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Upon application being made by either landlord or occupier,
the Council are under an obligation to give in writing a statement
of the permitted number of persons in respect of any dwelling house,
and measurements of dwellings for this purpose were taken on 161
occasions.
CERTIFICATES OF DISREPAIR
During the first half of 1957 three applications were
received from tenants for the issue of Certificates of Disrepair,
under the provisions of the Housing (Repairs and Rents).Act,
1954. In all three cases Certificates were issued to the applicants#
Two applications were received from owners for the
revocation of Certificates of Disrepair, and on the Health Committee
being subsequently satisfied that in each case all the work listed
on the Certificate had been satisfactorily carried out, both
applications were granted.
From the 6th July, 1957 the provisions of the Housing
(Repairs and Rents) Act, 1954 relating to the issue of Certificates
of Disrepair were repealed, and the Rent Act, 1957 came into
operation. The two main effects of the new Act were to free from
Rent Control houses and flats above certain levels of rateable
value, and to allow limited increases in the rents of houses still
under rent control.
In connection with applications for Certificates of Disrepair,
the new Rent Act changed the procedure. Where fonnerly a local
authority could issue a Certificate of Disrepair to an applicant
once they were satisfied the condition of the premises warranted
such action. it is now necessary in the first instance for the
local authority to serve notice on the landlord of their intention
to issue a Certificate. A Certificate can only be issued by the
local authority if at the end of three weeks from the date of their
notice, a landlord has failed to serve notice on the tenant that he
undertakes to remedy the defects specified on the Council's notice.
Where an undertaking is given by a landlord the Council, with certain
exceptions, cannot then issue a Certificate of Disrepair to the
applicant. If, however, a landlord has failed at the end of six
months from the date of his undertaking to remedy the defects, the
tenants' rent can be adjusted so as to have the same effect as if a
Certificate of Disrepair had in fact been issued.
Details of applications received during the year from tenants
for Certificates of Disrepair and from landlords for cancellation
of Certificates are as follows:-
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