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64
be effected at reasonable cost. It is clear that most sub-standard
houses cannot be brought up to a modern standard without an
expense which is wholly out of proportion to the value of the
property.
Nevertheless, it is evident that the repair of houses will, for
many years to come, be a most important factor in the drive for
greater housing accommodation. As a result perhaps of a leaky
roof, dilapidations continue to occur whilst much time is spent in
taking the case to Court under the Public Health (London) Act,
1936. Means must be found for defects of an urgent nature to be
remedied without the delay occasioned by present legislation.
According to expert opinion, new building is only just keeping
pace with houses becoming outworn and it is obvious that houses
which in other times would have been demolished must, of necessity,
have their lives prolonged. No progress is made if every new house
is cancelled out by an old one falling down because the owner is
unable to afford to save it.
According to the rate books there were 22,059 inhabited and
96 uninhabited dwellings in the Borough on 31st December, 1951,
but in any general survey of housing conditions the following points
must be given their due weight:
(a) Many of these properties are dilapidated and outworn
and in more normal times would undoubtedly have been
dealt with under the Housing Act.
(b) Of the remainder, a fair proportion are deteriorating for
these reasons:—
(i) Neglect occasioned by high cost of repairs in relation
to controlled rents.
(ii) Shortage of certain building materials allocated for
maintenance work.
(c) Much of the older property does not lend itself satisfactorily
to conversion into the type of accommodation in demand
at the present time.
With regard to (a) above there is no reliable figure for the
number of houses that are outworn but it is generally assumed that
a house has outlived its usefulness after it has become 60 to 80
years old, the average being 70 years. There are many such
properties in the Borough.
In considering sub-para (i) of (b) the only solution appears to
be some revision of the Rent Acts which will ally rents to cost of
repairs, whilst the difficulty outlined in sub-para (ii) is gradually
being overcome by substitute materials such as plastic tiles,
reconstituted wood waste, etc.