London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Richmond upon Thames 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Richmond]
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(3) Certificates of Disrepair
The Rent Act, 1957 contained two important provisions; it first released from rent
control those dwelling-houses which, in the London area, had in 1956 a rateable value
exceeding £40, and secondly, it entitled owners of rented dwellings below that limit to
a prescribed rent income. Where the owner assumed responsibility for all repairs
(except internal decorative repairs), and this applied generally in the Borough, the
rent limit was to be equal to twice the 1956 gross value of the dwelling provided it
was maintained in a reasonable state of repair having regard to its age, character and
locality.
The tenant's interest was protected to the extent that if the owner failed to carry
out necessary repairs, application could be made to the local authority for a certificate
of disrepair. This certificate had to be granted unless the owner gave a satisfactory
undertaking to put the house in a proper state of repair within six months, and once
granted the tenant could make an adjustment in the amount of rent he paid the owner
until such time as the local authority cancelled the certificate.
Whereas nearly 100 applications were received annually in the seven years follow' ing the introduction of the Rent Act, in recent years it has been almost ignored by tenants of controlled premises and no longer provides a means whereby an owner is required to carry out repairs in order to receive the prescribed rent.
| 1957/63 | 1964/68 | 1969 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Number of applications for Certificates | 668 | 26 | 1 |
| 2. Number of decisions not to issue Certificates | 24 | 2 | – |
| 3. Number of decisions to issue Certificates: | |||
| (a) in respect of some but not all defects | 520 | 10 | – |
| (b) in respect of all defects | 124 | 14 | 1 |
| 4. Number of undertakings given by landlords under paragraph 5 of the First Schedule | 415 | 16 | – |
| 5. Number of undertakings refused by Local Authority under proviso to paragraph 5 of the First Schedule | 3 | 4 | – |
| 6. Number of Certificates issued | 252 | 12 | 1 |
| Applications for Cancellation of Certificates: | |||
| 7. Applications by landlords to Local Authority for cancellation of certificates | 134 | 17 | 6 |
| 8. Objections by tenants to cancellation of certificates | 54 | 3 | – |
| 9. Decisions by Local Authority to cancel in spite of tenant's objection | 18 | 3 | – |
| 10. Certificates cancelled by Local Authority | 98 | 17 | 6 |