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information on all housing matters. As far as Hillingdon is concerned, except in the matter of
municipal housing, most enquiries are made at the office of the Town Clerk or at the office of the
Chief Public Health Inspector. When enquiries are concerned with the repair or improvement of
houses the enquiry is cleared by a visit of the Inspector to the house requiring attention within
three days of the enquiry. During this visit all the queries are dealt with—if a tenant is anxious
about repairs—an inspection is carried out and if necessary procedures are set in motion to secure
the carrying out of the repairs—if the tenant is concerned about improvements, Section 19,
Housing Act, 1964 procedure is explained and assistance is given in completing the appropriate
application to initiate action whereby the Local Authority can compel a landlord to improve his
property. If concern is expressed about the possible increase in rent, arrangements are made for
the rent officer with whom the public health inspector has extremely good relations to explain
the position.
If the enquiry is from an owner/occupier concerning improvements and grants a visit is made
and advice given together with enquiry forms and booklets explaining the Improvement Grant
procedure. Fuller details of the operation of the improvement work in the Borough is given in the
section of the report dealing with improvement grants.
As far as slum clearance is concerned little work is required in the Borough and it is not
anticipated that there will be more than 6 or 7 houses each year requiring action by way of clearance
areas or individual demolition.
The Housing Act, 1969 makes provision in Section 43 for the conversion of controlled
tenancies to regulated tenancies. If certain conditions are met, viz. that, the house is provided
with all the standard amenities for the exclusive use of its occupants, it is in good repair, having
regard to its age, character and locality and it is in all other respects fit for human habitation then
the Local Authority must issue a Qualification Certificate, which enables the owner to ask the rent
officer to fix a fair rent. During the year there have been 1,255 applications for Qualification
Certificates of which 1,165 have been processed. This additional work load has created several
problems both with the inspectorial and administrative staff but co-operation from the staff has
been extremely good and reaction from owners has been pleasant. Arising from the interest of
owners in obtaining the increased rents and the requirement that houses must be provided with
all the standard amenities in order to obtain a Qualification Certificate there has been an increase
in the amount of work connected with Improvement Grants. There is no doubt that the Housing
Act, 1969 has had a greater impact on the improvement of housing conditions in Hillingdon than
any other piece of housing legislation for many years.
Notwithstanding the work involved in dealing with Qualification Certificates and Improvement
Grants, work has continued in all other aspects of housing, i.e. multiple occupation, overcrowding,
abatement of nuisances in dwellings and the sound insulation of dwellings in connection
with the London (Heathrow) Airport Noise Insulation Grant Scheme.
IMPROVEMENT AREAS
Improvement Areas were declared by the Council under the powers available in the Housing
Act, 1964. This provided for areas to be declared Improvement Areas in which a substantial number
of houses were lacking in standard amenities (bath or shower, internal water closet, wash hand
basin, hot water supply and food store) and which ought to be improved. Powers under this Act
enabled the Council to serve statutory notices on the landlords of tenanted dwellings requiring
the provision of missing standard amenities. In cases where the tenants were willing to have
these provided the notices required their installation within twelve months, but in the cases where
the tenants were unwilling, the notice was suspended for five years, unless there was a change
in occupation within that period. The London Borough of Hillingdon declared 4 Improvement
Areas and in the whole of England only 463 Improvement Areas were declared by 154 Local
Authorities. In the London area 41 areas were declared by 10 Local Authorities. These figures
indicate a greater determination by this Council to secure the provision of what are, after all, basic
amenities which every dwelling in 1971 ought to have. A new concept of declaring a "General
Improvement Area" has been incorporated in the Housing Act, 1969, which aims at improving
the environment as well as improving individual properties, but the success of such a scheme is
dependent upon persuasion rather than on compulsion. This department is represented on the
Redevelopment Working Party which is considering two such areas in the Borough. The position
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