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9
There is considerable confusion in the minds of tenants about
the procedure for the enforcement of repairs. Under the Rent Act
a tenant of controlled property may take action to have his rent
reduced if repairs are not done. Neither the tenant nor the local
authority can compel the owner to do repairs under the Rent Act.
Repairs can however be enforced under the Housing or Public Health
Acts. Unfortunately the standard of repair expected under the Rent
Act is quite different to the standard enforceable under the Housing
and Public Health Acts. For instance such items as external painting,
broken wash basins and defective electrical circuits are all items which
may well be included in a certificate of disrepair under the Rent Act,
but which could not form the subject of notices under Housing Act
procedure. Many tenants are obviously bewildered by the complicated
procedure for abatement of rent on account of disrepair but if they
take advantage of the shorter procedure of complaining to the department
with a view to the service of enforcement notices they may well
find that the prescribed standard of 'fitness' falls far short of what
they expect. It remains to be seen whether owners of the older type
of property, obsolete in design but capable of repair up to the Housing
Act standard, will be prepared to sink, say, ten years rent, in what
must still be a doubtful investment, having in mind the improved
standards envisaged when the present housing programme is completed.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
There have been no problems under this heading calling for
special mention.
As a result of labour difficulties it was not possible to carry out
the usual half yearly treatments of the sewers for the destruction of
rats. It remains to be seen whether the expected build up in the rat
population will prove to be excessive when baiting is resumed.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
The Council has been one of the Co-operating Bodies in the
Investigation of Atmospheric Pollution for some years but more
practical measures were put into operation during the year by the
installation of apparatus, to measure the extent of pollution, at three
sites in the Borough. At two of these sites, one at East Sheen and the
other at Castelnau, deposit gauges and lead peroxide instruments
measure the amount of liquid and solid matter deposited over a period
of one month, and also show the concentration of sulphur dioxide in
the atmosphere over the same period. At the Civil Defence Training
Centre other apparatus has been set up which continuously samples
the atmosphere. Daily measurements are recorded showing the amount
of 'Smoke' in the atmosphere and also the amount of sulphur dioxide.
Although this apparatus has not been functioning long enough yet to