§ 49. Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to review the Rent Acts in order to facilitate the improvement of older housing in the inner cities.
§ Mr. StanleyWe have already taken several important steps to assist the improvement of privately rented housing. We have amended the home improvement grant system to make it more flexible—so that for example grant can be paid for the installation of individual standard amenities—and to allow tenants as well as landlords to apply for grants. We have introduced a new form of repairs grant for substantial and structural repairs to pre-1919 houses, and we have increased eligible expense limits and rates of grant to enable local authorities to make grants which are realistic in relation to the cost of the work needed. We have also brought within the fair rent system all remaining controlled tenancies, whose rent had previously been pegged at 1957 levels, and reduced the review period for the registration of fair rents from three years to two.
To encourage local authorities and housing associations to improve for sale older housing that is not tenanted we have introduced a new scheme whereby the Government contribute towards any difference up to a maximum of £5,000 between the cost of the works and the subsequent market value of the property. We have given local authorities, new towns and the Housing Corporation a new power to guarantee building society mortgages, and we have enabled local authorities to apply to the Secretary of State under section 110(11) of the Housing Act 1980 to waive the interest payments for up to five years on local authority mortgages granted to those buying unimproved dwellings to improve them themselves under homestead-ing schemes.