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The property must:-
(1) be in a good state of repair and substantially free from damp,
(2) have each room properly lighted and ventilated;
(3) have an adequate supply of wholesome water laid on inside the
dwelling;
(4) be provided with efficient and adequate means of supplying hot
water for domestic purposes;
(5) have an internal w.c. if practicable, otherwise a readily accessible
external w.c.;
(6) have a fixed bath or shower in a bathroom;
(7) be provided with a sink and means for the disposal of hot water;
(8) have a proper drainage system;
(9) in each room have adequate points for electric light or gas (where
readily available);
(10) have adequate facilities for heating;
(11) have satisfactory facilities for storing, preparing and cooking food;
(12) have proper provision for fuel storage where required;
Application for grant can be made under all or any of the 12 points, but a grant would not
be made under point (1) for repair or for remedying dampness except where a damp proof course
was provided in a house originally constructed without one.
Plans and detailed specification are required with the application, the cost of the
Architect's fees ranking for grant. Once the grant has been fixed by the Council, it cannot
normally be altered except with their permission.
In Camden the majority of discretionary grants made are for the conversion of properties
into self-contained flats.
STANDARD GRANTS
These were introduced by the House Purchase and Housing Act, 1959 and amended by
the Housing Act, 1961 and 1964.
Standard grants are intended for the improvement of dwellings which cannot be made
self-contained. They may be demanded by the owner if the dwelling complies with the standard
of fitness as laid down in Section 4 of the Housing Act, 1957 and if all the following standard
amenities are provided for the exclusive use of the occupants and with the consent of the occupier
if he is not the owner:-
(a) a fixed bath or shower in a bathroom;
(b) a washhand basin;
(c) a hot water supply at a fixed bath or shower in a bathroom and at a washhand
basin and at a sink;
(d) a water closet in the dwelling, and
(e) satisfactory facilities for storing food.
Whilst the payment of a grant depends on the provision of all the amenities iisted above,
the amount paid is in respect only of the additional amenities necessary to proviae the full standard.
The Housing Act of 1964 allows a higher grant for the provision of a bathroom if this
necessitates the building of a new structure or the conversion of outbuildings, and it allows for
reduction in the standard if the provision of a bathroom is impracticable.
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