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done, as in the middle of winter with a strong north easterly
gale force wind blowing it is obviously virtually impossible to
have any windows open and the cost of electric and gas heating
also limits the period for which the normal household can afford
this form of heating. It may well be that the Building Research
Station will produce an answer to this problem.
RENT OFFICE
The Office of the Senior Rent Officer for Havering moved
during the year from the Town Hall to 35 North Street, Hornchurch.
The Rent Officer will assist in any queries which may
arise in connection with the Rent Act and, in particular with the
fixing of a fair rent. The age, character, locality and condition
of the premises is considered in the assessment of a fair rent.
The Rent Officer is excluded from dealing with any queries
concerning furnished accommodation or controlled tenancies.
IMPROVEMENT GRANTS
During the year members of my staff liaised with staff of the
Borough Engineer and Surveyor in connection with 131 applications
for improvement grants. A breakdown of these applications is
given in the following table.
It is quite obvious that despite considerable publicity the
members of thepublic still appear to be unaware that theycansecure
financial assistance through their local Council for the
installation of such improvements as inside W.C.'s, baths and
hot water supplies. The object of these Government grants is to
provide a better domestic standard of living in homes which, though
sturdily built, lack certain modern amenities. The main conditions
a ttaching to a grant are
that the house is sound and in a good state of repair; that
it will have at least a further fifteen years of useful life
after improvement;
that you own the freehold, or if you are a leaseholder that
the lease has at least fifteen more years to run at the time
that the application is made.
It should be stressed that a grant cannot be obtained for
repairs or to replace existing facilities. If a house already has
a fixed bath in a bathroom an owner is not entitled to a grant to
replace the bath with a more modern one.
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