PART 4Enforcement
Enforcement authority powers to require information etc.
10Power to require documents or information
(1)
An authorised officer of an enforcement authority may exercise the powers conferred by subsections (2) and (3) in relation to documents or information reasonably required by the authority for the purpose of investigating whether any offence under this Act has been committed in respect of a dwelling located in the enforcement authority's area.
(2)
An authorised officer may give a notice to a person within subsection (4) requiring that person to produce, at a time and place, and to a person, specified in the notice, any documents which—
(a)
are specified or described in the notice, or fall within a category of document specified or described in the notice, and
(b)
are in the person's custody or under the person's control.
(3)
An authorised officer may give a notice to a person within subsection (4) requiring that person to provide, in a form and manner specified in the notice, and at a time and place and to a person specified in the notice, any information which—
(a)
is specified or described in the notice, or falls within a category of information which is specified in the notice, and
(b)
is known to the person.
(4)
The persons within this section are—
F1(za)
in respect of an offence under Part 2A or under regulations under section 47 or 48 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025—
(i)
a person who is or has been a landlord under an occupation contract;
(ii)
a person who is or has been a contract-holder under an occupation contract;
(iii)
a person who is or has been a relevant person in relation to an occupation contract;
F3(4A)
In subsection (4)—
“occupation contract” (“contract meddiannaeth”) has the same meaning as in the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 1) (see section 7 of that Act);
“relevant person” (“person perthnasol”) has the meaning given in section 8J.
(5)
A notice under subsection (2) or (3) must include information about the possible consequences of not complying with the notice.
(6)
A person to whom any document is produced in accordance with a notice under subsection (2) or (3) may copy the document.
(7)
No person may be required under this section to produce any document or provide any information which the person would be entitled to refuse to produce or provide, in proceedings in the High Court, on grounds of legal professional privilege.
(8)
In this section, “document” includes information recorded otherwise than in legible form, and in relation to information so recorded, any reference to the production of a document is a reference to the production of a copy of the information in legible form.