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These dwellings, together with the Council's properties in Kenley Street, Hesketh Place,
Runcorn Place, Sirdar Road, St. James's Place and Bosworth Road, are managed on the Octavia Hill
system by a group of women house property managers.
MEASURES TAKEN TO DEAL WITH INSTANCES OF OVERCROWDING AND
INDECENT OCCUPATION DISCOVERED.
Whilst there are no "slum areas" in the Borough it cannot be denied that overcrowding
exists, and unfortunately in some cases instances of indecent occupation are discovered. It must
be remembered that Kensington is a central residential area of the Metropolis and there is a constant
influx of people desiring to live near the centre. It is inevitable, therefore, that instances of
overcrowding must be discovered and, indeed, will occur for all time. For a large number of the
people wishing to live near the centre of London the rents are high ; and the money which would
secure a whole house in the suburbs will enable a man to obtain only one or two rooms in London
for the accommodation of himself and his family. It is gratifying, however, to record that cases of
overcrowding and indecent occupation discovered by the Council's officers are generally remedied
without recourse to legal proceedings.

As only 23 summonses were eventually issued in 266 cases of overcrowding, and only one
summons in regard to 211 cases of indecent occupation in the three years, it will be seen that 453
families were able to improve their accommodation without the Council having to resort to
extreme measuies.
At the commencement of 1925 another step was adopted for the purpose of relieving cases of
overcrowding. The Public Health and Special Housing Committees arranged that immediately a
new house provided by the Council had been let, the Town Clerk should supply me with information
as to the name and address of the future tenant. This information has enabled officers of the
Public Health Department to know several weeks in advance of rooms which would become
vacant, with the result that they have been able to approach the owners of these rooms and urge
that they might be let to Kensington families known to be living under overcrowded conditions.
The results obtained in the three years have been as follow:
Number of Council Houses let by Town Clerk and reported to the Medical
Officer of Health 59
Number of instances in which the rooms vacated by the 59 tenants have been
let to Kensington families whose previous accommodation was unsatisfactory
or overcrowded 42
In 1925, the Housing Department of the London County Council commenced to send me information
of all Kensington persons accepted as tenants for County Council houses in order that a
similar procedure could be adopted in regard to rooms vacated by tenants leaving the Borough for
such houses. This practice was continued during 1926 and 1927 with the following results: — .
Number of County Council houses let and reported to the Medical Officer of
Health 120
Number of instances in which the rooms vacated by the 120 tenants have been
let to Kensington families whose previous accommodation was unsatisfactory
or overcrowded 48
STEPS TAKEN BY THE COUNCIL TO SECURE AND MAINTAIN A HIGHER STANDARD
OF HABITABILITY IN HOUSES.
Every house in the Borough is inspected in routine fashion after a case of infectious disease
has been reported therefrom and on receipt of a complaint.
Each of the ten District Sanitary Inspectors attempts to make a routine inspection of ten
houses each month and the number of these inspections in 1927 was 850.
In addition to this routine work, special efforts have been made in recent years and those for
1927 may be described briefly under the following headings: —