Housing Act 1969

Contributions towards cost of improvements and conversions carried out by or under arrangements with housing authorities

17 Contributions to local authorities and other bodies for dwellings improved by them or provided by them by conversion

(1) The Minister may pay contributions to housing authorities towards the cost incurred by them in—

(a) the provision of dwellings by the conversion of houses or other buildings ; or

(b) the improvement of dwellings ;

in such circumstances as appear to the Minister to be sufficiently similar to those in which a grant under this Part of this Act might be paid by a local authority had the provision or improvement been by a person other than a housing authority.

(2) Such a contribution is in the following provisions of this Part of this Act referred to as—

(a) a standard contribution, if the cost is incurred only in the improvement of dwellings by the provision of standard amenities which they lack ; and

(b) as an improvement contribution in any other case.

18 Improvement contributions

(1) The Minister may pay an improvement contribution with respect to any dwellings if an application therefor containing such estimates and particulars as he may require is made by a housing authority and approved by him.

(2) When approving the application the Minister shall determine an amount as the allowable cost and that amount shall, subject to the limit imposed by or under the following provisions of this section, be one-half of the aggregate of—

(a) the amount appearing to him to be the cost proper to be incurred by the housing authority for the purpose of carrying out any works required for the provision or improvement of the dwellings ; and

(b) the cost (if any) incurred by the housing authority in acquiring an estate or interest in any building for the purpose of converting it into any of the dwellings or acquiring any estate or interest in any of the dwellings for the purpose of improving it.

(3) Subject to subsection (4) of this section, the allowable cost shall not exceed the amount arrived at by taking for each dwelling provided or improved £1,000 or such other sum as the Minister may by order specify, unless the case belongs to a class with respect to which the Minister, on being satisfied that there is good reason for doing so, has determined a higher amount or the Minister is satisfied that in the circumstances of the particular case there is good reason for determining a higher amount.

(4) Where the dwelling is one in which the housing authority have acquired an estate or interest for the purpose of improving it or is a dwelling provided by the conversion of a house or other building in which the housing authority have acquired an estate or interest for the purpose of converting it into dwellings, subsection (3) of this section shall have effect, with respect to the dwelling, as if £1,250 or such other sum as the Minister may by order specify were substituted for that specified by or under that subsection.

(5) The improvement contribution shall be a sum payable annually for a period of twenty years beginning with the financial year in which the works required for the provision or improvement of the dwellings are completed, equal to three-quarters of the annual loan charges referable to the allowable cost.

19 Standard contributions

(1) The Minister may pay a standard contribution with respect to any dwelling if an application therefor containing such estimates and particulars as he may require is made by a housing authority and approved by him.

(2) A standard contribution shall be a sum payable annually for a period of twenty years beginning with the financial year in which the works required for the provision of the standard amenities are completed, equal to three-quarters of the annual loan charges referable to the allowable cost.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section, the allowable cost with respect to any standard amenities shall be one-half of the cost shown to have been incurred in carrying out the works required for providing them.

(4) If any of the works are not exclusively for the purpose of providing one or more of the standard amenities, only so much of the cost of carrying out those works as is, in the opinion of the Minister, attributable to the provision of the standard amenity or standard amenities shall be taken into account under subsection (3) of this section.

(5) There shall be a limit on the allowable cost, which shall be determined in accordance with Part III of Schedule 1 to this Act.

20 Effect of standard contribution on amount of improvement contribution

Where an application for an improvement contribution with respect to any dwelling is approved after the approval of an application for a standard contribution with respect to the same dwelling section 18 of this Act shall apply in relation to that dwelling as if the limit imposed by or under subsections (3) and (4) of that section were reduced by the amount of the allowable cost determined under section 19 of this Act.

21 Contributions for dwellings provided or improved by housing associations under arrangements with local authorities

(1) Where any arrangements between a local authority and a housing association under section 121 of the Act of 1957 (arrangements for provision of dwellings by conversion or for improvement of dwellings) are made after the passing of this Act the following provisions of this section shall apply (and accordingly section 12 of the [1958 c. 42.] Housing (Financial Provisions) Act 1958 and section 12 of the [1967 c. 29.] Housing Subsidies Act 1967 shall not apply).

(2) The approval of the Minister, both to the making of the arrangements and to the terms thereof, may be given either generally to local authorities or to any local authority or class of local authority or in any particular case and may be given unconditionally or subject to any conditions.

(3) The Minister shall pay a contribution towards the cost of carrying out the arrangements if an application therefor containing such particulars and estimates as the Minister may require is made by the local authority and the local authority certify, in such form as the Minister may direct, that the arrangements and the terms thereof comply with any conditions subject to which his approval was given, and that in their opinion the dwellings will provide satisfactory housing accommodation for such period and conform with such requirements with respect to construction and physical conditions and the provision of services and amenities as may for the time being be specified for the purposes of this section by the Minister.

(4) The Minister shall determine an amount as the allowable cost for the purposes of the contribution and that amount shall, subject to the limit imposed by or under the following provisions of this section, be one-half of the aggregate of—

(a) the amount certified by the local authority as appearing to them to be the cost proper to be incurred by the housing association for the purpose of executing any work required under the arrangements ; and

(b) the amount certified by the local authority as being the cost incurred by the housing association in acquiring any estate or interest in any building or dwelling with a view to entering into or for the purpose of carrying out the arrangements.

(5) Subject to subsection (6) of this section, the allowable cost shall not exceed the amount arrived at by taking for each dwelling provided or improved £1,000 or such other sum as the Minister may by order specify, unless the case belongs to a class with respect to which the Minister, on being satisfied that there is good reason for doing so, has determined a higher amount or the Minister is satisfied that in the circumstances of the particular case there is good reason for determining a higher amount.

(6) Where the dwelling is one in which the housing association have acquired an estate or interest with a view to entering into the arrangements or for the purpose of carrying them out or is a dwelling provided by the conversion of a house or other building in which the housing association have acquired an estate or interest with that view or for that purpose, subsection (5) of this section shall have effect, with respect to that dwelling, as if £1,250 or such other sum as the Minister may by order specify were substituted for that specified by or under that subsection.

(7) The contribution shall be a sum payable annually for a period of twenty years beginning with the financial year in which the works carried out in pursuance of the arrangements are completed, equal to three-quarters of the annual loan charges referable to the allowable cost; and for the purposes of this subsection the definition of " annual loan charges " in section 86(5) of this Act shall have effect as if the reference to a housing authority were a reference to a housing association.

(8) A contribution under this section shall be paid to the local authority, who shall pay to the housing association by way of annual grant an amount not less than the contribution.

(9) Where a dwelling is provided or improved by a housing association in pursuance of arrangements in respect of which a contribution is paid under this section, no grant under this Part of this Act shall be made to the housing association towards the cost of improving the dwelling.

(10) The Greater London Council shall be a local authority for the purposes of this section.