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55
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 accommodation,
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 lodging 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 negiect or default.
Action was necessary during the year in respect of two 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 inspected for
housing defects was 809, the number found not to be in all respects
reasonably fit for human habitation being 428. The number rendered
fit in consequence of informal action by the Sanitary Inspectors was
362, and the number in respect of which statutory notices were served
requiring defects to be remedied was 66. No case came to the knowledge
of the Department in the course of the year of an underground room being
illegally used for sleeping purposes.
One application under the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest
(Restrictions) Acts was made by an occupier of a dwelling house, that the
house occupied by him was not in a reasonable state of repair. Appropriate
action was taken by the department.