# Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Section 131: Offences

Extent: E+W

(1) A person commits an offence if the person—
(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,
(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
(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.
(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—
(a) makes a statement which the person knows is false or misleading in a material respect, or
(b) recklessly makes a statement which is false or misleading in a material respect.
(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.
(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.
(5) A person who is guilty of an offence under subsection (3) is liable on summary conviction to a fine.
(6) Nothing in this section requires a person to answer any question or give any information if to do so might incriminate that person.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/section/131 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/renters-rights-act-2025/section-131
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.