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London country Council.
HOUSES ADAPTED AS TENEMENT HOUSES.
Report by the medical officer submitting Dr. Young's report on the question of
securing proper sanitary accommodation in houses originally built for one
family, but which are now being let off in separate tenements to several
families.
Printed by order of the Public Health Committee.
In the latter part of last year Dr. Young inspected a number of tenements in London for
which certificates had been given by medical officers of health for the purpose of exempting the
landlords from inhabited house duty. In all these tenements antecedent to the granting of the
certificate, some structural alterations of the building had been made with a view to adapting
it for occupation by more than one family, and indeed, in some instances, the house had been
re-built, but in such a way that it did not occupy larger area than the building which originally
stood upon the site.
During the present year Dr. Young has extended his inspection to tenement houses
generally, irrespective of any question whether the houses had been regarded as proper for
exemption from inhabited house duty, and has thus visited nearly 200 houses, each containing
two or more tenements.
It may be said generally that in the majority of the premises visited the houses remain
much as they were originally constructed for one family, except in so far as the larger number
of inhabitants of the house due to its sub-letting has led to increase of water-closet accommodation
to comply with the provision of the Council's by-law made under the Public Health (London)
Act, which requires that the landlord or owner of every lodging-house shall provide a watercloset
for every 12 persons inhabiting the house. A lodging-house is defined in the by-law as
" a house or part of a house which is let in lodgings or occupied by members of more than
one family." This by-law, Dr. Young found, has been generally complied with. The additional
water-closet has usually been provided in the back yard, but in some houses, where the conditions
allow, it has been placed in the back addition building, and it is then approached from the
staircase between the ground and first floors.
Even in the matter of water supply, in the majority of houses no alteration has been made
to adapt it to the requirements of the inmates of a sub-let house. The only tap from which water
is drawn is usually situated in the back yard or in the washhouse on the ground or basement floors.
In houses in which an additional water supply at a higher level has been provided, the higher
tap is usually placed on the staircase landing over a sink which, if properly constructed and
provided with a trapped waste pipe, can be used for the discharge of waste water, thus serving
as a scullery sink. It is, however, not intended for the receptiou of bedroom slops, which must
necessarily be taken to the water-closet wherever it may be situated, and there is, of course,
always risk that any sink may be misused and become a source of nuisance within the house.
The disadvantage from which the housewife suffers is obvious if, living on an upper floor
of a three or four storey house, she has to journey to the ground floor or basement for every drop
of water she requires, or to empty the waste water of her tenement. The result is, as pointed out
bv Dr. Young, that water for potable purposes is often stored in receptacles in the tenement, and
that waste water, which ought to be speedily removed from it, is retained, militating against
the wholesomeness of the dwelling. In this connection the position of the water-closet deserves
consideration, for where the only water-closet is situated on the ground floor or in the Tmsement
there is encouragement to the retention of bedroom slops in the dwelling rooms, to the prejudice
of their atmosphere.
In tenement houses provision for washing clothes is generally, but not always, made.
The ground floor room of a back addition, or a room in the basement, or an outhouse in the baok-
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