Rent Act

HC Deb 26 November 1957 vol 578 cc966-9

7 and 8. Mrs. Butler

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) whether he will consider the introduction of legislation to amend Section 11 of the Rent Act, so that an extension of time may be granted to tenants who have been given notice to quit and who have been unable to find alternative accommodation; and whether he will make a statement;

(2) whether he will consider the introduction of legislation to amend Section 11 of the Rent Act so that there may be an appeal to the rent tribunal where the landlord is demanding an unduly high rent; and whether he will make a statement.

13. Mr. Lewis

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to ensure that tenants of flats, before being given notice to quit, are given the opportunity to negotiate an alternative rent agreement.

Mr. H. Brooke

Amendments on these lines were fully debated during the passage of the Rent Bill, but Parliament decided against them.

Mrs. Butler

Does the Minister realise that since that time it has become increasingly clear that no alternative accommodation is likely to be available for people who are threatened with high rents or eviction next October? Does he realise the anxieties which they are feeling at the moment and how much concern there is about this problem? If he will not accept either of these suggestions because they have already been debated and rejected, what suggestion will he make to help these people? Does he intend calmly to contemplate the prospects of elderly people and families with children being turned out of their homes into the streets?

Mr. Brooke

With respect to the hon. Lady, I do not agree with all the implications of her supplementary question. I have already sent a circular to local authorities about the problem of old people. I repeat what I said in the debate on 11th November—I believe that between now and next October practically everybody who has to move will manage to find other accommodation.

21. Miss Bacon

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government on what information he bases his statement that there has been no great demand for certificates of disrepair and no shortage of official Forms G for tenants desirous of serving notices of disrepair on the landlord.

Mr. H. Brooke

I have received no representations at all from local authorities that their staffs are under any pressure in dealing with applications for certificates of disrepair. Complaints of shortage of Forms G were limited to the first few days after 6th July.

Miss Bacon

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are literally hundreds of thousands of houses in a bad state of repair? If there has been no urge to fill in the certificates of disrepair, it must be because the procedure under the new Rent Act is much too complicated and difficult? As for the shortage of the official Form G, is the Minister aware that from Labour Party headquarters we sold no fewer than 250,000?

Mr. Brooke

As regards the shortage, if there ever was one, it certainly disappeared after the first 10 or 14 days, and there have been no complaints of any shortage whatever since then. With regard to the system of certificates of disrepair, it is a perfectly easy one, and if relatively few certificates have been applied for—as is the case—the reason is that the landlords are either doing the repairs or undertaking to do them.

Mr. Mitchison

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if there has been no great demand for official forms and no apparent shortage, it is because tenants have got them cheaper and better from Transport House?

Mr. Brooke

I do not think that Transport House is all that clever. I think, as I say, that almost immediately the initial shortage disappeared completely.

22. Miss Bacon

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many tenants have made use of Form T to secure a reduction in rent for repairs carried out by them.

Mr. H. Brooke

This notice had to be served by the tenant on his landlord, and therefore I do not know how many altogether were served. Where landlord and tenant cannot agree on the effect of improvements on the rating assessment, application can be made to valuation officers for a certificate, and 713 such applications had been made up to 15th October. I will obtain later figures and send them to the hon. Member.

Miss Bacon

Since the last date for serving these notices was 17th August, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that many tenants were completely unaware of their rights under this Section until after 17th August had passed? Will not he consider the extension of the date?

Mr. Brooke

The date of 17th October was very carefully considered, because a great deal had to happen after that date. I took particular trouble to get that date publicised as widely as could be. I made sure that warning notices about it were published widely in the provincial Press, and the B.B.C. was good enough to devote special broadcasts to it.

Mr. Mitchison

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the right date is 17th August, which was just at the end of a holiday period, and that in fact a lot of tenants did not "tumble to it", if I may use that phrase? Would it not be only fair, in the circumstances, to give them some extension? The right hon. Gentleman would have to amend the Rent Act, but we should help him with that.

Mr. Brooke

I am sorry that by slip of the tongue I mentioned the wrong month. It was 17th August. There was ten weeks' notice from the date when the Act received the Royal Assent, and ample publicity was given to enable everybody who might be affected to learn about his rights before then.

25. Mr. Sydney Irving

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will consider issuing a simple standard form for use by landlords and tenants of decontrolled property who wish to make a three-year agreement under the terms of the Rent Act, 1957.

Mr. H. Brooke

I do not think that a standard form would cover all the variety of cases that arise. I understand that forms providing for differing circumstances are available from law stationers; and that, I think, should meet the need.

Mr. Irving

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that many tenants of decontrolled property are being required to pay £6 or £7 legal fees for this agreement? Is not this adding insult to injury to tenants already at the mercy of landlords? Will not the right hon. Gentleman do something to make this much more widely known to the people who need the forms?

Mr. Brooke

I hope that my Answer today to this Question will make it universally known.