HC Deb 21 December 1966 vol 738 cc383-4W
Mr. Freeson

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) what is his estimate of the number of controlled dwellings rented to tenants in owner-occupied accommodation;

(2) what is the annual rate of creeping decontrol of rented property under the terms of the 1957 and 1965 Rent Acts;

(3) what are the average rents of one, two, three and four-roomed controlled dwellings within the Greater London, Midlands, Merseyside, Tyneside conurbations and the south-east region, re- spectively; and what relationship such rents have to average respective rateable values;

(4) how many dwellings remain under control under the terms of the Rent Act 1957; and what proportion they are of the total number of rented dwellings in the United Kingdom;

(5) what is his estimate of the number of private landlords owning no more than one dwelling, other than owner-occupied, which is controlled under the terms of the 1957 and 1965 Rent Acts.

Mr. MacColl

"Creeping decontrol" as such ended when the Rent Act, 1965 came into force; formerly controlled dwellings re-let after vacant possession are subject to rent regulation under this Act. The best estimate I can make is that the number of dwellings in Great Britain subject to rent control under the Rent Act, 1957 has fallen at a cumulative rate of 10 per cent. per annum and that at mid-1966 it was some 1.9 million, i.e. about 20 per cent. of the total number of some 9.4 million rented dwellings in Great Britain. The other information asked for is not available.