Eviction & possession in Wales

Section 21 is gone

Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, the old Section 21 no longer exists. Instead, you choose the route that fits the situation - a Section 173 no-fault notice, a breach notice, serious rent arrears, or anti-social behaviour - each with its own notice period and conditions. Crucially, you can only rely on the no-fault route if your compliance is watertight. Most failed claims fail on paperwork, not the facts.

The most important shift for Cardiff landlords to understand is what Section 173 replaces — and what it doesn't. In England, Section 21 allowed a landlord to end a tenancy without giving a reason and with minimal preconditions. In Wales, Section 173 is superficially similar — it allows a no-fault ending — but it carries three additional requirements: the notice cannot be served in the first six months of the contract, the landlord must be registered and licensed with Rent Smart Wales, and all core compliance documentation (written contract statement, EICR, gas safety record) must be current and correctly served. Miss any one of those conditions and the notice fails.

The practical implication is that possession in Wales rewards landlords who stay on top of compliance routinely, not just when they need to act. A gas safety record that expired during the tenancy, a written statement issued late, or a deposit protected correctly but without the prescribed information ever formally issued to the contract-holder — these are the gaps that prevent an otherwise straightforward no-fault claim from proceeding. The safest approach is to treat every renewal, every new tenancy and every certificate due date as a compliance checkpoint, so that if you ever do need to serve a notice, your paperwork stands up to scrutiny from day one.