We are really pleased to provide an update on the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 guidance that we’ve been developing in partnership with the local authority Housing Networks Project and CHC.
Background
Before the summer we held discussions at our Renting Homes Act Supported Accommodation Group about how to manage temporary exclusions and the extension of licences. There were concerns about the lack of Welsh Government guidance regarding the extension of licences, and there were also queries about the process for managing temporary exclusions. As a result, we committed to forming a small task and finish group with the local authority Housing Support Network and developing some operational guidance for the sector.
Update
First of all, we would like to say a big thank you to the supported accommodation providers and local authorities who joined the task and finish group – your expertise and input was greatly appreciated. Together, we developed two pieces of operational guidance and shared these with the Welsh Government. This highlighted the need for the Welsh Government to provide a steer on the circumstances in which a licence could be extended. As a result, the Welsh Government agreed to publish their own policy guidance on this issue, something that we really welcome.
As a result, we can now share with you:
- New Welsh Government guidance – Supported accommodation: exceptional approach to extending the relevant period for a tenancy or licence
- New Cymorth / Housing Support Network / CHC operational guidance: Extending the relevant period for licence agreements in supported accommodation
- New Cymorth / Housing Support Network / CHC operational guidance: Temporary exclusions in supported accommodation