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48
Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Acts, 1920/39.
—Under the provisions of these Acts landlords are permitted to make
certain increases of rent and tenants whose houses are not in all
respects reasonably fit for human habitation may apply to the
Sanitary Authority for a certificate to this effect enabling them to
suspend the payment of increased rent until the necessary works
shall have been completed to the satisfaction of the Sanitary
Authority.
Landlords may also apply to the Sanitary Authority for a
report to the effect that necessary works have been executed to the
satisfaction of the Council.
All applications whether for certificates or reports must be
accompanied by the statutory fee of one shilling.
During the current year the one application made for a certi—
ficate was refused and no reports were sought.
From 30th August of this year, however, the Housing Repairs
and Rents Act, 1954, came into operation and Part II of this Act
makes provision inter alia for a ' repairs increase ' in respect of
controlled dwelling houses and makes certain amendments to the
Rents Acts, 1920/39.
In order that the landlord shall be aware of the extent to which
his property falls short of the necessary standards and therefore to
be able to determine the work required to be effected in order to
obtain the revocation of a certificate of disrepair, it is now necessary
for the Council to issue a Certificate of Disrepair in the form speci—
fically prescribed by the Minister of Housing and Local Government
stating the defects in respect of which it is issued.
Further, the standards laid down in the new Act must be
adopted in respect of an application for a Certificate of Disrepair
made under the previous Rents Acts, i.e., where a tenant is not
subject to a ' repairs increase ' under the 1954 Act.
Under the recent Act 27 applications for Certificates of Disrepair
were received but in 2 instances were withdrawn. Decisions made
in respect of the remaining 25 were :—
Certificates granted 8
Certificates refused 17
Two applications were received for Revocation of Certificates
of Disrepair and both were granted.