HOUSES AND FLATS

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 247, 20 October 1942, Page 4

HOUSES AND FLATS

NEW RENTS BILL. CHILDREN NO BAR TO TENANCY

P.A.

WELLINGTON, Oct. 20,

The extension of the operation oi' the Fair Rents Act to cover all houses and fiats for the duration of the war and one year thereafter is provided for in the Fair Rents Amendment Bill introduced in the House last night. Discussion on the Bill will take place to-day. An explanation of the nine clauses in the Bill was given by the Minister for Justice, Mr Mason. He .said the Bill frankly recognised that a state of war existed. In the origmal Act -provision was made for certain exemptions but that was at a time ■ when the authorities did not want to do anything to discourage building, and fiats had been exempted. Today the war interfered with building and that policy could not operate to the same extent. The result was that now all buildings were to be included. Mr Mason said that roorns had always been included under the Act, but an exemption had. been made when there was board provided. Rooms were now to be included without reservation. The only type of dwellings now exempt were licensed premises. All dwellings, fiats or otherwise, big or little were included and the limit oi" £3 had gone out. The Bill did not de'al with business premises pure and simple, and buildings used partly as business premises and partly as a dwelling were now brought within the scope of the legislation. "It has happened that women whose husbands had gone to the war had taken in boarclers and this was previously claimed constituted business premises," continued Mr Mason. "That will not now occur as this Bill is drawn." Another provision was protection for sub-tenants. In the past the sub-tenant lost all rights when the head lease was terminated. The Bill does not say the sub-tenant has rights in every case but that he has rights in certain cases. A similar clause makes tenancies of dwelling houses to which the principal Act applies binding on mortgagees. Another clause prohibits the refusal to let houses to people because they have children. The Bill restricts rents to that payable on September 1, 1942, and in cases where a house was not let on that d-qte the rent payable will be that which was last previously paid.