View report page

49
Housing Act, 1936
Repair of houses (sections 9 and 10).
Under section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936, a local authority if
satisfied upon consideration of an official representation, or a report from
any of their officers, or other information, that any house is in any
respect unfit for human habitation shall, unless satisfied that it is not
capable at a reasonable expense of being rendered so fit, serve upon the
person having control of the house a notice requiring him within a
reasonable time to execute the works specified in the notice and stating
that in the opinion of the authority those works will render the house
fit for habitation. In determining whether a house can be rendered fit
for human habitation at a reasonable expense, regard is had to the
estimated cost of the works necessary to render it so fit and the value
which it is estimated the house will have when the works are completed.
Section 10 of the Act allows the local authority to do the work
required by the notice themselves if the notice has not been complied
with. The expenses incurred by the local authority in executing such
works are recoverable from the person having control of the house.
Section 10 involves numerous technicalities and in view of the
difficulties experienced today as compared with the period before the
war, when building repairs were much easier and no special licences were
required, it was decided in June to adopt the practice of serving informal
notices under section 9 in the first place. In cases where it is considered
that informal procedure would be useless or where in fact it has failed,
a formal notice is served. During the year 21 informal and 37 formal
notices were served.
29 properties were repaired by the owners after the service of
notices under section 9 and 1 property was repaired by the Council
under section 10 in default of the owner. Work was being carried out
in respect of 9 other properties under section 10, but had not been
completed by the end of the year.
Demolition orders (section 11)
The following is a list of cases involving demolition order procedure
which originated in or were complied with during 1950, together with
the present position of cases originating in the previous year which had
not been complied with at the end of 1949 :—