Housing Act 1974

91 Appeals against improvement notices

(1) Within 6 weeks from the service on the person having control of the dwelling of an improvement notice, that person, the occupying tenant (if any) of the dwelling or any other person having an estate or interest in the dwelling may appeal to the county court against the improvement notice in accordance with the following provisions of this section.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) below, the grounds on which an appeal may be brought under this section are all or any of the following.—

(a) that it is not practicable to comply with the requirements of the improvement notice at reasonable expense;

(b) that the local authority have refused unreasonably to approve the execution of alternative works, or that the works specified in the notice are otherwise unreasonable in character or extent;

(c) that the dwelling is within an area declared to be a clearance area under Part III of the [1957 c. 56.] Housing Act 1957 and, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, it would be unreasonable for the local authority to require the works specified in the improvement notice to be carried out;

(d) that the dwelling is not, or is no longer, without one or more of the standard amenities ;

(e) that, in a case where the improvement notice requires the improvement of the dwelling to the full standard, the works specified in the notice are inadequate to secure that the dwelling will attain that standard;

(f) that some person other than the appellant will, as the holder of an estate or interest in the dwelling (whether or not that estate or interest entitles him to occupation), derive a benefit from the execution of the works and that that person ought to pay the whole or part of the cost of the execution of the works;

(g) that the improvement notice is invalid on the ground that any requirement of this Part of this Act has not been complied with or on the ground of some informality, defect or error in or in connection with the improvement notice.

(3) Without prejudice to the grounds on which he may appeal by virtue of subsection (2) above,—

(a) an owner-occupier may bring an appeal under this section on the ground that the local authority are in error in considering that the circumstances specified in section 85(3) above exist in relation to the dwelling; and

(b) the occupying tenant may bring an appeal under this section on the ground that the condition in section 88(2)(d) above or, as the case may be, section 89(6)(b) above for the service of the improvement notice is not fulfilled.

(4) Subject to the following provisions of this section, on an appeal under this section the court may make such order either confirming or quashing or varying the improvement notice as the court thinks fit.

(5) An improvement notice shall not be varied on an appeal under this section—

(a) so as to extend the period within which the works specified in the notice are to be carried out; or

(b) so as to require the carrying out of works to improve a dwelling to the full standard if the works specified in the notice were works to improve the dwelling to the reduced standard ; or

(c) so as to require the carrying out of works to improve a dwelling to the reduced standard if the work specified in the notice were works to improve the dwelling to the full standard.

(6) Where an appeal is brought under this section on the grounds specified in paragraph (f) of subsection (2) above (with or without other grounds), the court may on hearing of the appeal make such order as it thinks fit with respect to the payment to be made by the other person referred to in that paragraph to the appellant or where, by virtue of section 93 below, the works are carried out by the local authority to the local authority.

(7) In so far as an appeal under this section is based on the ground that the improvement notice is invalid, the court shall confirm the improvement notice unless satisfied that the interests of the appellant have been substantially prejudiced by the facts relied on by him.