19. Mrs. Butlerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware of the difficulties of tenants of decontrolled properties whose three-year agreements with landlords expire this summer; and what action he proposes to take to protect them for a further period where landlords refuse to negotiate reasonable new agreements.
§ The Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (Mr. Henry Brooke)I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South-West (Mr. A. Evans) and the hon. Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton) on 26th July.
Mrs. Butleris the right hon. Gentleman aware that, despite what he said then, there are already many decontrolled tenants with low incomes who are faced either with notice to quit or having to pay exorbitant rents, and that in the London area where many of them have to live and work there is no alternative accommodation available and they are desperately looking to him to relieve the acute anxiety under which they are living by taking emergency legislative action to protect them?
§ Mr. BrookeI am not going to reimpose control on the premises which have been out of rent control for the past three years, but I have during the Recess issued a circular to the local authorities in the London area giving certain guidance.
§ Mr. M. StewartDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that neither that circular nor anything else that he has said gives any protection at all to these people? Is it not a plain fact that all we can say to people in this position is that under present legislation they are quite helpless in facing their landlords?
§ Mr. BrookeNo, Sir. It is perfectly possible for tenants to negotiate with their landlords—
§ Mr. ManuelCome off it.
§ Mr. Brooke—and those who have sought to do so have in many cases been able to negotiate lower rents.
§ 36. Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many communications he has received during the last three months from tenants in Greater London, or from hon. Members on their behalf, alleging excessive rent demands by landlords of decontrolled properties.
§ Mr. H. BrookeHon. Members forwarded 67 complaints and tenants 202. It would be wrong to assume that the rent demands complained of were necessarily excessive.
§ Mr. RobinsonIn view of the fact that the great majority of tenants who are held to ransom by landlords take the view that they are helpless in the light of the Rent Act and consequently would not dream of writing to anyone, are not these figures indicative of a great measure of hardship in the London area and do not they show that the situation demands action and legislation from the right hon. Gentleman?
§ Mr. BrookeI would say, in all seriousness, that tenants who think they are being asked unreasonable rents should not, as a first course of action, write to a Member of Parliament or anyone else, but should start negotiating with their landlords. We have had dozens of cases in which it proved quite possible for landlord and tenant to come to an agreement once negotiations had been begun.