Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026
The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026 (“the 2026 Act”) reforms existing homelessness and housing legislation to:
• Enhance prevention focussed activity, expand access to homelessness services and provide additional support to those who need it most.
• Widen responsibility across the Welsh public service to identify individuals at risk of homelessness earlier and assist as part of a multi-agency response.
• Maximise use of social housing for those most in need.
The 2026 therefore amends Part 2 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 (Homelessness), Part 6 of the Housing Act 1996 (Allocation of housing accommodation) and, to a lesser extent, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.
The Explanatory Notes to the 2026 Act provide detailed commentary on the various provisions (a link to the Explanatory Notes on legislation.gov.uk will be provided once available).
Coming into force
Section 43 makes provision for the coming into force of the 2026 Act.
Part 3 of the 2026 Act comes into force the day after the Act receives Royal Assent. This means the provisions in Part 3 came into force on 2 April 2026.
In accordance with section 43(2), all other provisions in the 2026 Act will come into force on a day appointed by the Welsh Ministers in an order made by Welsh statutory instrument.
Subordinate legislation made under the Act
Any subordinate legislation made under the 2026 Act will be added when that subordinate legislation is made.
Consideration of the legislation by the Senedd
The Bill was introduced to the Senedd on 19 May 2025 by Jayne Bryant MS, (then) Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government. It was passed by the Senedd on 10 February 2026 and received Royal Assent on 1 April 2026.
More information about the 2026 Act is provided on the Senedd website including a record of the Bill’s passage through the Senedd.
An Explanatory Memorandum was originally prepared for consideration by the Senedd alongside the Bill. This has now been revised and updated to reflect the final form of the 2026 Act. A link to the final Explanatory Memorandum will be provided once available.