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NEW LEGISLATION
Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954.
Perhaps the most outstanding piece of new Legislation was the
Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954, upon which so much could be
written and which covers such a wide scope.
The early part of the Act requires Local Authorities to submit
within one year of its coming into effect proposals for dealing with
slum properties.
An innovation is the power given to Local Authorities to retain
sub-standard houses for a time and for some patching to be carried
out. The idea appears to be that such a scheme would assist the Local
Authorities with a large and difficult housing and demolition problem.
Further, an owner may now be able to reconstruct, enlarge, or
improve a house which has been the subject of a demolition order—
there are, of course, very suitable safeguards.
Section 9 gives a standard of fitness of houses for human habitation
and provisions in connection therewith, and briefly, in deciding
whether a house is unfit, regard shall be had to its condition in respect
of the following matters (a) repair; (b) stability; (c) freedom
from dampness; (d) natural lighting; (e) ventilation; (f) water supply;
(g) drainage and sanitary conveniences, and (h) facilities for storage,
preparation and cooking of food and for the disposal of waste water.
The house shall be deemed to be unfit if defective in one or more
of the said matters, and it shall be considered not reasonably suitable
for occupation in that condition.
Part 2 deals with the means of obtaining increased rent for landlords
and the means of preventing an increase for the tenant in cases
where the house is not in good repair. The working of this part of
the Act is quite complicated and has left many landlords and tenants
in doubt as to their rights under it.
Again many houses are requiring so much repair that landlords
have not increased rents because so much would have to be spent
on their properties before an increase would be justified.
Part 3 covers miscellaneous and general provisions.
The foregoing summary is very brief, but gives some idea of the
scope of the Act from the Public Health point of view. This Act came
into force at the end of August, 1954.
Food and Drugs Amendment Act, 1954.
This Act was passed in November, 1954, but does not come into
force until a date to be approved by the Minister.
As this has not been given at the end of the year under review,
comment will be reserved until such time as the Act does come
into effect.
There is just one section (No. 28) which is an exception to the
above, and that came into effect at the time of the passing of the
Act.
It deals with the restriction of private slaughterhouses, and because
of local circumstances it does not apply to this Borough at
present.
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