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The following properties were made fit for human habitation during the year and
in each case a Closing Order was determined or an undertaking cancelled:
30, Albion, Road, Twickenham
30, St. Leonards Road, S.W.14
7, Waterloo Place, Richmond
8, Waterloo Place, Richmond Closing Orders determined.
52, Sheen Park, Richmond Undertaking cancelled.
All the dwellings included in the above report were dealt with by way of formal
action under the Housing Act, 1957; in addition, repairs were effected at 245 dwellings
after informal consultation with the owners, and 47 other dwellings were made fit for
human habitation after the service of statutory notices under the Public Health Acts.
The action taken to remedy unfit houses is summarised in the table below :
(a) Clearance Areas represented to Council Nil
(b) Dwellings included in (a) above Nil
(c) Dwellings demolished after Clearance Orders made 40
(d) Dwellings represented for Demolition or Closing Orders 21
(e) Undertakings received to carry out repairs 1
(f) Closing Orders made in respect of —
(i) Whole of building 8
(ii) Part of building 6
(g) Demolition Orders made 3
(h) Closing Orders determined on a building being made fit 4
(i) Undertakings cancelled on a building being made fit 1
(j) Dwellings in which defects were remedied after service of formal notice 47
(k) Dwellings in which defects were remedied after informal action 245
(2) Houses in Multiple Occupation
In 1965 the Council adopted a standard for the amenities which should be provided
for each family living in a house in multiple occupation. The standard covers
the lighting and ventilation of habitable rooms, the provision of water supply, personal
washing facilities, and of cooking and food storage facilities.
Experience in implementing this standard during the year showed that it afforded
a reasonable and adequate level of the essential amenities in properties of varying size.
During the year a copy of the standard was sent to all Estate Agents having offices
in the Borough, so that early advice would be available to purchasers of investment
property, who intended to use the house for multiple lettings.
The existence of houses in multiple occupation in the Borough comes to light
generally by way of complaint from tenants or by reference from the Housing Department
when considering applications for rehousing. The Housing Act, 1961 gives local
authorities extensive powers for correcting unsatisfactory conditions in such houses,
and among the more important are (i) the making of a Management Order the effect
of which is to apply to individual houses a code of management; this power can be
used where there is evidence of neglect by the owner and once an Order is made, a
local authority can take legal proceedings against an owner for any contravention of
the code of management:
(ii) the making of a Direction which limits the number of persons who can occupy
the various lettings in the house; the Direction does not require existing tenants to be
dispossessed, but when a letting is vacated, the owner commits an offence if he re-lets
to a family whose number exceeds that set out in the Direction.
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