If you rent out a property in Wales you must be registered. Whether you also need a licence depends on one thing only: who does the letting and management work. This page sets out the rule, the fees and the limits — and what changes if you appoint an agent.
This is Rent Smart Wales’ own wording, and it is the whole test in one sentence:
Landlords who are not involved in issuing contracts and managing their rental properties do not need a licence; however they must appoint a licensed agent.Rent Smart Wales — rentsmart.gov.wales/en/licensing. Checked 1 September 2026.
You advertise the property, sign the occupation contract, deal with the contract-holder, arrange repairs, chase the rent — or any part of that list.
You need a landlord licence in your own name, and you must complete approved training first.
You own the property and take the rent, but the letting and management work is carried out by a licensed agent under your instructions.
You still register. You do not need your own licence, and you do not need the training.
Getting this wrong is expensive, and it lands on you rather than on your agent. So the limits matter as much as the rule.
The exemption is for landlords who are not involved in issuing contracts and managing the property. Keep the contract, the repairs or the tenant contact in your own hands and you are still doing letting and management work — so you still need your own licence. Let-only and rent-collection arrangements do not remove it.
Registration and licensing are two separate duties. Every landlord of a property let on a standard occupation contract must be registered, whoever manages it, and Rent Smart Wales does not permit an agent to register on your behalf — you have to do it yourself. Failing to register can carry a fixed penalty of up to £150, prosecution, and restrictions on recovering possession.
Cardiff Modern Living is a licensed letting agent, not Rent Smart Wales. This page explains the published rules as we read them and links to the source for each figure; it is not legal advice, and Rent Smart Wales is the authority on your particular circumstances. Their interactive questionnaire is here, and it is free.
Registration and licence both run for five years. Applying online is cheaper than applying on paper in every case.
| What you are paying for | Online | On paper |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord registration — new | £60 | £102 |
| Landlord registration — renewal | £48 | £87 |
| Landlord licence | £254 | £327 |
| Landlord licence — renewed 42+ days early | £230 | £302 |
| Approved landlord course | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Online | about 5 | £35 |
| Classroom | 6.5 | £100 |
We are licensed by Rent Smart Wales as a letting and management agent, licence LR-96208-17295, valid to 23 July 2031. On full management the work below moves to us and stops being yours.
Want to keep some of the management yourself? Say so and we will build the service around what you keep — but you would keep your own licence, and we will tell you that before you sign rather than after.
Tell us how your property is let today and we will tell you straight how we read the rule for your set-up — including when that means you need your own licence and do not need us at all — and point you at Rent Smart Wales’ own questionnaire. If it is useful, we will put a realistic rental valuation and a written proposal with it.
No charge, no obligation, and no one will chase you afterwards.