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(iii) the service of a notice under Section 15 of the Act requiring the owner to
provide additional facilities in the house; the requirements of the notice are based on
the Council's standard of amenities already referred to, and legal proceedings can be
taken against an owner who does not comply with the notice, or the Council can carry
out such work in default and recover the costs from the owner.
The following table shows the formal action taken in connection with certain
properties during the year:
(1) Number of Management Orders made 2
(2) Number of Directions made 6
(3) Number of Notices served requiring additional amenities 1
In respect of two properties where Management Orders were in force, legal
proceedings taken against the owner for failing to comply with the Management Regulations
resulted in fines totalling ,£63 and £10 costs.
(3) Certificates of Disrepair.
The Rent Act, 1957 entitled owners of controlled rented properties to a prescribed
rent income provided the dwelling is maintained in a reasonable state of repair having
regard to its age, character and locality. The tenant is safeguarded by the Act in that
he may resist the rent increase if the owner fails to carry out necessary repairs. For this
purpose the tenant applies to the local authority for a certificate of disrepair, which
has to be granted if the owner fails to give a satisfactory undertaking to put the house
in a proper state of repair within six months, and with this certificate the tenant is
entitled to make an adjustment to the amount of rent he pays the owner.
The Act seems no longer to be an effective mechanism for ensuring that items of
disrepair receive attention, and the following table shows that whereas an average of
nearly 100 applications were received annually in the seven years following the introduction
of the Rent Act, it has been almost completely ignored by landlord and tenant
in recent years.
Applications for Certificates of Disrepair:
1957/63 1964 1965 1966
1. Number of applications for certificates 668 10 — 6
2. Number of decisions not to issue certificates 24 1 — —
3. Number of decisions to issue certificates
(a) in respect of some but not all defects 520 4 — —
(b) in respect of all defects 124 5 — 6
4. Number of undertakings given by landlords under
paragraph 5 of the First Schedule 415 7 — 6
5. Number of undertakings refused by Local Authority
under proviso to paragraph 5 of the First Schedule 3 — — 1
6. Number of Certificates issued 232 2 — 1
Applications for Cancellation of Certificates:
7. Applications by landlords to Local Authority for
cancellation of certificates 134 2 2 6
8. Objections by tenants to cancellation of certificates 54 — — 1
9. Decisions by Local Authority to cancel in spite of
tenant's objection 18 — — 1
10. Certificates cancelled by Local Authority 98 — — 6
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