Housing Associations Act 1985

28 Inquiry

(1) The Housing Corporation may appoint a person (not a person who is, or at any time has been, a member of the Corporation's staff) to conduct an inquiry into the affairs of a registered housing association.

(2) The appointed person may by notice in writing served on—

(a) the association concerned, or

(b) any person who is, or has been, an officer, agent or member of the association,

require the association or person to produce to him such books, accounts and other documents relating to the association's business and to give him such other information so relating, as he considers necessary for the purposes of the inquiry.

(3) An association or other person who fails without reasonable excuse to comply with the requirements of a notice under subsection (2) commits a summary offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

(4) On completion of the inquiry the appointed person shall make a report to the Corporation on such matters and in such form as the Corporation may specify.

(5) In this section " agent" includes banker, solicitor and auditor; but nothing in this section requires the disclosure—

(a) by a solicitor, of a privileged communication made to him in his capacity as solicitor, or

(b) by a housing association's banker, of information as to the affairs of any of their other customers.