Housing Act 1974

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved


Housing Act 1974

1974 CHAPTER 44

An Act to extend the functions of the Housing Corporation and provide for the registration of, and the giving of financial assistance to, certain housing associations; to make further provision in relation to clearance areas and other areas in which living conditions are unsatisfactory or otherwise in need of improvement; to provide for the making of grants towards the improvement, repair and provision of housing accommodation and for the compulsory improvement of such accommodation; to amend the law relating to assistance for house purchase and improvement and expenditure in connection with the provision and improvement of housing accommodation and of hostels; to raise the rateable value limits under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967; to amend the Housing Finance Act 1972; to amend the law relating to the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants and the enforceability of certain covenants relating to the development of land; and for purposes connected therewith.

[31st July 1974]

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

I The Housing Corporation: Extended Functions

Part I

The Housing Corporation: Extended Functions

S-1 Continuation of Housing Corporation with extended functions.

1 Continuation of Housing Corporation with extended functions.

(1) There shall continue to be an authority called the Housing Corporation and the provisions of Schedule 1 to the 1964 Act (constitution, proceedings and other matters relating to the Corporation) as amended by Schedule 1 to this Act shall continue to apply in relation to the Corporation.

(2) Without prejudice to any specific function conferred on the Corporation by or under the following provisions of this Act or any other enactment, the Corporation shall have the following general functions, namely,—

(a ) to promote and assist the development of registered housing associations and of unregistered self-build societies;

(b ) to facilitate the proper exercise and performance of the functions, and to publicise the aims and principles, of registered housing associations and unregistered self-build societies;

(c ) to establish and maintain a register of housing associations, to exercise supervision and control over registered housing associations and, to such extent as the Secretary of State may require, to act as his agent with respect to the consideration of applications for and the payment of grants to registered housing associations; and

(d ) to undertake, to such extent as the Corporation consider necessary, the provision (by construction, acquisition, conversion, improvement or otherwise) of dwellings for letting or for sale and of hostels and the management of dwellings or hostels provided by the Corporation.

(3) The Corporation shall exercise their general functions subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this Part of this Act and Parts II and III thereof.

S-2 Control by Corporation of dispositions of land by housing associations.

2 Control by Corporation of dispositions of land by housing associations.

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section,—

(a ) a registered housing association may not sell, lease, mortgage, charge or otherwise dispose of any land, and

(b ) an unregistered housing association may not sell, lease, mortgage, charge or otherwise dispose of any grant-aided land, as defined in Schedule 2 to this Act,

except with the consent of the Corporation.

(2) Subsection (1) above shall not apply to a disposition by a housing association which is a registered charity if—

(a ) the disposition is one which, by virtue of subsection (1) or subsection (2) of section 29 of the Charities Act 1960 (certain disposals not to take place without an order of the court or of the Charity Commissioners), cannot be made without such an order as is mentioned in that section; or

(b ) the disposition is of land which is not grant-aided land, as defined in Schedule 2 to this Act, and is one for which the sanction of an order under the said section 29 is not required by virtue of subsection (3) thereof (certain dispositions excluded from the requirements of that section).

(3) The Charity Commissioners shall consult the Corporation before making any order under section 29 of the Charities Act 1960 permitting a disposition which, apart from subsection (2) above, would be a disposition requiring the consent of the Corporation.

(4) Subsection (1) above shall not apply to the grant of a lease for a term ending within the period of 7 years and 3 months beginning on the date of the grant unless—

(a ) there is conferred on the lessee (whether by the lease or otherwise) an option for renewal for a term which, together with the original term, would expire outside that period; or

(b ) the lease is granted wholly or partly in consideration of a fine.

(5) Without prejudice to the generality of the expression ‘dispose’ in subsection (1) above, in subsection (4) above the expression ‘lease’ includes an agreement for a lease and a licence to occupy and the expressions ‘grant’ and ‘term’ shall be construed accordingly.

(6) Any reference in this section to the consent of the Corporation is a reference to an order under the seal of the Corporation giving their consent.

S-3 Acquisition of land.

3 Acquisition of land.

(1) The Corporation may acquire land, whether by way of purchase, lease, exchange or gift—

(a ) for the purpose of selling or leasing it to a registered housing association or an unregistered self-build society; or

(b ) for the purpose of their general functions under section 1(2)(d ) above.

(2) For the purpose of the purchase of land in Scotland by agreement by the Corporation, the Lands Clauses Acts (except so much thereof as relates to the acquisition of land otherwise than by agreement, and the provisions relating to access to the special Act, and except sections 120 to 125 of the Lands Clauses Consolidation (Scotland) Act 1845 ), and section 6 and sections 70 to 78 of the Railways Clauses Consolidation (Scotland) Act 1845 (as originally enacted and not as amended by section 15 of the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Act 1923 ) are hereby incorporated with this section, and, in construing those Acts for the purposes of this section, this section shall be deemed to be the special Act and the Corporation shall be deemed to be the promoters of the undertaking or company, as the case may require.

(3) The Corporation may be authorised by the Secretary of State to purchase land compulsorily for any purpose for which they could acquire it by agreement under subsection (1) above.

(4) The Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) Act 1946 or, as the case may be, the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 shall apply in relation to a compulsory purchase of land by the Corporation under subsection (3) above as if the Corporation were a local authority and as if that subsection were contained in an Act in force immediately before the commencement of that Act.

(5) In Scotland the Corporation (without prejudice to their own power to acquire land compulsorily) may request the Scottish Special Housing Association to acquire land compulsorily on their behalf for any purpose for which the Corporation may purchase land compulsorily as provided in section 175(2) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966 .

(6) The powers of acquisition conferred by this section may be exercised as respects any land notwithstanding that it is not immediately required for selling or leasing as mentioned in subsection (1)(a ) above or for the purpose of any of the Corporation's general functions under section 1(2)(d ) above.

S-4 Provision of dwellings or hostels and clearance, management and development of land.

4 Provision of dwellings or hostels and clearance, management and development of land.

(1) The Corporation may undertake the provision or improvement of dwellings or hostels on any land belonging to them.

(2) The Corporation may clear any land belonging to them and carry out any other work on the land to prepare it as a building site or estate, including the laying out and construction of streets or roads and open spaces and the provision of sewerage facilities and supplies of electricity, gas and water.

(3) The Corporation shall have power to repair, maintain and insure any buildings or works for the time being on any land belonging to them and generally to deal in the proper course of management with any such land and any such buildings or works and to charge for the tenancy or occupation thereof.

(4) Without prejudice to subsection (3) above, the Corporation may carry out such operations on, and do any other such things in relation to, land belonging to them as appear to them to be conducive to facilitating the provision or improvement of dwellings or hostels on the land, whether by the Corporation themselves, by a registered housing association or by an unregistered self-build society.

(5) In the exercise of their powers under subsection (4) above, the Corporation may carry out any development ancillary to or in connection with the provision of dwellings or hostels, including development which makes provision for any building or land intended for use for commercial,...

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