Rooms to Let
Snt,—Mr. Edward Hodgkin in his article-interests himself in the 1946 Furnished Houses (Rent Control) Act, and the Rent Tribunals set up by Mr. Aneurin Bevan with power to fix rents. No notice is taken of the fact that the Rent Tribunals have assumed the right-to deal with land- lords of unfurnished property, who are at the same time under the exist- ing law that they shall not increase the rents of unfurnished rooms beyond the amount charged for such accommodation in the year 1939.
I know that this is so, as I was one of the victims who were taken before the Rent Tribunal, not alone to account for the rent charged but to show cause why 1 should not give an extension• of time to an undesirable tenant of an unfurnished room. Happily I was able to carry the war into the enemy's camp to such purpose that the impudent application of the tenant was dismissed, but I was not recompensed, as I feel-that I ought to have been, for all the trouble and expense involved in filling in numerous forms at the behest of the Tribunal, and attending their summons.
I ventured, with fear and trembling, to challenge the jurisdiction of -
the Tribunal, but had to walk delicately, as, if I had-taken a strong line with such an authority and they had taken a strong line with me, I might possibly, human nature being what it is, have found my last state to be worse than the first, as the. Tribunal has ultimate powers vested in itself, no dfan daring to make it afraid.
All this is linked up with the intolerable state of things which pre- vails, in which owners pf unfurnished property of the letting kind are entirely prevented from increasing their rents beyond the amounts paid in 1939, although municipalities, who-are public landlords in the same line of business, can and do increase their rents at their own sweet will, even to unfurnished-room tenants.
Will you kindly excuse me, Sir, from giving publicity to my name and address, as if they are given, I do not know what pains and penalties 1 might thereby incur.—Yours faithfully, A LANDLORD.
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