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DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN THE ABOVE TABLE.
Private Family.—Any person or group of persons in separate occupation of any premises or part of premises
is treated as a separate family, lodgers being so treated only when returned as boarding separately and not
otherwise. Private families comprise all such families with the exception of those enumerated in (i) Institutions,
or (ii) Business establishments or boarding-houses in which the number of resident trade assistants or resident
boarders exceeds the number of members of the employer's or householder's family (including private domestic
servants).
Structurally Separate Dwellings.—A structurally separate dwelling is defined as any room or set of rooms,
intended or used for habitation, having separate access either to the street or to a common landing or staircase.
Thus each flat in a block of flats is a separate unit. A private house which has not been structurally subdivided
is similarly a single unit, whether occupied by one family or by several families; thus, a house-let in-lodgings
without being specially adapted for the purpose is one dwelling only. But where a private house has been subdivided
into maisonettes or portions, each having its front door opening on to the street or on to a common landing
or staircase to which visitors have access, then each such portion is treated as a separate unit.
Where an undivided private house is used partly for business or professional purposes, it is treated as
occupied by a private family unless the portion used for non-domestic purposes consists of at least three rooms
and is more than one quarter of the whole. The dwellings shown in this Table are those occupied by private
families only.
Rooms.—The rooms enumerated are the usual living rooms including bedrooms and kitchens, but excluding
sculleries, landings, lobbies, closets, bathrooms, or any warehouse, office, or shop rooms.
PRIVATE DWELLINGS, SELF-CONTAINED MAISONETTES, MANSION FLATS,
RESIDENTIAL HOTELS AND BOARDING HOUSES.
The dwellings coming under this heading number approximately 21,000 and are situated chiefly
in South Kensington and the Pembridge Ward of North Kensington. They are occupied for the
main part by the higher social, professional and semi-professional classes and present little difficulty
to the officers of the Public Health Department. The commonest complaint is in regard to the
difficulty in the storage of house refuse in those large houses which have been converted into selfcontained
maisonettes.
These better-class houses are inspected after notification of infectious disease and on complaint
by owners or occupiers, but they are not subjected to the same routine inspection as is the case
with the houses in the poorer quarters for it is felt that the Council's staff are better occupied in
dealing with houses where sanitary defects are more likely to be found.
HOUSES OF THE COTTAGE TYPE.
In 1920 there were 775 houses of the cottage type, that is to say, with three or less bedrooms.
These cottages are distributed fairly evenly over all parts of the Borough and generally provide
satisfactory accommodation for single families. The number of houses of this type erected during
the past five years by the Council and other bodies or persons is 91.
TENEMENTS IN BLOCK BUILDINGS.
There are approximately 470 tenements in block buildings in various parts of the Borough
occupied by the working classes; being generally of fairly recent construction, they are mostly satisfactory
from the sanitary point of view and little difficulty is experienced in keeping them reasonably
habitable.