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Common Lodging House & Boarding House Licence Cards
Description
Unique IDAS-0783Start dateBetween 1st January 1933 and 11th January 2006Start date qualifiercircaFormatCardDescriptionIn 1932, By-Law No. 40 - Common Lodging Houses, was proclaimed. This gave Council the power to control and regulate common lodging houses. This series contains the license cards for the lodging houses, later boarding houses.
There are three sets of cards in this series.
1. Licence cards 1933-1957 - item numbers 001 to 106, Albion Street to St Andrews Place.
2. Licence cards 1982-1997 - item numbers 107 to 142, Argyle Place to Windmill Street.
3. Licence cards 1961-2006 - item numbers 143 to 847
Further details on these sets:
1. Licence cards 1933-1957 - item numbers 001 to 106
The cards in this set are arranged alphabetically by street address from Albion Street to St Andrews Place. They record the following information: expiry date of current license, receipt number, name of licensee, fee paid and date paid, date of registration, and remarks. The remarks column is used to note when the building is demolished or the lodging house closed, when a license is refused, or money refunded. The back of the card was used to note any complaints, notices served, or prosecutions. Licensees could be prosecuted for having too many lodgers, or unclean premises.
Throughout this period, a Common Lodging House was defined as a property that provided accommodation on a nightly basis, while a Residential Lodging House provided accommodation on a weekly basis.
2. Licence cards 1982-1997 - item numbers 107 to 142
The cards in the second set are arranged alphabetically by street address from Argyle Place to Windmill Street. It does not include cards for boarding houses in the areas transferred to South Sydney City Council in 1989, though some of these addresses appear in the third set of cards. It is likely that these cards were transferred to South Sydney City Council's custody in 1989 and then returned to the City of Sydney when the two Councils amalgamated in 2004.
Unfortunately, it appears that the cards for the period in-between set one and set two (from 1958 to 1981) are missing. A search of the Health Unit in 2002 failed to find any additional cards.
Under the Local Government Act 1993 common lodging houses were reclassified as boarding houses. At this time, Council became responsible for Class III boarding houses (with more than 12 people), and ceased to keep records of smaller houses. It also ceased to license the houses but was still responsible for inspecting them.
The cards record the following information: address, contact name, number of kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, hand basins and showers, name of licensee, licensing period, whether it was new, a renewal or a transfer (column headed RTN), date recommended, number of bedrooms, numbers of boarders/lodgers, the date of inspections, and any remarks. This remarks column has a number of shorthand remarks in it (rec for recommended, sfy for satisfactory, PNA for phone not answering, NACL for not available card left, NHCL for not home card left, CTT for ceased to trade). The health surveyor's code (eg FG) is initialled next to the remarks. The real initials of the health surveyor were not used.
The back of the card has space for further comments and often includes works that needed to be carried out to bring the property up to the required standards. Many of the houses were owned by the Department of Housing and the remarks include details of the relationship between the licensee and the Department.
3. Licence cards 1961 to 2006 - item numbers 143 to 847
This set of cards were transferred to the City of Sydney in 2006 when the Health Inspectors stopped annotating the cards and recorded details of inspections in Pathways, Council's Geographic Information System database. The last inspections recorded on the cards were carried out on 11 January 2006. At this time inspections were only carried out in response to complaints. This set dates from 1961 to 2006, with the majority of entries dating from the 1980s and 1990s.
Most of the cards record the street address, receipt number, license period, amount paid, name of manager, and license number. They are often stamped with 'Ceased to Trade'. A small number of the cards relating to Class III and IV boarding houses record address, contact name, number of kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, hand basins and showers, name of licensee, licensing period, whether it was new, a renewal or a transfer (column headed RTN), date recommended, number of bedrooms, numbers of boarders/lodgers, date of inspections, and any remarks. The back of the card was used to note any complaints, notices served, or prosecutions.
In 1993, an officer of South Sydney City Council compiled a list and database of boarding houses over and under ten rooms that were trading in 1993, and boarding houses which had ceased to trade as at 1993. The majority of these premises do not have cards in the Archives. Copies of this typed list and 2006 report from this database are kept an Information Folder for Boarding Houses in the City Archives. The database recorded the address, business name, and type of boarding house (Class 1B, Class 3, Private Hotel, Guest House, or Backpackers). Relationship summaryCREATED BY: City Health Department AG-0073 (01/01/1933 to 23/07/1979)
CREATED BY: Health and Community Services AG-0006 (23/07/1979 to 31/12/1992)
CREATED BY: South Sydney City Council City Environment Department AG-0219 (1/7/2002 to 6/2/2004)
CREATED BY: South Sydney City Council Health and Community Services Department AG-0034 (1/1/1989 to 1/7/2002)
CREATED BY: City Planning, Development and Transport AG-0209 (15/12/2003 to 11/1/2006)
CREATED BY: City Development and Projects AG-0206 (1/9/2002 to 15/12/2003)
CREATED BY: City Development AG-0135 (01/01/1993 to 28/08/1996)
CREATED BY: Living City Services AG-0177 (28/08/1996 to 1/4/2001)
RELATED TO: Health inspections of premises AY-33 (22/01/1982 to 11/1/2006)
RELATED TO: Licensing and inspection of boarding and lodging houses AY-81 (01/01/1933 to 11/1/2006) LanguageEnglish (eng)
There are three sets of cards in this series.
