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60
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT, 1947
Forty-two objections by the Borough Council to applications for planning
permission for development involving dwelling houses being used other than as
dwellings were supported by the London County Council. Of the seven appeals
dealt with by the Minister of Housing and Local Government, one was upheld and
six were dismissed.
This Act which came into operation on the 6th July, 1957, released from
control houses having, in London. a rateable value exceeding £40 and elsewhere
in Ehgland and Wales a rateable value exceeding £30, and enabled a landlord of
a dwelling remaining in control to increase the rent of that dwelling to a
maximum of twice the gross rateable value, or two and one-third times the gross
value if the landlord is responsible for internal decorative repairs.
SECTION 2 (Procedure for increasing rent). In order to increase the rent to
the prescribed limits a landlord must first serve upon his tenant a notice of
increase in the prescribed form, (FORM A), specifying the amount of the
increase. A notice of increase, apart from an increase on account of
increased rates or improvements, SHALL BE OF NO EFFECT if given at a
time when:-
(i) the dwelling
(a) is within a clearance area under the Housing Act, 1936, or
(b) is or forms part of premises with respect to which a demolition
order or closing order under that Act or a Closing Order under
Section 10 or 11 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act, 1953 has been made and has not ceased to be in
force; or
(ii) works of repair remain unexecuted which were required to be executed
by
(a) a notice under Section 9 of the Housing Act, 1936, or
(b) a Nuisance Order under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
Further, if after a notice of increase is served, and before it has taken
effect (i.e. three months) any of these things happen, then no increase demanded
by the notice can take effect until the premises are freed from that state of
affairs.
Rent reduction for disrepair. The Act also modified the procedure for
obtaining Certificates of Disrepair, which procedure is set out in Part II of
the First Schedule. The tenant of a controlled dwelling before applying for a
Certificate of Disrepair is required to complete and send to his landlord a
FORM G. (Notice by tenant to landlord of defects). The prescribed form reads
as follows: -
"To landlord of
I hereby give you notice that in my opinion the above-mentioned premises
are in disrepair by reason of the defects set out below and that those defects
ought reasonably to be remedied by you, having due regard to the age, character
and locality of the premises. I accordingly request you to remedy them.
BENT ACT, 1957
LIST OF DEFECTS
(This list is to be completed by the insertion of a
description of defects under each of the headings
which is material)
1. External structure.
2. Internal structure.
3. External decoration
4. Internal decoration.
5. Fixtures and fittings.
6. Other defects of repair,
The tenant is required to retain a copy of the Notice which must be