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69
Houses let in lodgings.
The history of the year in respect of the administration of by-laws under section 94 of
the Public Health (London) Act for houses let in lodgings, shows, on the whole, some improvement.
In some districts new by-laws have been made and confirmed, the by-laws in two instances
placing the duty of annual cleansing on the owner, i.e., the person receiving the rack rent instead of
the person who actually lets the several rooms of the house to the lodgers. This, it may be presumed,
will provide a remedy for the difficulty which it is said has been found in some districts, due
to the inability of the person actually letting the lodgings to bear the expense such measures
entail. In some districts, moreover, the work of inspection of houses let in lodgings has been
made to devolve upon one or more special inspectors, an arrangement without which this duty
is more likely to be neglected than when its importance is thus recognised and definite provision
is made for it to be carried out.
The information on this subject supplied by the reports of medical officers of health is to
the following effect—
Paddington.—The enforcement of the by-laws was almost entirely in abeyance during
the year. No houses were added to the register, but those houses already registered were
inspected, and the annual white-washing enforced as far as possible.
Kensington.—Dr. Dudfield's report contains a list of streets in which are situated 1,703
registered houses. It was proposed to register an additional 377 houses, but the question was
postponed until the Local Government Board had confirmed the proposed new by-laws. The
need for better control of overcrowding and of maintenance of the bedding and furniture of
furnished rooms free from noxious insects is referred to, and Dr. Dudfield states that the late
vestry applied to the Local Government Board to sanction the following by-laws—
"If any lodger in a registered house cause or suffer any room under his control to be occupied by
a greater number of persons than is allowed by this by-law, it shall be the duty of the keeper of the
registered house, upon his becoming aware of the fact, to notify such fact to the medical officer."
" The landlord or keeper of a registered house in which rooms are let in furnished lodgings shall
cause the bedding and other articles in such rooms to be at all times maintained in a clean and
wholesome condition and free from noxious insects."
The final views of the Local Government Board had not yet been received.
During the year two inspectors were (successively) employed in measuring rooms in the
registered houses, and 1,768 houses were visited for this purpose. As to the advantages of registration,
Dr. Dudfield writes, "Whilst facilitating the work of the public health department,
registration of houses let in lodgings has given rise to none of the evils feared by the owners and
occupiers of houses proposed to be registered; and practically there has been little objection
by any of the parties affected by them. The extension of the operation of by-laws to all tenemented
houses, and other houses occupied in lodgings by the poorer classes, would be an unmixed
benefit from the public health point of view, by enabling the sanitary authority to maintain the
conditions necessary to secure healthy houses for the people who, in regard to such matters, have
little power to help themselves."
Hammersmith.—Directions were given for the registration of 373 houses during the year,
making a total of 1,030 premises on the register. Owing to more pressing work it was not found
possible to regularly inspect the houses, but a special inspector has now been appointed for this
duty.
Fulham.—In consequence of difficulties experienced in connection with the definition of
the term "landlord" in the existing by-laws, new by-laws were framed by the late vestry and
submitted to the Local Government Board who, after certain amendments, intimated that they
were prepared to sanction them. The public health committee recommended the Borough Council
to adopt the amended by-laws and to apply to the Local Government Board for their confirmation,
but the Council refused. "In the existing by-laws the 'landlord' is the person by whom the
house is let in lodgings, and, as such, is responsible for the necessary repairs and annual cleansing
of the premises, but it has been found that very frequently he was but a weekly tenant, and was
not in such a financial position as to be able to comply with the requirements of the council. In
the proposed by-laws as approved by the public health committee and the Local Government
Board these duties were imposed upon the 'owner,' i.e., the person in receipt of the rack rent
of the premises."
Westminsler.—" Forty houses were placed on the register, making a total of 1,678 so
registered. Some of these require visiting only once a year, while others, need to be visited
every week, or oftener, on account of the dirty habits of the tenants. These visits are productive
of much good, and an improved standard of cleanliness is being attained." Proceedings were
instituted in nine instances. In view of the fact that the by-laws governing all parts of the city
are not the same, new by-laws have been adopted, to which the Local Government Board had not
as yet given their consent.
St. Marylebone.—There were 972 inspections of registered houses in 1901.
Hampstead.—There are 908 houses registered, of which 200 were cleansed, and in 8
overcrowding was abated.
St. Pancras.—The number of houses measured and registered in 1901 was 832. At the
end cf the year there were 1,006 houses registered, at all of which inspections were made, and
1.673 re-inspections after the service of notices.
Islington.—The number of houses on the register at the end of 1901 was 453, and the
number at the end of 1900 was 459. There were 2,006 inspections of houses on the register and
6,635 subsequent calls to watch the progress of works ordered for the abatement of nuisances.
The total number of improvements effected was 1,723. The medical officer of health comments
on the want of progress in registering houses; he states that "one reason is that neither the
" council nor the late vestry have made it a habit to place houses on the register simply because