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130
COMPULSORY IMPROVEMENT OF DWELLINGS
The following table is a summary of the formal action taken
under the Housing Act, 1964, in connection with the compulsory
improvement of dwellings:
Preliminary Notices served 2
Formal undertakings given by owners to execute
improvement work 5
Purchase Notices served by owners 1
Houses where works of improvement were completed
during the year 10
No further action was taken in connection with new compulsory
improvement areas because of new legislation which was
forecast on this subject and which culminated in the passing of
the Housing Act, 1969. The Act took away a local authority's
power to require the compulsory improvement of all tenanted
dwellings in a declared improvement area, and substituted a
power to declare "General Improvement Areas" where improvement
of the dwelling is to be on a voluntary basis, the incentive
for which it is hoped will be the bigger improvement grants that
are now available to owners and the higher rents which the
owner will be able to ask the Rent Officer to fix once the house
possesses the standard amenities and is in a proper state of
repair. The right of individual tenants to request the Council to
exercise their power to compel an owner to improve a dwelling
is preserved.
First impressions are that many tenants will prefer to forego
an internal water closet and bathroom rather than pay a considerable
increase in rent.
RENT ACT, 1957
Certificates of Disrepair and other documents specified in the
Act have been issued as follows:—
Applications for Certificates of Disrepair 4
Number of decisions not to issue certificates —
Number of certificates issued —
Number of undertakings given by landlords
under Paragraph 5, First Schedule 4
Number of undertakings refused by L/A —
A pplications for Cancellation of Certificates
By Landlords to L/A for cancellation —
Objections by tenants to cancellation —
Certificates cancelled by L/A —
Applications for Certificates as to remedying defects
which landlord has undertaken to remedy
Number of applications 2
Number of certificates issued 2