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109
of worn out houses and their replacement by the business premises which
would in the natural course of economic development have taken their place.
Is it too much 10 hope that further legislation may be forthcoming which will
make it possible for the more lowly paid workers to escape from Central
London, and to bring up their families under the better conditions obtaining
in outlying districts?
In the reports of the Inter-Departmental Committee the opinion is expressed
that in many districts the machinery provided for obtaining a certificate
from a Sanitary Authority that a house is not in a reasonable state of
repair, and the withholding of the whole of the 40 per cent increase until the
repairs have been carried out is little used. This observation applies to Shoreditch,
the number of these certilicates issued during the last five years being
as follows:
1927, 2 1928, 5 1929, 1 1930, 3 1931, 1
It has been the practice in this Borough to rely upon the Public Health
Act for the keeping of houses in reasonable habitable repair, but inasmuch
as the standard of reasonable repair is higher under the Rent Restrictions
than under the Public Health Act, it is a matter for consideration whether an
attempt should not be made to make greater use in future of the machinery
provided in the former Act.
It is not surprising that in such a congested area as this we should have
experienced the evils associated with sub-letting, and the suggestions contained
in the Committee's report regarding this matter are accordingly of
interest.
Briefly these are that in the case of extortionate charging by the statutory
tenant, the landlord should have the right to apply for possession, and that
statutory tenants should notify landlords both of the fact that they are subletting
and of the rent charged. The landlord would then be able to apply
for possession if the rent charged by the statutory tenant appeared to be excessive.
It is further suggested that a tenant who sub-lets at an extortionate
rent should be liable to a penalty. Both with regard to this and all other
matters coming within these terms of reference, the Committee made the
valuable suggestion that Local Authorities should be empowered to set up
Committees to give information and advice on questions arising under the
Rent Restriction Acts.
Shortly after the completion of the year under review the Housing Committee
caused a notice to be posted up in the Borough drawing attention to
the Rent Restriction Acts, as follows:—
"The Shoreditch Borough Council hereby give notice that Tenants
or Lodgers who occupy premises in the above Borough, the rent of which
is controlled under the Rent Restriction Acts, may obtain information
as to the amount of rent payable by them on personal application at the
Rates Office, Shoreditch Town Hall, Old Street, E.C. 1, during the
usual Office hours (Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays,
10 a.m. to 12 noon)."
H