2(1)The committee may, in considering an application, make such inquiries as they think fit for the purposes of determining whether the landlord has complied with the duty imposed by section 14(1)(b) in relation to the house concerned.
(2)Inquiries may be made about matters other than those to which the application relates.
(3)Inquiries must include—
(a)consideration of any timeous written representation made by or on behalf of the landlord or tenant,
(b)where the committee receives a timeous request to make an oral representation, hearing any such representation made by or on behalf of the landlord or tenant who made the request, and
(c)consideration of any report about the state of repair of the house concerned which the committee requests a third party to prepare.
(4)A representation or request is timeous if it is received—
(a)by the day specified in the notice served under paragraph 1(1)(c), or
(b)where a later day is specified in a notice served under paragraph 1(2)(b), by that later day.