A record number of landlords have attended NRLA events and webinars in Wales over the past twelve months.

It's been a landmark year for private landlords with rentals in Wales; and while the Renting Homes (Wales) Act may have been introduced in December 2022, the implementation of the Act has been staggered, meaning some changes were introduced gradually this year.

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act introduced significant changes to the way landlords in Wales operate and our dedicated Wales team have been there each step of the way, to guide and support members as they navigate the new law.

In fact, Sandra, Gill and Steven, our core NRLA Wales representatives, hosted over 30 free events and webinars for members in 2023, supported at many of them by our Head of Policy, James Wood.

There was also no shortage of high-profile speakers supporting our events in Wales this year, we welcomed Wales' Minister for Climate Change Julie James MS to speak virtually at several NRLA on Tour events in Wales, with the Shadow Minister for Housing Cllr Janet Finch-Saunders MS also taking part in one of our national webinars.

So, as we edge towards a brand New Year, we're taking a fond look back at events in Wales in 2023. Take a look at our picture gallery to see some of our highlights. Want to learn more about your Wales regional representatives? Read our Q&A with Sandra and Gill here.

NRLA on Tour events

NRLA on Tour launched in 2023, and we hosted not one but three On Tour events in Wales this year, the inaugural event being in Llandudno, with subsequent events taking place in Cardiff and Llanelli.

It was a full house at our popular NRLA on Tour events in Wales this year. We welcomed a number of excellent speakers, and the events were also supported by an array of exhibitors and NRLA colleagues.

Coffee and Chat events

Our Coffee and Chat events are a more informal way for landlords to catch up with each other in a relaxed setting, often these will take place in a cosy coffee shop or tea room.

These events are the ideal chance to meet-up with fellow private landlords who are local to you, and, as the name suggests, have a coffee or a hot beverage of your choice, on us! Our regional representatives Sandra and Gill have hosted several coffee and chat events in North Wales and South Wales this year.

Left: Our expert panel Lucinda Wolf (left) James Wood (centre) and Douglas Haig answer questions on stage from delegates in the room. Right: Our events team at the NRLA stand.

National webinars and high-profile guests

A big part of what we do here at the NRLA is to help and support our members navigate housing law.

As the Renting Homes (Wales) Act was only introduced last December, most of the focus of our Wales team this year has been to help our members with rentals in Wales understand the complex new legislation, to ensure they are compliant.

This year, typically on the last Monday of each month at 6pm, you'd find our Operations Manager Steve Bletsoe and our Head of Policy James Wood presenting a free national webinar to members in Wales, on the latest on the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, as it continued to be implemented.

The webinars also featured a Q&A, and proved to be a hit with members with record numbers attending this year and rave reviews. 

We were pleased to welcome Wales' Shadow Housing Minister Janet Finch-Saunders who guest-hosted one of the webinars back in September. Following the webinar, Janet Finch-Saunders wrote about the session over on her blog and also tweeted about the webinar (left).

Join us for our next Wales national webinar on 22nd January 2024 at 6pm. To register, click here.

Local Authorities

We've also hosted quite a few meetings with local authorities this year, and we continue to support our friends at Cardiff Landlord Forum with their regular in-person monthly meet-ups in Cardiff Bay, chaired by NRLA non-executive director Douglas Haig.

We've also hosted meet-ups in partnership with Flintshire Council and other borough councils across Wales. If you work for a local authority and you are interested in running a meeting in partnership with the NRLA, click here to make contact with one of our local representatives. 

What a year it has been for events in Wales! Be sure to sign up for our What's On emails and view our events calendar for many more local events in Wales next year.