1. Licence cards 1933-1957 - item numbers 001 to 106, Albion Street to St Andrews Place.
2. Licence cards 1982-1997 - item numbers 107 to 142, Argyle Place to Windmill Street.
3. Licence cards 1961-2006 - item numbers 143 to 847
Further details on these sets:
1. Licence cards 1933-1957 - item numbers 001 to 106
The cards in this set are arranged alphabetically by street address from Albion Street to St Andrews Place. They record the following information: expiry date of current license, receipt number, name of licensee, fee paid and date paid, date of registration, and remarks. The remarks column is used to note when the building is demolished or the lodging house closed, when a license is refused, or money refunded. The back of the card was used to note any complaints, notices served, or prosecutions. Licensees could be prosecuted for having too many lodgers, or unclean premises.
Throughout this period, a Common Lodging House was defined as a property that provided accommodation on a nightly basis, while a Residential Lodging House provided accommodation on a weekly basis.
2. Licence cards 1982-1997 - item numbers 107 to 142
The cards in the second set are arranged alphabetically by street address from Argyle Place to Windmill Street. It does not include cards for boarding houses in the areas transferred to South Sydney City Council in 1989, though some of these addresses appear in the third set of cards. It is likely that these cards were transferred to South Sydney City Council's custody in 1989 and then returned to the City of Sydney when the two Councils amalgamated in 2004.
Unfortunately, it appears that the cards for the period in-between set one and set two (from 1958 to 1981) are missing. A search of the Health Unit in 2002 failed to find any additional cards.
Under the Local Government Act 1993 common lodging houses were reclassified as boarding houses. At this time, Council became responsible for Class III boarding houses (with more than 12 people), and ceased to keep records of smaller houses. It also ceased to license the houses but was still responsible for inspecting them.
The cards record the following information: address, contact name, number of kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, hand basins and showers, name of licensee, licensing period, whether it was new, a renewal or a transfer (column headed RTN), date recommended, number of bedrooms, numbers of boarders/lodgers, the date of inspections, and any remarks. This remarks column has a number of shorthand remarks in it (rec for recommended, sfy for satisfactory, PNA for phone not answering, NACL for not available card left, NHCL for not home card left, CTT for ceased to trade). The health surveyor's code (eg FG) is initialled next to the remarks. The real initials of the health surveyor were not used.
The back of the card has space for further comments and often includes works that needed to be carried out to bring the property up to the required standards. Many of the houses were owned by the Department of Housing and the remarks include details of the relationship between the licensee and the Department.
3. Licence cards 1961 to 2006 - item numbers 143 to 847
This set of cards were transferred to the City of Sydney in 2006 when the Health Inspectors stopped annotating the cards and recorded details of inspections in Pathways, Council's Geographic Information System database. The last inspections recorded on the cards were carried out on 11 January 2006. At this time inspections were only carried out in response to complaints. This set dates from 1961 to 2006, with the majority of entries dating from the 1980s and 1990s.
Most of the cards record the street address, receipt number, license period, amount paid, name of manager, and license number. They are often stamped with 'Ceased to Trade'. A small number of the cards relating to Class III and IV boarding houses record address, contact name, number of kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, hand basins and showers, name of licensee, licensing period, whether it was new, a renewal or a transfer (column headed RTN), date recommended, number of bedrooms, numbers of boarders/lodgers, date of inspections, and any remarks. The back of the card was used to note any complaints, notices served, or prosecutions.
In 1993, an officer of South Sydney City Council compiled a list and database of boarding houses over and under ten rooms that were trading in 1993, and boarding houses which had ceased to trade as at 1993. The majority of these premises do not have cards in the Archives. Copies of this typed list and 2006 report from this database are kept an Information Folder for Boarding Houses in the City Archives. The database recorded the address, business name, and type of boarding house (Class 1B, Class 3, Private Hotel, Guest House, or Backpackers). Relationship summaryCREATED BY: City Health Department AG-0073 (01/01/1933 to 23/07/1979)
CREATED BY: Health and Community Services AG-0006 (23/07/1979 to 31/12/1992)
CREATED BY: South Sydney City Council City Environment Department AG-0219 (1/7/2002 to 6/2/2004)
CREATED BY: South Sydney City Council Health and Community Services Department AG-0034 (1/1/1989 to 1/7/2002)
CREATED BY: City Planning, Development and Transport AG-0209 (15/12/2003 to 11/1/2006)
CREATED BY: City Development and Projects AG-0206 (1/9/2002 to 15/12/2003)
CREATED BY: City Development AG-0135 (01/01/1993 to 28/08/1996)
CREATED BY: Living City Services AG-0177 (28/08/1996 to 1/4/2001)
RELATED TO: Health inspections of premises AY-33 (22/01/1982 to 11/1/2006)
RELATED TO: Licensing and inspection of boarding and lodging houses AY-81 (01/01/1933 to 11/1/2006) LanguageEnglish (eng)
Access
Public access statusOpen to public access
Identification and Arrangement
Source system ID783System of arrangementAlphabetical
Relationships
Creating agenciesHealth and Community ServicesCity Health DepartmentLiving City ServicesCity DevelopmentCity Development and ProjectsCity Planning, Development and TransportSouth Sydney City Council Health and Community Services DepartmentSouth Sydney City Council City Environment DepartmentRelated activitiesLicensing and inspection of boarding and lodging housesHealth inspections of premises
Common Lodging House & Boarding House Licence Cards [AS-0783]. City of Sydney Archives, accessed 04 Dec 2024, https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/63363