Housing Developers (Control and Licensing) Act 1965 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3B · Monitoring and Enforcement Powers
14. Controller or inspector may investigate licensed housing developers
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2025. 2 amendments in all.
The Controller or an inspector may investigate, under conditions of secrecy, the books, accounts and transactions of each licensed housing developer.
Controller
“Controller” means the Controller of Housing appointed under section 3(1);
In particular, in order to ascertain whether Part 3A, or any rules made under section 22 for the prevention of money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorism financing, or for the reporting of transactions which may involve money laundering, proliferation financing or terrorism financing, necessary or expedient to give effect to any relevant FATF Recommendation, is being complied with, the Controller may, on the Controller’s own motion or upon receiving any written complaint, require a licensed housing developer, or a partner or director of or other person holding a responsible position in a licensed housing developer which is not an individual or a sole proprietorship —
licensed housing developer
“licensed housing developer” means a housing developer holding a valid licence;
to produce any document; or
to provide any information,to the Controller, an inspector or any person appointed by the Controller.
The Controller, an inspector or the person appointed by the Controller under subsection (2) may —
retain the document provided and make and retain copies of the document; and (b)record the information provided.
The Controller may use the document or information obtained as a basis, or disclose the document, information or explanation, for all or any of the following purposes: (a)an investigation of any criminal offence, and any subsequent criminal proceedings, under this Act or any other written law;
any regulatory action under section 7 against a licensed housing developer.
A person —
who intentionally alters, suppresses or destroys any document or information which the person has been required under this section to produce or provide; or
who, in producing any document or providing any information required under this section, makes any statement which the person knows or ought reasonably to know that, or is reckless as to whether, it is false or misleading in a material particular,shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000.
Any power under this section to require a person to produce any document or to provide information includes the power —
to take reasonable steps to require the person to produce the document or provide the information immediately or at a place and time specified in writing;
to require the person to provide an explanation of the document or information;
if the document or information is not produced or provided, to require the person to state, to the best of the person’s knowledge and belief, where the document or information is; and
if the information is recorded in electronic form or otherwise than in legible form, to require the information to be made available in the form or format specified by the Controller, inspector or the person appointed by the Controller under subsection (2), or in a legible form.