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Repairs and Unfitness: in Search of Reform

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Housing Law and Policy

Part of the book series: Macmillan Law Masters ((MLM))

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Abstract

About 1,522,000 dwellings in England were unfit in 1996, representing 7.5 per cent of the total stock (DETR, 1998a, Ch. 6). This was almost exactly the same proportion of unfitness in the stock which was found to exist in 1991. Whilst most unfit properties are in home ownership (about 829,000), proportionately most properties in the private rented sector are unfit. Indeed, the proportions are considerably skewed: 6 per cent of owner-occupied properties are unfit, 7.3 per cent local authority, 5.2 per cent RSL, and 19.3 per cent of private rented (representing about 25.8 per cent of all unfit properties). The highest levels of disrepair are found in the private rented sector for properties built before 1964 (for post-1964 buildings, local authority stock is in the worst state of repair). Even so, there are less unfit properties and lower levels of disrepair in the private rented sector than in 1991 (reflecting the different types of property being rented during property market recession).

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© 1999 David Cowan

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Cowan, D. (1999). Repairs and Unfitness: in Search of Reform. In: Housing Law and Policy. Macmillan Law Masters. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14643-7_15

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