HC Deb 30 July 1923 vol 167 cc1137-8

(2) When, after the issue of any such certificate, the landlord has executed to the satisfaction of the sanitary authority the repairs which require to be executed in Border to put the dwelling-house into a reasonable state of repair, the authority may, on the application of the landlord and upon payment of a fee of one shilling, issue a report to that effect.

Lords Amendment:

In Sub-section (2) leave out the word "may" ["the authority may, on the applications of the landlord"] and insert "shall."

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

This is an Amendment which, I think, is obviously reasonable. The local authorities put on the landlord the duty of carrying out certain specified repairs, and when he has carried out those repairs he is clearly entitled to a certificate saying that he has done so according to the specification of the local authority. The purpose of inserting the word "shall" is to give him a right to the certificate when he has done the repairs.

Mr. R. DAVIES

I should like to know whether the landlord is placed in a more favourable position than the tenant. I am not sure as to the reference to the principal Act in this connection, but I think the House ought to know whether, if we pass this Amendment, as the local authority is compelled to issue a certificate to the landlord, it is also compelled to issue such a certificate to the tenant if he desires it. I think the Minister should explain whether the tenant and the landlord in relation to the local authority are on the same footing.

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

The cases are quite different. This is clearly a certificate that the work which the local authority has specified in its certificate given to the tenant has been done. That is different from the tenant asking for a certificate that his house is not in a reasonable state of repair. That cannot be given unless the local authority is satisfied that that is the case.