Housing Act 1957

Notices, orders, &c

166 Authentication of orders, notices, &c

(1) Any demolition order, any closing order under section eighteen of this Act, any clearance order and any other order in writing made by a local authority under this Act, not being a closing order, shall be under their seal and authenticated by the signature of their clerk or his lawful deputy.

(2) A notice, demand or other written document proceeding from a local authority under this Act shall be signed by their clerk or his lawful deputy:

Provided that—

(a) this subsection shall not apply to a notice to be served under section twenty-six or section thirty of this Act; and

(b) a notice, demand or other document proceeding from the London County Council in their capacity as landlord of the premises to which the notice, demand or other document relates may be signed by any officer of the Council authorised by the Council to sign notices, demands or documents of that particular kind or the particular notice, demand or document, as the case may be, and. if so signed, need not be signed by the clerk to the London County Council or his lawful deputy.

167 Authentication of certificates

Any document purporting to be a certificate of a local authority named therein issued for any of the purposes of this Act and to be signed by the clerk to that authority shall be received in evidence and be deemed to be such a certificate without further proof unless the contrary is shown.

168 Service of notices, &c., on local authorities

Any notice, summons, writ or other proceeding at law or otherwise required to be served on a local authority for any of the purposes of this Act may be served upon the authority by delivering it to their clerk, or by leaving it at his office with some person employed there, or by sending it by post in a registered letter addressed to the authority or their clerk at their office.

169 Service of notices, &c, on persons other than local authorities

(1) Subject to the provisions of this and the last foregoing section, any notice, order or other document required or authorised to be served under this Act may be served either—

(a) by delivering it to the person on whom it is to be served, or

(b) by leaving it at the usual or last known place of abode of that person, or

(c) by sending it in a prepaid registered letter addressed to that person at his usual or last known place of abode, or

(d) in the case of an incorporated company or body, by delivering it to the secretary or clerk of the company or body at their registered or principal office or sending it in a prepaid registered letter addressed to the secretary or clerk of the company or body at that office, or

(e) if it is not practicable after reasonable enquiry to ascertain the name or address of an owner, lessee or occupier of land on whom it should be served, by addressing it to him by the description of " owner " or " lessee " or " occupier " of the premises (naming them) to which it relates, and by delivering it to some person on the premises or, if there is no person on the premises to whom it can be delivered, by affixing it, or a copy of it, to some conspicuous part of the premises.

(2) This section shall not apply to the service under section nineteen of this Act of a copy of a closing order made under the proviso to subsection (1) of section seventeen of this Act or made under subsection (3) of that section, or to the service of a notice under section twenty-six or section thirty of this Act.

170 Power of local authority to require information as to ownership of premises

A local authority may, for the purpose of enabling them to serve any notice (including any copy of any notice) which they are by this Act authorised or required to serve, require the occupier of any premises and any person who, either directly or indirectly, receives rent in respect of any premises, to state in writing the nature of his interest therein and the name and address of any other person known to him as having an interest therein, whether as freeholder, mortgagee, lessee or otherwise, and any person who, having been required by a local authority in pursuance of this section to give to them any information, fails to give that information, or knowingly makes any misstatement in respect thereof, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five pounds.