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were not constructed for the purposes to which they are now put. The
use of staircases, washhouses, yards, waterclosets, ashbins, etc., in
common leads to misuse and neglect, and the general environment is
not prone to the cultivation of habits of self-respect, morality or health.
Many such houses are without adequate provision for the cooking or
storage of food, and housework is carried on at great inconvenience.
While the great majority of these houses are structurally sound, a
number of them are old, worn out and below the modern standards of
sanitation and convenience. It is probable that only a minority of the
tenants would be able to pay economic rents for alternative accommdation,
having regard to the rents that require to be fixed for new
dwellings owing to the greatly increased cost of land and construction
during recent years.
Another problem is caused by certain old people, usually women.
Many of these live alone in a single room with no one to look after them.
Frequently they rely almost entirely on the Old Age Pension for sustenance.
Gradually growing feebler with the passage of time, they
eventually become unable properly to care for themselves or their homes.
Although every means of persuasion is tried, these cases usually decline
to enter a Poor Law Institution and the condition often persists for a
lengthened period. Fortunately, this problem has now been met by
legislation. Under the London County Council (General Powers) Act.
1928, it is possible to arrange for the removal of such cases to a suitable
institution.
While in the majority of instances the defects found to exist in unfit
houses are due to the lack of proper management and supervision by
owners, from time to time complaints are made by the owners regarding
the difficulties they experience in keeping their property in a reasonable
state of repair because of the dirty and destructive habits of a
number of their tenants. It is alleged that, through carelessness or wilful
damage by tenants, repairs and cleansing have to be carried out with
unreasonable frequency and that, as a consequence, it is impossible to
maintain even the minimum requirements of the Local Authority without
incurring financial loss.
Investigation has shown that these statements are often well-founded
especially in the poorer class tenement lo'dging houses where no responsible
caretaker or landlord is resident. To lighten the difficulties of the owner
in these cases, effort is made, as far as possible, to keep in view such
powers as a Local Authority has of holding the tenant responsible for
defects resulting from his neglect or default.
No action was necessary during the year in respect of dwelling houses
found to be in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit
for human habitation. The total number of dwelling houses inspecte
for housing defects was 933, the number found not to be in all respects
reasonably fit for human habitation being 724. The number rendered
fit in consequence of informal action by the Sanitary Inspectors was
526 and the number in respect of which statutory notices were served
requiring defects to be remedied was 198. Two cases came to the knows