§ 25. Mr. J. Hyndasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the practice by which tenants of houses owned by private firms have been invited by these firms to quit their homes to enable extension of the firms' premises, and have been encouraged to do so by being offered the tenancy of alternative houses, but on taking up such new tenancy have found that their new rent books have been endorsed as decontrolled; and whether he will introduce legislation to prohibit this practice.
19W
§ Mr. H. BrookeI am not aware of this practice. If it does exist, the remedy is not legislation but awareness by tenants of their position. They should realise that a new letting of a controlled house is normally free of control. This is made clear in Q. and A.61 in the booklet "The Rent Act and You", of which more than 1¼ million copies have been sold. Before agreeing to give up a controlled tenancy, a tenant should make sure that he has a new agreement providing for adequate security of tenure. If in doubt, he should seek advice from a solicitor or Citizens' Advice Bureau.