Seeking contact information for other tenants

This applies in England only.

The secretary of a tenants’ association has a right to obtain from the landlord contact information for other leaseholders in a shared block provided that leaseholders have individually consented to their information being made available in this way.

The secretary can serve a request notice on the landlord asking them to provide the following information about relevant qualifying tenants who are not already members of the association:

• their name
• the address of the dwelling for which they pay a service charge
• any address to which service charge demands for them are sent
• their email address

Template letter and notice

Download a template letter from the secretary of a tenants’ association asking for information on qualifying tenants (who are not already members of the association).

It's a good idea to include the template request notice with your letter. It reminds the landlord of their responsibilities in this regard and the timeframe for the steps they need to take.

The landlord has a number of duties following receipt of the request notice.

Duty 1: Acknowledgment of request notice

When served by a secretary of a tenants’ association with a request notice for information about relevant qualifying tenants who are not members of the association, a landlord must within 7 days (beginning with the date on which the request notice was received):

• acknowledge receipt of the request notice in writing; and
• inform the secretary of the tenants’ association that the landlord will provide a substantive response to the notice

If the landlord does not consider the request notice to be valid they must, within 7 days beginning with the date on which the notice was received:

• inform the secretary of the tenants’ association in writing that the landlord will not provide a substantive response because the landlord does not consider the notice received to be a valid request notice
• give reasons as to why the landlord does not consider the notice to be a valid one

Duty 2: Contacting relevant qualifying tenants

Once served with a request notice, a landlord must, as soon as practicable, send an information form to each relevant qualifying tenant about whom information has been requested.

The information form is a written document which:

1. informs the leaseholder that a tenants’ association has requested that the landlord provide information relating to the qualifying tenant
2. sets out what information has been requested in relation to the qualifying tenant
3. identifies the tenants’ association that has made the request
4. includes the postal address of the tenants’ association and its email address (if it has one)
5. asks the qualifying tenant for written consent to disclose the information to the tenants’ association
6. informs the qualifying tenant that the information will not be disclosed without that consent
7. informs the qualifying tenant that the tenants’ association has stated in its request that the information will only be used to ask the qualifying tenant if they want to become a member of that association
8. informs the qualifying tenant that any queries relating to the tenants’ association should be directed to that tenants’ association
9. asks the qualifying tenant to reply within 28 days (beginning with the date of receipt of the information form):
   1. confirming that they consent to all of the information being disclosed
   2. confirming that they consent to some of the information being disclosed (and what that is)
   3. confirming that they do not consent to any of the information being disclosed
10. gives a postal address and email address (if the landlord has one) which can be used to reply to the landlord
11. is signed and dated by the landlord

Duty 3: Substantive response to request notice

A landlord has 4 months (beginning with the date on which the request notice was received) to provide a substantive response to the tenants’ association.

This substantive response must be in writing.

The substantive response must either state:

• all information which the landlord has consent to disclose; or
• that there is no such information

The substantive response must:

1. state the number of qualifying tenants to whom the landlord sent an information form
2. state the number of such qualifying tenants who did not give written consent for information to be disclosed
3. be signed and dated
4. be accompanied by a statement signed and dated by the landlord that the information contained in the substantive response is true to the best of the landlord’s knowledge and belief

Duty 4: Further disclosure

Where a landlord receives consent from a qualifying tenant to disclose known information after the 4 month period, the landlord must disclose that known information as soon as reasonably practicable after consent has been received.

Such further disclosure must be in writing and accompanied by a statement that the information comprising the further disclosure is true to the landlord’s knowledge and belief. This statement must be signed and dated by the landlord.

The tribunal can deal with landlords who fail to comply with their duties.

The secretary of a tenants’ association can apply to the tribunal for an order requiring a landlord to:

• acknowledge their request notice
• contact relevant qualifying tenants
• provide a substantive response to the request notice

Application form TA2 can be completed and submitted to the relevant tribunal office accompanied by the required fee (currently £114).

The application can be dealt with on paper, but if it proceeds to a formal hearing a further fee of £227 will be payable.