Part 5: Housing, Estate Agents and Rentcharges: Other Changes Housing information in England Section 128: Tenancy deposit information
This section introduces new section 212A into the Housing Act 2004. Section 212A allows a local housing authority in England to obtain specified information held by tenancy deposit scheme administrators in order to carry out its functions under Parts 1 to 4 of that Act. This information will assist local housing authorities to identify privately rented housing and to target enforcement action towards the minority of landlords that fail to comply with the relevant statutory requirements.
	So, for example, where multiple deposits are registered against a single address which does not hold an HMO licence a local housing authority will be able to investigate the property to identify whether any action needs to be taken under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004.
	Section 212A(3) provides for the charging of costs associated with providing the specified information.
	This section restricts the manner in which the data may be used by a local housing authority to the purposes as set out in Parts 1 to 4 of the Housing Act 2004 and the purpose of investigating whether an offence has been committed under any of those Parts in relation to the premises. This is to ensure that the use of the data accords with data protection principles. This section provides that the purposes for which the data may be used can be amended by way of regulations made under the affirmative procedure.
	A local housing authority may also share the data with other bodies providing services to it in the discharge of statutory functions under Parts 1 to 4 of the Housing Act 2004.