[Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County.
- Canterbury (England). City & County Council.
- Date:
- 1957
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![It has been obvious each year since the War that the rising cost of property repairs was making the ownership of old houses; those with low rents and in greatest need of extensive repair, an uneconomic proposition. vSo much .so in fact that the compliance by the owner with a substantial public health notice amounted to a subsidy by the owner to the tenant. ]\Iany tenants had ex- pressed willingness to pay more rent if the owner did some repairs and painted the exterior. The Rent Act 1957 is making an ex- tremely useful contribution to property maintenance by securing the repair and painting of many houses which had been neglected for years. Some of the unpleasant consequences of - the Act which emerged during the late months of the year were the almost patlietic attempts by some tenants to prepare a schedule of de- fects on Form G. A statement is made to the effect that there is no bath; no hot water supply; the W.C. is outside in the back yard, and no back entrance. A few small defects are enumerated and serious defects are overlooked. Some elderly tenants living in old houses whose rent will be double and in some cases 214 times last years rent have not completed a Form G for fear of being evicted, and others have reduced the list of defects to a very low level becau.se of the same fear. Only a few instances have come to notice of the larger house now decontrolled where the owner has given notice to quit and is not prepared to negotiate with the tenant for a revision of the. rent. The Rent Act procedure by itself will not secure the proi>er maintenance of property. It should be backed up by routine in- spection of houses under the Housing Act provisions and action taken to remedy such defects as dampness due to the absence of a dainp proof course, which is out.side the scope of the disrepair certificate. Now that the owner can obtain a better return from his property there is no valid reason why routine inspection should not be do;ie and repairs enforced if the older properties are not to fall into premature decay. Water Supply. The Canterl)ury and District Water Company own the water undertaking and maintain a very satisfactory .supi)ly to all houses except one in tlie City. This house depends on well water which is filtered before use. Ihe public supplj^ is collected from deep wells in the chalk and is partially lime softened bj' the Comi)any. A minimal dose of chlorine is given, more to keep the apparatus in first-class work- ing condition for an emergency than because the su]iply normally requires it. hive samples of water from houses in various parts of the area weie sent for bacteriological examination and chemical analysis](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2909155x_0036.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
