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to improve their position on the Council's housing waiting list, or, on occasions, by an owner
seeking to obtain possession of his property on the grounds that it is over occupied.
When the existing standards whereby statutory overcrowding is judged were first introduced in
1935, compared with earlier standards they were considered to be high and on a wider basis. Now
after more than thirty years they can no longer be accepted as being in accord with the present day
conception of satisfactory living conditions. When assessing housing needs in respect of applications
for housing accommodation, the Council therefore maintains a more realistic approach by
awarding "points" on an ascending scale according to the degree of insufficiency of proper bedroom
accommodation.
Common Lodging Houses
There are no registered common lodging houses in the Borough.
Rent Acts
The Rent Act 1957 which, amongst its other objectives, provides a tenant with certain protection
against what may be regarded as an unjustifiable increase of rent when his accommodation is not
being kept in a proper state of repair having regard to its age, character and locality; for this
purpose machinery exists whereby a tenant may apply to the Local Authority for a Certificate of
Disrepair. To the average tenant, the procedure laid down in the Act and which must be strictly
adhered to is lengthy and involved and therefore continued to be little used. His primary concern, in
almost every case, is to secure the execution of essential repairs as soon as possible, it is found
that he normally prefers to make at the outset a complaint to the Department regarding nuisance or
dilapidations and allow appropriate action to be taken under the Public Health or Housing Acts in
order to obtain a remedy.
The following figures show the number of applications for issue and cancellation of Certificates
of Disrepair received and the action taken during the year.
Applications for Certificates of Disrepair
Number of applications for certificates 2
Number of decisions not to issue certificates —
Number of decisions to issue certificates
(a) in respect of some but not all defects 1
(b) in respect of all defects 1
Number of undertakings given by landlords under paragraph 5 of the
First Schedule 2
Number of undertakings refused by Local Authority under proviso to
paragraph 5 of the First Schedule —
Number of Certificates issued —
58