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respect of natural and artificial lighting; ventilation; water supply; personal washing facilities,
drainage and sanitary conveniences; facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food
and for the disposal of waste water; and the installation for space heating.
Much has been written during the past five years, since the Milner Holland Committee was
appointed by the Government of the day to survey rented housing accommodation in Greater
London, in respect of multiple occupation, its direct association with the addition of large
numbers of coloured immigrants to our resident population, and the condition of squalor often
encountered in this type of accommodation. It is not, however, realistic to assume that every
multiple occupied property automatically provides bad housing conditions. Houses in multiple
occupation in the Borough tend to be concentrated in areas of older Victorian type houses which
no longer lend themselves to single family use and to localities situated within easy reach of
underground tube stations or establishments employing large numbers of manual workers. Much
of this accommodation is of the bed sitting room type used by a single person and if satisfactory
standards are maintained fulfils a useful housing need for a group of the population not normally
catered for in local authority housing schemes.
The only real "problem area" is in Cricklewood near to the south western boundary of the
Borough and immediately adjacent to the former Borough of Willesden which was highlighted
in the Milner Holland Report as one of the London Boroughs with the highest incidence of
multi-occupation. Here there is an indication of overspill of coloured immigrants and a detailed
house to house survey of some 200 properties was carried out. The survey showed a lack of
proper amenities and facilities and of suitable fire precautions rather than a high degree of
ever occupation, and by the end of the year steps were being taken to deal with these matters.
It is seldom if ever, that consideration is given by an owner to the fire hazards which accompany
multi -occupation when this takes over in the average type of large old terraced house constructed
originally for use by a single family. Furthermore, oil heaters continue to be widely used
for space heating in this type of housing accommodation. This is always a potential danger and
whilst their use cannot be prohibited it is necessary for tenants to be adequately advised on the
proper siting, maintenance and use of oil heaters.
The Housing Act 1964 widens the power of a local authority enabling it to take over control
of a multi-occupied house summarily where immediate intervention is considered to be necessary
to protect the health, safety or welfare of the residents. The procedure for making and operating
control orders is difficult and lengthy and the financial implications may well be a liability to
the local authority. These powers should only be used in extreme cases and during the year no
property was encountered where it was necessary to consider the use of the control order
procedure.
During the year, a total of 1552 visits were made in order to establish the existence of
multi-occupation or to carry out detailed inspections. Whilst comparatively few complaints reach
the Department from persons occupying such accommodation, it is of vital importance that an
adequate programme of inspection should be maintained so as to secure the proper maintenance
of such premises and the provision of acceptable standards. It is now clear that this is best
achieved by carrying out detailed inspections on a house to house basis in selected areas
already known to be vulnerable. This is, however, unfortunately restr icted by the extent to
which the resources of the Environmental Health Division can be allocated to this task. A
great advance could of course be made if national legislation was made available on the lines
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