Failing to provide information requested for the Rent Smart Wales registration and licensing process has serious consequences, as one Cardiff landlord found out this week.

Alun Fowler of Church Lane,Cardiff was found guilty in his absenceof offences under Section 38 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 requiring him to provide details to Rent Smart Wales about his rental properties.

Cardiff Magistrates Court heard that Mr Fowlerhad registered nine rental properties in his own name incorrectly when they should have been registered by either his wife Aleksandra Fowler, who is named on the title deed, or his limited company Cwch Ltd who he said was acting as immediate landlord of the properties.

Despite attempts by Rent Smart Wales to establish the properties' ownership, in order for him to be compliant with the law, Mr Fowler failed to provide valid information. The court also heard that the correct information remains outstanding and the nine rental properties remain registered incorrectly. 

Mr Fowler was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay court costs of £1,400 and a £170 victim surcharge.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Cardiff Council, the single licensing authority for Rent Smart Wales, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "Failing to provide requested information to Rent Smart Wales can be as damaging to a landlord who lets and manages their properties as a conviction for failing to register and become licensed. A conviction is a conviction and that can affect a landlord's ability to meet the ‘fit and proper person' test which is applied to every licence application.

"The message to landlords is, please work with us. Don't bury your head in the sand as failure to engage could result in prosecution and considerable fines."