A landlord letting a terraced house in Cardiff needs a document built for Welsh law, not an English tenancy with the place names swapped. This guide is drafted for Wales under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. If you are letting in England instead, the equivalent document is an assured periodic tenancy under a different statute entirely, covered separately in our England tenancy guide, and the two should not be mixed. You draft an occupation contract with AI by answering a short set of questions about the letting, then letting a clause-assembly drafter build the fundamental and supplementary terms the Act requires, rather than adapting an English template and hoping the differences do not matter.
> Quick answer: A clause-assembly drafter produces a complete standard occupation contract, fundamental terms, supplementary terms and the written statement structure, matched to the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. A general-purpose AI chatbot can also draft something quickly, but it may default to English tenancy concepts, tenants and Section 8 notices, that do not exist under Welsh law at all. Draft from a template written specifically for Wales, then verify the current notice position on gov.wales before you serve one.
Why the Wales-versus-England distinction is the whole risk here
The vocabulary difference between the two systems is not cosmetic. Wales has contract-holders and occupation contracts; England has tenants and tenancies. A document built on the wrong framework is not slightly wrong, it uses the wrong legal concepts entirely.
| Route | Speed | Does it use Welsh concepts correctly | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| An adapted English tenancy template | Minutes, if you already have one | Rarely | No fundamental-versus-supplementary structure, no written statement duty as Wales defines it |
| Paid template site | Instant | Sometimes | Static wording, may not reflect the current section 173 notice period |
| General-purpose AI chatbot | Minutes | Not reliably | Can default to English terminology, tenants, Section 8, that has no place in a Welsh contract |
| Clause-assembly drafter in a document platform | Minutes, from a short questionnaire | Yes, built to the 2016 Act | None hidden, but notice periods should still be checked before serving one |
Getting a Welsh contract right is not primarily about speed. It is about starting from the correct statute rather than retrofitting the wrong one. Our occupation contract template guide sets out the fundamental-versus-supplementary term structure in full, and it is worth reading before you rely on any drafted contract for a Welsh letting.
Why a general chatbot risks mixing two different legal systems
A general-purpose chatbot writes a contract by predicting plausible wording from patterns in its training data, most of which concerns English tenancy law simply because there is more of it. Ask it for a Welsh letting document and it may produce something that reads confidently while quietly using English concepts, a fixed term, a tenant, a Section 8 notice, none of which map cleanly onto the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.
A clause-assembly drafter avoids that risk by construction. AI Legal Drafting in 99 Data Rooms selects clauses by ID from a library built specifically around the fundamental-and-supplementary term structure and the current section 173 notice position, then matches them to your answers. It never invents legal wording. Our assembled clauses versus invented ones guide covers the general argument, and a Welsh occupation contract is one of the clearest cases where the distinction between two adjacent legal systems is exactly what a vetted clause library is built to protect against.
Inside the drafter: a contract built to the 2016 Act from the first question
The Occupation Contract sits in the Property and Tenancy group of the template library, alongside the Assured Periodic Tenancy and the Lodger Licence. Describe the letting in plain terms, for example a terraced house in Cardiff, monthly rent, a deposit protected under the fundamental terms, and Rent Smart Wales registration in place, and the assistant asks the questions that shape the draft: the parties, the key matters for the written statement, the fundamental terms that apply, and any supplementary terms you want to vary.
It assembles a complete draft in a couple of minutes, structured as the Act requires: key matters, fundamental terms that cannot be weakened, and supplementary terms that can be varied by agreement. Save it free to keep. Because notice periods and grounds in this area have changed before and can change again, check the current section 173 position on gov.wales before you serve any notice.
From draft to a contract-holder who has actually read the fundamental terms
Once the draft looks right, share it with the contract-holder as a tracked, revocable link rather than a printed pack. Gate it behind a verified email, so you know the right person opened their own contract. Page-by-page analytics show whether they actually read the fundamental and supplementary terms sections before signing, not just whether the link was opened.
When both sides are ready, send it for signature in the browser, and the executed contract returns with an audit certificate recording who signed, their IP, intent to sign, timestamps and a SHA-256 fingerprint. Electronic signatures are admissible for most commercial documents in England and Wales, subject to the usual exceptions for deeds and land transfers. General information, not legal advice. Store the signed contract, the written statement and the occupation date together in the room, and set a reminder ahead of any section 173 notice deadline.
What to check before an occupation contract goes to a contract-holder
Check five things before sending the draft anywhere: the written statement is ready to give within fourteen days of the occupation date, the fundamental terms have not been weakened rather than only improved, the supplementary terms reflect what was actually agreed for this letting, Rent Smart Wales registration and licensing are in place, and the deposit is protected in an authorised scheme, since a section 173 notice is invalid without both of those regardless of how correctly the notice period itself is calculated.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an AI-drafted English tenancy for a Welsh letting instead?
No. Wales operates under a genuinely different statute, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, with contract-holders and occupation contracts rather than tenants and tenancies. Using an English template for a Welsh letting means the wrong legal concepts govern the arrangement from day one.
Does a general chatbot know the difference between England and Wales housing law?
Not reliably. Most training material concerns English tenancy law, so a chatbot may default to English terminology and concepts even when asked for a Welsh document. A clause-assembly drafter built specifically around the 2016 Act avoids that particular failure mode.
What are fundamental terms, and can AI get them wrong?
Fundamental terms are core protections set by the Welsh Government that can only be changed if the change improves the contract-holder's position. A vetted drafter selects the correct fundamental terms from a reviewed library rather than composing them, which matters because weakening one incorrectly can undermine a later notice.
How much notice does a landlord need to give in Wales compared with England?
The two systems currently require different minimum notice periods for a no-fault route, and Wales requires longer than England's closest equivalent. Notice periods in this area have changed before and can change again, so always verify the current figure on gov.wales or legislation.gov.uk before serving a notice.
How much drafting is included on each plan?
The AI drafter starts on Pro at £19 a month, with three drafted documents a month as PDF; Business raises that to twenty-five a month with Word export. The free tier gives three rooms and twenty-five active links, forever, no card, for gating and sharing documents once they exist - it does not include the drafter or e-signatures. Three Welsh occupation contracts a month fit inside a Pro month; a larger portfolio is a Business month.
Draft your occupation contract with AI
Assemble a standard occupation contract built around the fundamental and supplementary term structure the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 requires, rather than an adapted English template, then gate, track and sign it in the same place. The free tier is real: three rooms and twenty-five active links, forever, no card; the AI drafter and e-signature start on Pro at £19 a month. Start for free. If you also let property in England, see drafting a tenancy agreement with AI instead, and once the Welsh contract is signed, tracking its notice and renewal dates keeps the record straight for as long as the letting runs. If you are letting a single room to a lodger rather than the whole property, drafting a lodger licence with AI covers that shared-living arrangement instead.
Sources
- Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, full text: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2016/1
- Explanatory notes, fundamental and supplementary terms: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2016/1/notes/division/1?view=plain
- Written statements and model contracts, Law Wales: https://law.gov.wales/public-services/housing/renting-homes-wales-act-2016
- Section 173 notice and the increase in notice period, Welsh Government: https://www.gov.wales/renting-homes-wales-act-2016-improving-security-tenure-increasing-period-notice-html
- Section 173, Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2016/1/section/173
- Rent Smart Wales registration and licensing: https://rentsmart.gov.wales
- Electronic execution of documents, Law Commission (2019): https://lawcom.gov.uk/project/electronic-execution-of-documents/