(1)For the purpose of enabling any order to be made or any notice or other document to be served by him or them under this Act, the Secretary of State or a local authority may in writing require the occupier of any land and any person who, either directly or indirectly, receives rent in respect of any land to supply in writing such information as to the matters mentioned in subsection (2) as may be so specified.
(2)Those matters are—
(a)the nature of his interest in the land,
(b)the name and address of any other person known to him as having an interest in the land, whether as superior, owner, heritable creditor, lessee or otherwise,
(c)the purpose for which the land is currently being used,
(d)the time when that use began,
(e)the name and address of any person known to the person on whom the notice is served as having used the premises for that purpose, and
(f)the time when any activities being carried out on the premises began.
(3)A notice under subsection (1) may require information to be given within a specified period which is not less than 21 days from the date of service on him.
(4)Any person who has been required under subsection (1) to give any information and fails to give it shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(5)Any person who has been so required to give any information and knowingly makes any misstatement in respect of it shall be guilty of an offence and liable—
(a)on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, and
(b)on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to a fine or both.
(6)It shall be a defence in any proceedings under subsection (4) that the accused did not know and had no reasonable cause to know the information required of him.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 272 extended (27.5.1997) by 1997 c. 9, ss. s.79(1), 83(2) (with s. 45(4))
S. 272 applied (27.5.1997) by 1997 c. 10, ss. 36, 40(2) (with ss. 9(3), 10(5), 38(6))
C2S. 272: power to modify conferred (27.5.1997) by 1980 c. 65, Sch. 30 Pt. II para. 9 (as replaced (27.5.1997) by 1997 c. 11, ss. 4, 6(2), Sch. 2 para. 31(12))