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Facilities for storage, preparation and cooking
of food, and for the disposal of waste water;
Overcrowding of sleeping rooms.
Section 11 enables the Council to take action if in their
opinion the premises are so defective in the matters set out above
as not to be reasonably suitable for the number of persons or
households in occupation. In such cases they may serve a notice
on the person in controls (a) Specifying the works required to render
the premises reasonably suitable for occupation by those persons or
households; (b) requiring the person in control, in default of
executing these works within the prescribed period, to take such steps
as are reasonably open to him (including, if necessary, the taking
of legal proceedings) for securing a reduction in the number of persons
accommodated or the number of households, or both, as specified in
the notice.
Thus, where a notice is served, a choice is given, either
to carry out the specified works, or, alternatively, to reduce the
intensity of occupation of the house, in which case possession of the
house or parts of the house can be obtained by an owner notwithstanding
the Rents Acts.
Under Section 12, the Council may serve a notice on the
occupier, or the person having the control and management of a house or
part of a house, where excessive numbers of persons are accommodated,
specifying in relation to any room on the premises the maximum number
of persons by whom it is suitable to be occupied for sleeping purposes
at any one time, or, if appropriate, that the room is unsuitable to
be occupied for sleeping purposes It will be an offence after the
notice has become operative to cause or allow any rooms to be occupied
otherwise than in accordance with the notice, or to cause or permit
the accommodation to be so occupied that it is not possible to avoid
persons of opposite sexes over the age of 12 years (excluding persons
living together as husband and wife) occupying sleeping accommodation in
the same room.
The premises affected vary considerably and render impracticable
the provision of a single rigid code of requirements applicable to all
cases; indeed, such a code would appear to be contrary to the wishes of
the Minister, who has expressed the view that the provision of the
prescribed services and amenities should be decided on the merits of
each case.
The Council have adopted certain standards of the essential
services and amenities which will be considered as satisfactory in
appropriate cases. These standards were enumerated at length in my
Report for last year.
In exercising the powers under Section 11 and 12 of the
Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, two deficiencies came to light
as a result of the repeal of the Tenement House Byelaws.
(a) Artificial lighting of common staircases
The byelaws had required owners of houses, suitable for
occupation by persons of the working classes and let in lodgings, or
occupied by members of more than one family, to provide adequate means
for the artificial lighting of common staircases. Occupiers were
required to keep the staircases adequately lighted with all the means
provided by the owner from one hour after sunset to 11 p.m. and, at
such other times as were necessary, to keep adequately lighted any
common staircase, for which natural lighting could not be provided.
Sections 11 and 12 do not cover this point and the Council made
representations to the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee,
who decided to ask the London County Council to promote appropriate
legislation. This was done and Section 63 of the London County Council
(General Powers) Act, 1956, enables the Borough Council to make byelaws