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82
Rent and Mortgage Interest Restrictions Act, 1923.—
20 applications for certificates under the above Act
that " the house is not in a reasonable state of repair "
were received. Certificates were granted in three of
these cases.
Houses Let in Lodgings.—The proposed by-laws
under Section 26 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc.,
Act, in respect of houses let in lodgings are still
apparently in a state of suspended animation. These
by-laws have been tossed hither and thither between
the Borough Council, the County Council, and the
Ministry of Health over a period of nearly three years,
but so far nothing has materialised in legal form.
The most recent information is that a conference is
to be held between the Borough Councils and the
County Council in respect to these by-laws, after
which possibly they may reach maturity. They are
undoubtedly badly required under present-day conditions
of housing in Fulham.
No action has been taken during the year 1924
under the old by-laws, as they are comparatively
useless.
House Repairs.—In my Annual Reports for 1922
and 1923 I gave a very full and detailed account of
the Council's activities under Section 28 of the Housing,
Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919. Following upon the
legal difficulties of enforcing this section, the Public
Health Committee decided to proceed as a general
rule in regard to house repairs under the Public Health
(London) Act and only to use Section 28 of the Housing
Act in exceptional cases. This policy has been adhered
to during 1924. Despite the fact, however, that we
have confined our efforts to securing the remedy of
those housing defects which can be dealt with under
the Public Health (London) Act, the Metropolis
Management Acts and the London County Council
(General Powers) Acts, we have been successful in
getting considerable improvements to property effected,
and generally speaking housing repairs have been
efficiently dealt with. It should be borne in mind,