Legislation – Renters’ Rights Act 2025
Changes to legislation:
Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Section 123 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 23 December 2025. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to Section 123:
- s. 123 coming into force by 2025 c. 26 s. 145(5)(d)
Part 4Enforcement
Chapter 3Investigatory powers
Investigatory powers under this Act
123Power to seize documents following entry
(1)
An officer of a local housing authority who has entered premises under section 118(1) or under a warrant under section 120 may seize and detain documents which the officer reasonably suspects may be required as evidence in proceedings relating to a breach of, or an offence under, the rented accommodation legislation.
(2)
If one or more occupiers are on the premises, an officer seizing documents under this section must provide to that occupier or (if there is more than one) to at least one of them evidence of the officer’s identity and authority, before seizing the documents.
(3)
The officer need not comply with subsection (2) if it is not reasonably practicable to do so.
(4)
An officer seizing documents under this section must take reasonable steps to—
(a)
inform the person from whom they are seized that they have been seized, and
(b)
provide that person with a written record of what has been seized.
(5)
In determining the steps to be taken under subsection (4), an officer exercising a power under this section must have regard to any relevant provision about the seizure of property made by a code of practice under section 66 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
(6)
This section does not confer any power on an officer to seize from a person any document which the person would be entitled to refuse to produce in proceedings in the High Court on the grounds of legal professional privilege.
(7)
For the purpose of exercising the power under this section, the officer may, to the extent that is reasonably necessary for that purpose—
(a)
require a person with authority to do so to access any electronic device in which information may be stored or from which it may be accessed, and
(b)
if such a requirement has not been complied with, access the electronic device.
(8)
Documents seized under this section may not be detained—
(a)
for a period of more than 3 months beginning with the day on which they were seized, or
(b)
where the documents are reasonably required to be detained for a longer period by the local housing authority for the purposes of the proceedings for which they were seized, for longer than they are required for those purposes.