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37
House-to-House Inspection.
Eighty houses were inspected under the Inspection of
District Regulations. The number is less than that of last
year owing to the interruption of routine work caused by
the smallpox outbreak in the district. In addition, 525
houses were inspected, and notices served to abate nuisances
and defects. The majority of these houses were inspected
under) the Housing Act Schedule, but they cannot be
legitimately included in the Inspection of District Regulations'
figures, although they were made fit in accordance
with the Housing Acts.
V. HOUSING CONDITIONS.
The housing conditions are, generally speaking, excellent.
This is to be expected in a residential area such
as Bromley. One awaits with interest the results obtained
by the Census taken in April, 1931, and pending these
figures our survey of the housing conditions in Bromley
must be subject to error. Without a special survey one
is unable to state facts of overcrowding as they exist today;
the population in the neighbourhood of London is in
a state of flux, and what is to-day "one house—one
family" becomes tomorrow sub-let premises. Thus without
the Census figures being available one is unable to
record with any degree of accuracy the extent of the
housing shortage, or the extent of overcrowding, in
Bromley. To be inaccurate in a question of such vital importance
to the practice of Public Health would be to court
disaster in our actions for prevention. Further, while
Uromley remains a residential area, and not industrial,
the "temporarily resident" class will remain small, but
although small in numbers, one finds that they are loudest
in complaint. They generally pay excessive rents for inadequate
accommodation .
Apart from the large residential houses in the Borough,
the prevalent type of house in Bromley is the sixroomed
house, consisting of three bedrooms, living room,
kitchen and scullery, which were built 20-30 years ago.
There are some 200 older type houses built 30-40 years
ago, consisting of two bedrooms, one living room, kitchen