{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/housing-act-2004/section-236",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/housing-act-2004/section-236.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2004/34",
  "legislation_title": "Housing Act 2004",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/housing-act-2004",
  "path": "section/236",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "236",
  "heading": "Enforcement of powers to obtain information",
  "text": "(1) A person commits an offence if he fails to do anything required of him by a notice under section 235.\n(2) In proceedings against a person for an offence under subsection (1) it is a defence that he had a reasonable excuse for failing to comply with the notice.\n(3) A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.\n(4) A person commits an offence if he intentionally alters, suppresses or destroys any document which he has been required to produce by a notice under section 235.\n(5) A person who commits an offence under subsection (4) is liable—\n(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;\n(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine.\n(6) In this section “document” includes information recorded otherwise than in legible form, and in relation to information so recorded—\n(a) the reference to the production of a document is a reference to the production of a copy of the information in legible form, and\n(b) the reference to suppressing a document includes a reference to destroying the means of reproducing the information.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 236 wholly in force at 16.6.2006; s. 236 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 270(4)(5); s. 236 in force for E. at 6.4.2006 by S.I. 2006/1060, art. 2(1)(a) (with Sch.); s. 236 in force for W. at 16.6.2006 by S.I. 2006/1535, art. 2(a) (with Sch.)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/236",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:16:48.975968+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "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."
  }
}