London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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1938 62
(6) " LANDLORD " means the immediate landlord of an occupier and
includes, in relation to an occupier of a dwelling-house who holds under a contract
of employment under which the provision of the house for his occupation forms
part of his remuneration, his employer.
(c) " AGENT " means, in relation to the landlord of a dwelling-house, a
person who collects rent in respect thereof on behalf of the landlord or is authorised
by him so to do, or, in the case of a dwelling-house occupied by a person who holds
as aforesaid, a person who pays remuneration to the occupier on behalf of the
employer or is authorised by him so to do.
3. Minimum Standard of Accommodation.
The standard of accommodation laid down by the Act for determining overcrowding
consists of two parts. The first aims at securing proper separation of the
sexes ; the second restricts the number of persons who may occupy a dwellinghouse.
The two requirements are distinct from each other and both must be complied
with ; they are more fully explained as follows:—
(а) A dwelling-house is deemed to be overcrowded if the accommodation is
such that any two persons, being ten years old or more, of opposite sexes and not
being persons living together as husband and wife, are obliged to sleep in the
same room.
(b) The maximum number of persons, irrespective of sex, who may be permitted
to sleep in a dwelling-house at one time is fixed in relation to the number
and sizes of the rooms in the house. The maximum permitted number is ascertained
by reference to the two following tables, and is the number obtained by the
application of Table I or Table II, whichever is the less.
Table I.
| No. of Rooms. | Permitted No of Persons. |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 7½ |
| 5 | 10 |
| And two persons extra for each additional room. |
Table II.
| Size of Rooms. | Permitted No. of Persons. |
|---|---|
| Under 50 sq. ft. | nil. |
| 50 or more, but less than 70 sq. ft. | ½ |
| 70 or more, but less than 90 sq. ft. | 1 |
| 90 or more, but less than 110 sq. ft. | 1½ |
| 110 or more sq. ft. | 2 |
For the purposes of these tables :
(i) A child under one year of age is not counted and a child between the ages
of one and ten years counts as half a person.
(ii) Only rooms normally used in the locality for sleeping or living purposes
are counted as rooms.