VPRS 1824 Properties Condemned under Section 56 of the Housing Act 1958 Files

Section 56 of the Housing Act 1958 (No.6275) enabled the Commission to declare any house unfit for human habitation and to alter or demolish houses accordingly.The Housing Standards Branch was a division of the Housing Commission that ensured Section 56 was complied with. Housing Standards received reports about sub-standard housing and, after subsequent investigations, ordered repairs or demolitions to houses in both country and Melbourne metropolitan areas.Each file contained the following information:* A Report of Inspection of Dwelling.* Certificate of title.* Written reports by the Housing Inspector on particulars of non-compliance.* A Declaration of the Housing Commission, under seal, proclaiming a house to be unfit for human habitation.* Declarations proclaiming the demolition/repairs of a house.The files also contain correspondence from the Secretary of the Housing Commission to tenants advising them of the date on which the house they were occupying was to be demolished. Some files contain correspondence from tenants appealing the decision of the Housing Commission.Unit 239 contains information about tender applications, costs of demolitions and photographs illustrating sub-standard conditions.The Section 56 files were part of the process of ensuring that Housing Commission standards were maintained and that the interests of both the dweller of the sub-standard house and the Housing Commission were cared for.Although administrative use has ceased, these files provide the only records in custody of the Housing Commissions justifications for the demolition of housing.These records are significantly different from the routine maintenance records as they provide evidence of the living conditions of the most disadvantaged sections of the public.

《1958年住房法案》（第6275号）第56条授权住房委员会宣布任意房屋不适合人类居住，并可据此对房屋进行改造或拆除。住房标准科是住房委员会的下设部门，负责确保第56条的规定得到严格落实。住房标准科会接收关于不合标准住房的相关报告，经后续调查后，向乡村及墨尔本都会区内的房屋下达修缮或拆除指令。

每份归档文件均包含以下内容：
* 住宅巡查报告
* 产权证书
* 住房督察员出具的、关于违规细节的书面报告
* 加盖公章的住房委员会公告，正式宣布某房屋不适合人类居住
* 宣布拆除或修缮某房屋的公告

归档文件中还包含住房委员会秘书致租户的信函，告知其租住房屋的拆除日期。部分归档文件还收录了租户针对住房委员会所做决定提出上诉的往来通信。

第239单元包含投标申请、拆除工程成本相关信息，以及用于展示不合标准住房状况的照片。

第56条相关归档文件是保障住房委员会标准得以维持，并兼顾不合标准住房居住者与住房委员会双方权益的工作流程的组成部分。尽管此类文件的行政使用功能已终止，但它们是现存档案中唯一记录了住房委员会做出房屋拆除决定的官方依据。与日常维护记录存在显著差异的是，这些档案为了解社会最弱势群体的居住状况提供了实证资料。