thousands of buy-to-let landlords could face fines and possibly even prosecution for failing to sign up to the new registration and licensing system in Wales.
More than two months have passed since the Welsh government’s Rent Smart Wales scheme became law, and yet it is estimated that thousands of private landlords in Wales have still not signed up to the scheme, which could mean that they are letting out properties illegally.
The email sent out told landlords: "We are writing this email to you as you have a started but not complete landlord registration with Rent Smart Wales."
Douglas Haig, director for Wales for the Residential Landlords Association, said: "We have long been warning of the need for greater security around the Rent Smart scheme to prevent this kind of error occurring.
"With landlords and letting agents expected to register by law, they need to have the confidence that their personal details will be handled sensitively.
"Whilst we are sure this was an innocent mistake and a simple case of human error, we would like to see measures put in place to ensure it cannot happen again."
Property experts at the Cardiff office of Bruton Knowles fear many buy-to-let landlords outside of the principality could also be in line for a nasty shock.
The company claim that the main issue for non-Wales based landlords is the complete lack of awareness that they had to sign up to the new scheme.
Rent Smart Wales (RSW), the new registration and licensing system in Wales, which went live in 2015, represents a major change for the private rental sector in the principality.
The scheme requires all landlords and letting agents to register their properties and undergo training to obtain a licence if they wish to self-manage their rental investment.
https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/12/thousands-of-landlords-face-prosecution
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