Rent Smart Wales Joint Landlord and Company Registration

Joint Ownership: One Registration, One Fee

If a property is owned jointly — whether by a married couple, civil partners, siblings, or business partners — the joint owners register together under a single joint registration. The cost is one £60 fee, not £60 per person.

One joint owner is designated as the lead landlord. The lead landlord is the primary contact for Rent Smart Wales: they receive renewal reminders, pay fees, and manage the portal account. All other joint owners must be named on the registration with their full names, dates of birth, and contact addresses, but they operate through the lead landlord's account.

The most common mistake with joint registrations: each co-owner registers separately, paying £60 each. This is unnecessary and creates duplicate records. If you have already registered separately, contact RSW to consolidate.

Licensing for Joint Owners

If the jointly owned property is self-managed, only the person (or people) who actually carry out management tasks needs a licence. In practice, this is usually the lead landlord.

If both joint owners share management duties — one collects rent while the other arranges repairs — both technically need licences. However, if all management is genuinely delegated to one co-owner, the other does not need a personal licence.

If a licensed agent manages the property, neither joint owner needs a licence.

Limited Company Registration

When the legal owner is a company (a private limited company, LLP, or other corporate body), the registration must be completed using the corporate entity's details, not the personal details of an individual director.

You will need:

• The company's full registered name exactly as it appears at Companies House
• The Companies House registration number
• The registered office address
• Contact details for the designated responsible person (usually a director)

The registration costs the same £60 regardless of the corporate structure. The registration covers every Welsh rental property owned by that company.

Director and Officer Training

Since the September 2025 licence condition update, corporate directors and senior managers who exercise operational oversight over letting activities must complete approved Rent Smart Wales training. They must also be formally linked to the corporate licence profile.

This means if your company self-manages, at least the directors involved in day-to-day management need to complete the £35 online training course and be recorded on the company's RSW licence.

Trusts and Charities

Registered charities and trusts that own residential rental property in Wales must register using the entity's legal name and registered address, with the relevant official registration number where applicable (for example, a Charity Commission number for a registered charity). The registration process is the same — the portal has a Corporate/Trust option during account creation.

Executors and Estates

If you administer an estate with a tenanted property, a court-appointed executor or personal representative may complete the registration on the estate's behalf. When an already-tenanted property is legally transferred to a new landlord, the 28-day update period runs from the date of assignment or completion.

Agents cannot register on behalf of an estate. The executor must complete the registration personally, using their appointment documentation as proof of legal authority.

Cost Comparison: Getting It Right

The difference between doing it correctly and doing it wrong can easily be £60–£254. Our Rent Smart Wales guide includes a decision flowchart that maps your exact ownership structure to the registration and licensing steps you actually need.

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