Can my council ask a housing association for information about my tenancy?

Jurisdiction: United Kingdom • Practice Area: Tenancy Law• Published October 22, 2026

The situation

I live in a rented flat in Manchester, England, and my housing association manages the tenancy under a written agreement. In March 2026, a council housing officer contacted me because the neighbouring flat has three adults and one child, and neighbours have reported overcrowding and repeated loud noise at night. The officer said the housing association might be able to provide tenancy details, including the number of people registered at my address and the start date of the agreement, and asked whether the council could obtain the information through an information-sharing arrangement. I have already given the council my tenancy reference number, but I am worried that asking the housing association for wider information might expose my personal circumstances to other council departments. The officer also mentioned a possible charge of £25 for providing the information and said the housing association may need to notify me. I want to know what the council is allowed to request, whether it can use anything it receives only to deal with this housing complaint, and whether the information could be passed to somebody providing services to the council. I also need to understand whether the housing association can charge a reasonable fee and whether I must be told before any details are shared. I am especially unsure whether the council can use the information for a different enforcement matter later without asking me again.

Quick Summary

Section 212A of the Housing Act 2004 allows a council to obtain tenancy information from a housing association only through Secretary of State arrangements that specify the information. Any use or onward supply is limited to purposes listed in section 212A(5), a fee may be charged only if the arrangements provide for it, and whether you must be told before disclosure depends on those arrangements. The supplied statutes do not settle every point, so the operative arrangements should be checked.

Detailed Analysis

**What the primary provision says.** Section 212A(1) provides that arrangements made by the Secretary of State "must require the scheme administrator— a to give a local housing authority in England any specified information that they request, or b to provide facilities for the sharing of specified information with a local housing authority in England" [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. This is the only route in the supplied material by which a housing association could be required to give information to a council under this power. Section 212A(2) defines "specified information" as "information, of a description specified in the arrangements, that relates to a tenancy of premises in the local housing authority's area" [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. **Scope of what can be requested.** The statute does not itself list the categories of information. Whether a particular item, such as the number of people registered at an address or the start date of a tenancy, may be requested depends on whether it falls within a description specified in the arrangements. The question does not say what the arrangements specify, so this cannot be confirmed from the supplied text [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. Where a request falls outside the specified description, the section does not appear to authorise the provision of that information under this route. **Purposes for which information may be used.** Section 212A(5) provides that information obtained under the section "may be used only— a for a purpose connected with the exercise of the authority's functions under any of Parts 1 to 4 in relation to any premises". It also covers functions under Part 7 for qualifying residential premises, listed tenancy and eviction provisions in paragraph (ab), and "for the purpose of investigating whether an offence has been committed" under those listed provisions [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. The supplied text does not quote paragraphs (aa) and (ab) in full, so the precise list should be checked against the statute. The limit is on purpose: a later enforcement use is lawful under this section only if it falls within one of the listed purposes. The supplied provisions do not say whether the council must seek fresh consent or give notice for a later purpose that falls within those limits. That point is not settled by the supplied sections. **Disclosure to service providers.** Section 212A(6) provides that information "may be supplied to a person providing services to the authority for a purpose listed in subsection (5)" [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. A contractor may therefore receive the information only for a purpose that section 212A(5) permits. The supplied text does not address what contractual or data-protection controls apply to that contractor. **Fees.** Section 212A(3) provides that arrangements "may make the requirement to provide information or facilities to a local housing authority conditional on the payment of a fee" [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. The section permits a fee to be made a condition, but does not fix the amount or say whether a particular charge is reasonable. The £25 figure mentioned by the officer is not stated in the statute and can be checked only against the arrangements or any charging rules that apply to them. **Notification.** Section 212A(4)(c) provides that arrangements "may include supplementary provision, for example about— ... c the notification of anyone to whom the information relates" [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec212a]. The word "may" means that notification is not a universal statutory requirement under the section. Whether you must be told before any sharing depends on whether the arrangements include such a provision. The supplied sections do not settle this point, so it remains open until the arrangements are checked. **Council housing-conditions duty.** Section 3(1) requires a local housing authority to "keep the housing conditions in their area under review with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them" under listed powers [cite:uk-housing-act-2004-sec3]. This duty may explain why the council is considering the matter, but the supplied text of section 3 does not state how it affects the information-sharing power in section 212A. Nothing in section 3 expressly widens the purposes or categories of information permitted under section 212A(5). **Other legal regimes.** The supplied statutes do not address UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the tenancy agreement terms, or the housing association's own confidentiality obligations. Those may impose further limits on disclosure and use, and they should be considered alongside section 212A. Local or regional rules, if any, should also be checked, for example with the council's housing team or local policy guidance.