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At the Census, 1921, the number of rooms per person, in houses
containing not more than 9 rooms, was 1.22 for the District, approximately
the same figure as that for the whole County.
In 1925, the most serious cases of overcrowding were two, at Ewell and
Tadworth, in which three families were found to be occupying one cottage,
and a third at Great Bookham, in which two families were overcrowding a
small cottage. The condition was remedied in the first two cases by the
allotment of new cottages erected by the Council to two of the Ewell
families and one of the Tadworth families, and in the third case by the
removal of one of the families, on the service of a notice.
In December the District Council allocated 15 of their new cottages to
families in the Parish of Clieam who were living in overcrowded conditions.
Fitness of Houses.—The general standard of housing is very fair, but
in each Parish there are a number of old houses which are structurally in
such a condition that they are not worth the outlay required to make
them fit habitations, involving as it would in some cases almost complete
reconstruction. The proportion of such cases is probably highest at
Bookham and Ewell.
The demand for houses does not permit of the application of Closing
Orders except in the worst cases, and it is the practice of the Council to call
upon the owners to do sufficient repair and cleansing to mitigate the
conditions pending the provision of suitable accommodation.
The main defects that are found are dampness from defective roofs and
gutters, from want of general repair, and, in the older cottages, from
absence of a damp-course, want of internal cleansing, and in a comparatively
few cases, low-pitched and sloping ceilings and inadequate window space,
and lack of ground at the back of the houses.
Remedial defects are in most cases made good by the owners without
recourse to the service of statutory notice. In one instance the owner of a
group of cottages, which were in a bad state of repair, agreed with the
Council to devote the whole of the rent to the carrying out of the necessary
work.
Bye-laws relating to Houses, etc.—The District Council on many
occasions summoned before them persons who had erected buildings
without the deposit of plans, or had converted other buildings or structures
into dwellings, or were so using them. In other cases orders were issued
to remove unsuitable material which had been used in the construction of
houses.
Housing Statistics for the Year 1925.
Number of new houses erected during the year:—
(а) Total 724
(b) With State assistance under the Housing Acts:
(i.) By the Local Authority 32
(ii.) By other bodies or persons 163