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HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION
The aim of the Council's policy with regard to houses let in lodgings or occupied
by members of more than one family is to control excessive numbers of individuals
in occupation, to reduce gross overcrowding, and in suitable cases to improve conditions
and the amenities and means of escape in case of fire available to those
families who are obliged to live in such houses in face of a continuing housing shortage
in the London area.
The Council's powers relating to houses in multiple occupation are derived mainly
from Part II of the Housing Act, 1961, and fall into four main groups as follows:—
(i) Section 12 of the Act contains the power to make an order applying the
code of management prescribed in the Housing (Management of Houses in
Multiple Occupation) Regulations, 1962, to any house which, or part of which,
is let in lodgings, or which is occupied by members of more than one family, if
the house appears to the Council to be in an unsatisfactory state because of
failure to maintain proper standards of management. This power is designed
to deal with really squalid conditions and the Minister of Housing and Local
Government has advised that it should be applied only to houses manifestly in
need of improvement. Section 14 of the Act gives the local authority power to
require work to be carried out which is necessary to comply with the requirements
of the Management Regulations.
(ii) Sections 15 and 16 of the Act contain power to require an adequate
provision of any of the following essential facilities—natural and artificial
lighting, ventilation, water supply, personal washing facilities, drainage and
sanitary conveniences, facilities for storage, preparation and cooking of food
and for the disposal of waste water, installations for space heating or for the
use of space heating appliances, and provision of means of escape in case of fire.
In the early part of the year, the Council adopted a standard of amenities for
the purposes of Section 15, and this standard has been applied in the main to
houses of the larger type which, apart from a lack of certain facilities and a
degree of disrepair and overcrowding, were more suitable for this type of
occupation. In appropriate cases, informal notices were also served under
Section 16 of the Act, requiring improvements to the means ot escape in case
of fire. Requirements listed were based on the recommendations of the Fire
Prevention Officer of the Greater London Council, or on the Code of Practice
drawn up by that Council and now agreed by the London Boroughs Committee
(iii) Section 18 of the Act contains powers to enable local authorities to
carry out works in default and to recover the cost reasonably incurred where a
notice under Sections 14, 15 or 16 has not been complied with. Also, the
Housing Act, 1964, gives power to prosecute for non-compliance in lieu of
executing work in default. It was not necessary to carry out any works in
default during the year and there were no prosecutions.
(iv) Section 19 of the Act enables the local authority to make a Direction
setting a limit to the number of occupants who should live in a house in multiple
occupation having regard to the availability of the basic services and facilities
specified in Section 15, and to ensure that the number of individuals in occupation
does not exceed that limit, or that where it does any other individuals are not
permitted to take up residence in the house when any vacancies occur.
The Act contains many other supplementary and miscellaneous powers for dealing
with houses in multiple occupation, and Section 90 of the Housing Act, 1957, gives
the Council power to deal with overcrowding.
In practice it has been found that the most effective and widely applicable Sections
were 15, 16 and 19. There are, however, certain drawbacks even with the application
of these Sections in that many landlords tend to regard the fines imposed by the
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