{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/renters-rights-act-2025/section-131",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/renters-rights-act-2025/section-131.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2025/26",
  "legislation_title": "Renters’ Rights Act 2025",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/renters-rights-act-2025",
  "path": "section/131",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "131",
  "heading": "Offences",
  "text": "(1) A person commits an offence if the person—\n(a) without reasonable excuse obstructs an officer of a local housing authority who is exercising or seeking to exercise in accordance with this Chapter a power under any provision of this Chapter other than section 115,\n(b) without reasonable excuse fails to comply with a requirement properly imposed by an officer of a local housing authority under any provision of this Chapter other than section 115, or\n(c) without reasonable cause fails to give an officer of a local housing authority any other assistance or information which the officer reasonably requires of the person for the purpose of exercising a power under any provision of this Chapter other than section 115.\n(2) A person commits an offence if, in giving information to an officer who is exercising or seeking to exercise a power under this Chapter, the person—\n(a) makes a statement which the person knows is false or misleading in a material respect, or\n(b) recklessly makes a statement which is false or misleading in a material respect.\n(3) A person who is not an officer of a local housing authority commits an offence if the person purports to act as such under this Chapter.\n(4) A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (2) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.\n(5) A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (3) is liable on summary conviction to a fine.\n(6) Nothing in this section requires a person to answer any question or give any information if to do so might incriminate that person.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 131 in force at 27.12.2025, see s. 145(5)(d)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/section/131",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T08:46:43.804012+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."
}