Section 129: Interpretation.

Housing Act 1974 · 1974 c.44

Part IX: Miscellaneous

129(1)

In the application of this Act in England and Wales—

  • "the Corporation means the Housing Corporation;

  • "dwelling means a building or part of a building occupied or intended to be occupied as a separate dwelling, together with any yard, garden, outhouses and appurtenances belonging to or usually enjoyed with that building or part;

  • "hostel means a building wherein is provided, for persons generally or for a class or classes of persons, residential accommodation (otherwise than in separate and self-contained sets of premises) and either board or facilities for the preparation of food adequate to the needs of those persons, or both;

  • "house in multiple occupation means a house which is occupied by persons who do not form a single household, exclusive of any part thereof which is occupied as a separate dwelling by persons who do form a single household;

  • "housing association has the meaning assigned to it by section 189(1) of the Housing Act 1957;

  • "improvement grant and "intermediate grant have the meanings assigned to them by section 56(2) of this Act;

  • "operative date means 1st April 1975 or such later date as may be specified under, and for the purposes of, section 17(1) of this Act;

  • "registered, except in the expression "registered charity means registered in the register of housing associations established under section 13 of this Act, and "registration and "unregistered shall be construed accordingly;

  • "registered charity means a charity of which particulars are entered in the register of charities established under section 4 of the Charities Act 1960;

  • "repairs grant and "special grant have the meanings assigned to them by section 56(2) above.

129(2)

In the application of this Act in Scotland—

  • "charge includes a heritable security;

  • "the Corporation means the Housing Corporation;

  • "dwelling means a house within the meaning of section 208(1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966;

  • "heritable security has the meaning assigned to it by section 12 of this Act;

  • "hostel has the same meaning as in section 21(4) of the Housing (Financial Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1968;

  • "housing association has the meaning assigned to it by section 208(1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966;

  • "local authority has the meaning assigned to it by section 1 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1966;

  • "mortgage means a heritable security and "mortgagee means the creditor in such a security;

  • "operative date has the same meaning as in subsection (1) above;

  • "registered means registered in the register of housing associations established under section 13 of this Act, and "registration and "unregistered shall be construed accordingly.

129(3)

For the purposes of this Act a person is a member of another's family if that person is—

(a) the other's wife or husband; or

(b) a son or daughter or a son-in-law or daughter-in-law of the other, or of the other's wife or husband; or

(c) the father or mother of the other, or of the other's wife or husband.

129(4)

In paragraph (b) of subsection (3) above any reference to a person's son or daughter includes a reference to any step-son or step-daughter, and any illegitimate son or daughter of that person, and "son-in-law and "daughter-in-law shall be construed accordingly.

129(5)

Any reference in this Act to any other enactment shall be construed as referring to that enactment as amended by or under any other enactment, including this Act.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.