{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-1138",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-1138.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2006/46",
  "legislation_title": "Companies Act 2006",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006",
  "path": "section/1138",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "1138",
  "heading": "Duty to take precautions against falsification",
  "text": "(1) Where company records are kept otherwise than in bound books, adequate precautions must be taken—\n(a) to guard against falsification, and\n(b) to facilitate the discovery of falsification.\n(2) If a company fails to comply with this section, an offence is committed by every officer of the company who is in default.\n(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding one-tenth of level 3 on the standard scale.\n(4) This section does not apply to the documents required to be kept under—\n(a) section 228 (copy of director's service contract or memorandum of its terms); or\n(b) section 237 (qualifying indemnity provision).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 1138 applied (6.4.2007) by The Companies Acts (Unregistered Companies) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/318), reg. 3, Sch. (with reg. 6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Ss. 1134-1138 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/1804), regs. 2, 74 (as amended (6.4.2013) by S.I. 2013/618, reg. 7 (with reg. 8(4)) and as amended (E.W.S.) (6.4.2016) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/340), reg. 1(3), Sch. 3 reg. 7)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 1138 wholly in force at 1.10.2009; s. 1138 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 1300; s. 1138 in force for specified purposes at 6.4.2007 by S.I. 2007/1093, art. 2(2)(d) (with art. 11(1)); s. 1138 in force otherwise at 1.10.2009 by S.I. 2008/2860, art. 3(t) (with arts. 5, 7, 8, Sch. 2) (as amended by S.I. 2009/1802, art. 18)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/1138",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:13:40.060156+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}