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104
3. The difficulty of getting these premises put into a satisfactory condition
was enhanced by the fact that the Property Owners' Association were
prepared to accept any statement by the owner, and act on it without
really satisfying themselves as to whether the work was complete. There
is no doubt that the tenant has been badly treated, and not the slightest
sympathy was shown by the Property Owners' Association, who, even
from the point of view of keeping property in a sound condition, should
have given proper advice to the owner.
4. The Committee can appreciate, from this case, the sympathy shown by
the Property Owners' Association for “ botching,” which causes so much
trouble to tenants and is the bugbear of those endeavouring to preserve
decent housing accommodation on their districts.
5. The waste of time and trouble experienced by this department is shown
by the fact that in order to get these premises put into passable condition
it was necessary to serve notices under the Public Health (London) Act,
and the Rent Restrictions Act, and that the District Surveyor had to
serve and enforce a notice. 23 visits were paid by the Sanitary Staff,
and in addition to the service of notices there were, of course, reports to
the Committee, and correspondence.
An attempt to estimate the total cost of the work of “ repair’” enforced with
so much difficulty by this department, and omitting the London County Council
Surveyor's work, has been made as follows:—
£ s. d.
Repairs to ground floor back room walls and ceiling 2 10 0
Repairs to ground floor passage and landing walls 10 0
Staircase top ceiling cleansed 1 0 0
Basement kitchen range and walls repaired 4 10 0
Top back room ceiling damp and roof repaired 3 0 0
Top front room windows—sash cords repaired 8 0
Ground floor off room roof repaired 5 0
Basement kitchen ceiling dirty 7 6
Defective dustbin 6 6
Front rain water pipe defective 10 0
£13 7 0
It will be seen that the total probable amount is less than £14. The estimated
expenditure on “ repairs ” will give a fair impression of the actual amount of work
done and its character.
In the local Press I see it stated that the Property Owners' Association has
circulated a letter in which it points out that “ while its members are most anxious
to remove the evils complained of, which are admittedly deplorable, owners are
powerless to deal with dirty tenants and overcrowded houses so long as the Rent
Restrictions Acts remain in force, ‘ as the Courts refuse to make orders for
ejectment, in spite of the prevalence of such conditions.’ ” There is no doubt that
the removal of the Rent Restrictions Act must be, from the point of view adopted
by the Association in this case, highly desirable, so that tenants who raise the
slightest objection to the state of their premises can be given notice to quit. It
cannot be stated that the tenant at this address is dirty, or that she has injured
the premises, or that she has been unreasonable in complaining. With a shortage
of houses as exists at present, new tenants to pay exorbitant rents in exchange
for any kind of housing could be easily obtained, and given notice to quit if they
objected.