Landlords in Wales must sign up for licence to let homes

What is wrong with the right to evict,  or rather the right to give notice which tenants should comply with but don't and then have to be evicted.
An AST gives rights to LL and tenants.
If a LL wshes to terminate the tenancy, they are perfectly entitled to do so;  if the tenant refuses to comply with the terms of the AST then the LL has little choice than to commence posession and eviction at great expense to the LL.
There is very little chance of recovery from the evicted tenant of the possession and eviction expenses.
LL face continuing issues with tenants.
Tenants should be licenced aswell as LL.

Once again, the legislation is in favour of the tenant. If they are going to place yet another onerous burden on us (no doubt at great expense to us) why not even things up a little by abolishing the ridiculous Local Housing Allowance where the Housing Benefit is paid directly to the tenant until they accrue eight weeks arrears. Which is nothing more than a licence for them to steal the first eight weeks rent.

licensing of properties is already a part of a landlords responsibilities , in Cardiff and Treforest . This has been in existence for a number of years. Yes it was perhaps an income generator for the wag but it also improves standards, keeps tenants in a good standard of accomodation and hopefully gets rid of the slum  landlord which give us all a bad name.
Having been a landlord for 12 years I have seen some properties tenants are asked to live in. which are well below par and some are excellent.
 I live in Cardiff and I have not heard of any extra licensing from the welsh assembly. 
In regard to rent being paid to landlord this can be done if you and your tenant agree and send in confirmation of this.
We have all had problem tenants but thats part of life.
I have done reference checks etc and have tenants that seemed good  but turned out to be rogues stripping all wallpaper off the walls and then leaving after giving false names to utility companies,  the best test is gut instinct .
with ref to AST  all you have to do is give a section 8 notice if they do not leave then it is a formality with the court as long as all the paper workid correct..
The jys of being a landlord!

It seems to me that the tone of this New Legislation bears the same hallmark of previous Labour inspired nonsensical procedures. Most sensible landlords put the tenant at the focus of their actions as s/he is the customer and they keep us in business, but if you go to Tescos and fill up a basket then try to walk out without paying you end up at the police station. Stealing time in a property without paying is theft too and needs to be treated as such. Food and shelter are basic needs but should be treated equally in law. If this legislation is to go through, then landlords should show their collective power and insist that a faster and simpler way of evicting a non-paying tenant be also introduced. What is sauce for the goose needs to be sauce for the gander too.

Nobody wants bad landlords who fail to care for their customers. I have property in Wales and look after my clients well as I abide by my Association's Code of Practice. There is no reason why, to become a Landlord, you should not be obliged to join an Association which will support and educate you to improve your business practice if that is what you need. There is no need for new legislation and if there is it should be balanced to support equally both sides of the Contract. After all, the AST is a contract, but it is too easily flouted. Perhaps the focus of new legislation should be to strengthen the powers and obligations on all parties signing up to the AST. This would enable poor landlords to be assisted to improve their methods and also compel tenants to abide by the letter of the law which currently they can flout so easily.

I can't add much more to the debate, the fact is, left leaning organisations always try and dress up their prejudices in terms of helping the poor and downtrodden while what they are really about is extending the power of the state to interfer in what are really private arrangements between consenting parties.  It took Maggie Thatcher  to revive the private rented sector after 20 years of stagnation during the sixties and seventies.  The assured shorthold tenancy ws the catalyst for a complete change in the PRS and ever since, Governments of all pursuasions have been tinkering with it in order to "improve" it.  The latest manifestation, HMO licenses are just the foot in the door,soon everybody will have to be licensed, so don't be surprised at a mass exodus from the PRS in the next few years.  Of course,the clamour for more rented accommodation will mean the state sector will have to step in to "save" the situation.  The whole merrygoround will start again.

In the immortal words of Littlejohn, 'you couldn't make it up'  

As an accedited landlord I wish the authorities would stop adding to my problems simply to raise revenue and create (At my expense) extra employment.  I look forward to one day seeing a proposal by the government that will make my life easier and improve my bottom line!  Lets get rid of EPCs (No tenants look at them), get rid of the deposit scheme (It was always illegal for landlords to steal from tenants by failing to repay deposits) and forget registration (Just put in place some minimum standards for housing and enforce them) and lets return to paying LHA directly to landlords rather than allowing tenants to misappropriate council funds (Councils should recover these from other benefits on behalf of landlords!).  Finally can we improve the repossession system - 2 months notice plus a month for the courts plus a month for the bailifs = 4 months free living for the tenant - this not good enough.