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General Improvement Areas
Under the Housing Act 1969 the Council may declare general improvement areas where it is considered
that special efforts are warranted to secure the improvement of dwellings in the areas. Parallel
with this work action can be taken to make environment improvements to the area to make it a more
pleasant part in which to live. Consultation and collaboration with the residents and owners is
an essential feature of any scheme of this nature as its success must rest upon their co-operation
and active participation.
The Council has welcomed these provisions and has called for surveys to be undertaken with a
view to initiating general improvement areas in 1970.
Housing Act 1964 Improvement Areas
The 1969 Act prevents the declaration of any new areas under the 1964 Act procedure but action
may continue to be taken in respect of those areas already declared.
Haringey have declared four Improvement Areas but action in respect of the last two had been
suspended because of the impending new legislation. The Council has decided that no further
action should be taken in respect of these two areas. The remaining two areas, however, have
already reached an advanced stage and it is likely that it will be necessary to carry these through
to a conclusion. Further consideration will be given to this by the Council in 1970.
Houses in Multiple Occupation
The coming into operation of the Housing Act 1969 has caused many headaches; the problem of
staff being not the least. It became necessary in order to implement effectively the improvement
provisions of the Act to transfer two of the team of inspectors concerned with houses in multiple
occupation to other duties in this connection. Whilst day to day work progresses, therefore, it
is stiIl not possible to institute house to house inspections whereby known areas of multiple occupation
can be dealt methodically.
Due to a recent adverse High Court decision upon the definition of "family" in regard to houses in
multiple occupation, the new act gave a fresh definition, using the word "household" instead of
"family". Unfortunately, the act did not define "household", but the term is at present interpreted
according to the definition used for Census purposes.
Changes were made in regard to the procedure for making Management Orders, so that it became no
longer necessary to give 21 days notice of the Council's intention to make the order. It was,
however, still necessary to make a Management Order before the provisions of the Housing
(Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 1962 could be legally enforced by
action under Sections 13 or 14 of the Housing Act 1961. It is, to say the least, rather mystifying
as to why it should still be considered necessary to make a Management Order before being able to
implement the provision of regulations which should automatically be applicable to every house in
multiple occupation.
With regard to means of escape in case of fire, certain amendments were made by the 1969 Housing
Act to enable the local authority to make a Closing Order on a part of a house, if, by doing so, it
was considered that adequate means of escape could be provided at reasonable" expense for the
rest of the house whereas this could not have been done at reasonable cost if that part of the house
remained in occupation. A similar procedure to that laid down in Part II of the Act of 1957 for the
making of Closing Orders for unfit houses must be followed. However, in view of the income from
many houses in multiple occupation, particularly the larger ones with which the Department is
primarily concerned, it appears unlikely that even the provision of an external staircase would be
an 'unreasonable expense'. The use of this power would, therefore, seem to be extremely limited.
However, there is provision for the authority to accept an undertaking that part of a house would
not be used for human habitation if the owner was able to provide adequate means of escape if
thatpartofthehousewasclosed, since the Council's requirements in this respect may be considerably
reduced in these circumstances. He would of course suffer a loss of income and would, therefore,
wish to consider this when deciding whether to carry out the work required in full or execute less
extensive work by virtue of hisgivinganundertakingnottouse part of the house. Use of the part of the
house subject to an undertaking would constitute a contravention and the Council may also make
a Closing Order when these circumstances have arisen.
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