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Houses in Multiple Occupation (including hostels)
Sections 36 and 90 of the Housing Act, 1957, which applyto
any house or part of a house "which is let in lodgings or occupied
by members of more than one family", give power to the Council
to require adequate provision of the following services and amenities:-
Natural lighting;
Ventilation;
Water supply;
Drainage and sanitary conveniences;
Facilities for storage, preparation and
cooking of food, and for the disposal
of waste water;
Sleeping room accommodation.
Section 36 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 90, 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 cauae 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