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HOUSING
Inspection of Dwelling-houses.
Inspections of dwelling-houses were carried out during the year as follows:—
Number of dwellings inspected at which defects were found
requiring action under the Public Health Acts. 502
Number of houses surveyed for action under Housing Acts. 9
Number of houses surveyed in Housing Areas scheduled for
redevelopment 76
Number of houses surveyed and reports submitted for use by District
Valuer in connection with negotiations for acquisition by the Council 145
Number of houses inspected in connection with Improvement Grants
Scheme 82
Total number of inspections and reinspections made 4,435
HOUSING ACT, 1957
Three houses were dealt with under the Act involving the making of two Demolition Orders and
one Closing Order.
As a result of this action or that taken in previous years, 13 unfit houses were demolished, and nine
others were closed after the occupants had been rehoused. One part of a buildingwhich had been used as
a dwelling was also closed under Section 18 of the Act.
Thirteen families comprising 33 persons vacated unfit properties, the majority being rehoused by
the Council.
In their Circular 42/62 the Ministry of Housing and Local Government urged local authorities to
select streets or areas of properties which were in reasonably good structural condition and might be expected
to have a life of 20/30 years at least but which were lacking in essential amenities, i.e. indoor water
closet, bath or shower in a bathroom, lavatory basin, hot water system and ventilated food cupboard.
Having selected the properties these were to be visited and the owners and tenants urged to make
use of the improvement grants scheme under the House Purchase and Housing Act, 1959 whereby grants
are made available towards the cost of the installation of these amenities.
The District Public Health Inspectors were accordingly asked to prepare lists of blocks of properties
suitable for dealing with under the Circular and work was commenced on visiting these with the following
results—
Garden City, Edgware.
Cul-de-sac of 27 houses erected about 1910 without bathrooms, lavatory basins and hot water
installations and with external waterclcsets. The majority of the houses are now owner/occupied. It was
found that at eleven of the houses all amenities had already been installed. At the remaining sixteenoneor
more of the amenities was lacking. Of these, three owners eventually made use of the Improvement Grants
scheme and had the missing amenities installed.
3—21, First Avenue, N. W. 4.
The survey showed that a number of the houses were without ventilated food cupboards which
owners stated they did not require. Two were without internal waterclosets but the owners intimated
that they were not interested in the scheme at the present time. The houses were owner/occupied.
69—107, Colindale Avenue, N. W. 9.
Two blocks of terraced properties erected about 1900 without bathrooms, lavatory basins and hot
water installations and with external waterclosets. Survey showed that five of the twenty houses had
Iready the standard amenities. Two only of the owners have since applied for grants.
IMPROVEMENT OF HOUSES
31