Welsh letting fees ban | Gwahardd ffioedd gosod tai yng Nghymru

Cymraeg

The First Minister committed to removing letting agency fees by September 2019 during an event hosted by the Students' Union and Citizens' Cymru last night. 

Cardiff University Students’ Union hosted over 350 attendees from community groups from across Wales yesterday (February 4th 2019) for the Governance of Wales Citizen’s Assembly with the new First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford AM, held in partnership with Citizens’ Cymru Wales. The Citizens’ Assembly saw hundreds of attendees representing groups of different faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds come together representing Welsh civil society to share their vision with the First Minister.

Letting agency fees lead to prospective tenants being charged hundreds of pounds to sign a tenancy agreement. Cardiff University students, led by Cardiff University Students’ Union President Fadhila A. Al Dhahouri, put forward powerful testimonies explaining the financial and emotional cost of having to pay these unfair and un-justified charges. The Assembly heard how students had been forced to alter their diet, sacrifice services that help with disabilities and cut back on travel home to see family to afford the fees. Some had even been put at risk of homelessness due to the high cost of securing a home to live in. While many of those affected by letting agency fees are students, the same experiences have been endured by tenants of all ages and backgrounds.

We are delighted that Cardiff University students helped to secure this important legislative change not only for Cardiff Students but also people in every community in Wales

Scotland banned letting agency fees in 2012. In England, they are due to be prohibited from June 2019. While a Bill is currently progressing through the Welsh Assembly to ban letting fees in Wales, Cardiff University Students’ Union called upon Mr Drakeford to give an assurance that letting fees would be prohibited in Wales by September 2019, the start of the next academic year. We are very pleased to say the First Minister Mark Drakford clearly said, “Yes” to this request.  We are delighted that Cardiff University students helped to secure this important legislative change not only for Cardiff Students but also people in every community in Wales, especially vulnerable citizens such as refugees or those taking their first steps out of homelessness.

We wish to thank our partners Citizens Cymru Wales for the immense amount of work they have put together for the Governance Wales Assembly alongside Cardiff University Students’ Union, as well as other numerous organisations. We all acted together for the common good and social justice, contributing to the aim that many organisations have worked towards in Wales in recent years.

We would also like to thank our students, namely, Janet Williams, Amr AlWishah (VP Welfare and Campaigns), Wiliam Rees, Iqra Babu and Jake Smith (VP Postgraduate Students) for sharing real life testimonies, and assisting with this campaign and the organisation of the Assembly.

We as Citizens will continue to work closely with First Minister to deliver on the commitment, as well as continuing the work on creating the Housing Accreditation system to regulate letting agencies in the private renting sector moving forward.

Fadhila A. Al Dhahouri

Students’ Union President

Fe ymrwymodd Y Prif Weinidog at gael gwared â ffioedd asiantaeth erbyn Medi 2019 yn ystod digwyddiad a gynhaliwyd gan Undeb y Myfyrwyr a Citizens’ Cymru neithiwr. 

Cynhaliodd Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd, ddigwyddiad mewn partneriaeth â Citizens’ Cymru Wales i dros 350 o unigolion grwpiau cymunedol ar draws Cymru ddoe (Chwefror 4ydd 2019). Roedd y digwyddiad ar gyfer Llywodraethu Senedd Dinasyddion Cymru gyda Phrif Weinidog Cymru, Mark Drakeford AS. Daeth cannoedd o bobl at ei gilydd i gynrychioli grwpiau gwahanol o grefyddau, ethnigrwydd a chefndiroedd gwahanol er mwyn cynrychioli cymdeithas sifil Gymreig ac i rannu eu gweledigaeth gyda’r Prif Weinidog.

Mae ffioedd asiantaethau gosod yn golygu bod rhaid i ddarpar denantiaid dalu cannoedd o bunnoedd er mwyn arwyddo cytundeb tenantiaeth. O dan arweiniad  Llywydd Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd, Fadhila A. Al Dhahouri, rhoddodd myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd dystiolaeth bwerus yn esbonio’r gost ariannol ac emosiynol o orfod talu taliadau annheg ac anghyfiawn. Fe glywodd y Senedd sut bu’n rhaid i rai myfyrwyr, er mwyn gallu talu’r ffioedd, addasu eu diet, aberthu gwasanaethau cymorth anableddau a chyfyngu ar deithio adref i weld eu teuluoedd. Bu rhai hyd yn oed mewn peryg o fod yn ddigartref o ganlyniad i’r gost uchel o sicrhau cartref i fyw ynddo. Er bod llawer o’r rheiny a effeithir gan ffioedd asiantaeth gosod yn fyfyrwyr, mae tenantiaid o bob oed a chefndir wedi profi’r un trafferthion.

Rydym wrth ein boddau fod myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi helpu i ddiogelu’r newid deddfwriaethol pwysig hwn, nid yn unig i Fyfyrwyr Caerdydd ond hefyd i bobl ym mhob cymuned yng Nghymru.

Fe waharddwyd ffioedd asiantaethau gosod tai yn yr Alban yn 2012. Mae Lloegr yn bwriadu i’r ffioedd gael eu gwahardd o Fehefin 2019 ymlaen. Wrth i Fil sydd yn cael ei ddatblygu ar hyn o bryd drwy Senedd Cymru i wahardd ffioedd gosod tai yng Nghymru, galwodd Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd ar Mr Drakeford i roi sicrwydd y bydd ffioedd gosod tai yn cael eu gwahardd yng Nghymru erbyn Medi 2019, ddechrau’r flwyddyn academaidd nesaf. Rydym yn hynod falch i gyhoeddi fod y Prif Weinidog Mark Drakeford wedi dweud ‘Ie’ amlwg i’r cais hwn.  Rydym ni wrth ein boddau fod myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi helpu i ddiogelu’r newid deddfwriaethol pwysig hwn nid yn unig i Fyfyrwyr Caerdydd ond hefyd i bobl ym mhob cymuned yng Nghymru, yn enwedig dinasyddion mewn sefyllfaoedd bregus megis ffoaduriaid neu’r rheiny sy’n cymryd eu camau cyntaf oddi wrth ddigartrefedd.

Hoffwn ddiolch ein partneriaid Citizens Cymru Wales am y gwaith anferthol maen nhw wedi ei roi at ei gilydd ar gyfer Llywodraethu Senedd Dinasyddion Cymru gyfochr ag Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd, yn ogystal â sawl sefydliad arall. Fe weithredom gyda’n gilydd ar gyfer daioni a chyfiawnder cymdeithasol, gan gyfrannu tuag at y nod y mae sawl sefydliad wedi gweithio tuag at yng Nghymru mewn blynyddoedd diweddar.

Fe hoffwn hefyd ddiolch i’n myfyrwyr, yn bennaf, Janet Williams, Amr AlWishah (IL Lles ac Ymgyrchoedd), William Rees, Iqra Babu a Jake Smith (IL Myfyrwyr Ôl-raddedig) am rannu tystiolaethau bywyd go iawn, ac am gynorthwyo gyda’r ymgyrch hwn a threfnu’r Senedd.

Byddwn ni fel Citizens yn parhau i weithio’n agos gyda’r Prif Weinidog i wireddu’r addewid, yn ogystal â pharhau ar y gwaith ar greu’r system Achrediadau Tai i reoleiddio asiantaethau gosod o fewn y sector rhentu preifat wrth barhau.

Fadhila A. Al Dhahouri

Llywydd Undeb y Myfyrwyr