12 | General Plan of Housing Committee
The following plan for handling applications for cottages to be built by contractors was followed in the main by Committee V:
1. Original requests were to be received by mail only and references were to be consulted by mail; but in reality many persons came to the office to file their applications.
2. When this work was finished and the case indexed the application was placed before the Housing Committee for:
a. Such further investigation as it deemed necessary.
b. Action by Committee.
3. When the Committee decided to make a grant, directions showing the kind of house to be built, the amount to be paid to the contractor, and the amount of the instalments to be paid by the applicant, were written on a slip and attached to the application.
4. The applicant was then notified of the action of the Committee and was told that he must execute the proper contracts with the bank selected by the Committee, as follows:
a. If the applicant were the owner of the land, a note and mortgage binding him to repay the agreed instalments were drawn up and deposited with the bank, or
b. If the applicant were a lessee or had a contract to purchase the land, a conditional contract of purchase providing that the title to the cottage was to remain with the bank till paid for, together with a consent and waiver from the owner of the land, so that the owner of the land would not get a title to the house until all of the payments were completed.
c. The applicant was required to produce a receipt showing that he had paid to the Board of Public Works the necessary deposit for opening the street and making proper sewer connections.
5. When the above papers had been executed and presented to the bank the Committee was notified at once.
6. Orders were then given to the contractor to proceed with the building of the house.
7. Arrangements were made with the auditing department for drawing and forwarding the checks to be paid when so ordered and signed by a representative of the Committee.
8. The contractor was required to send notice by mail to the Housing Committee when each building was completed.
9. Thereupon an inspector was sent to examine the house and report back to the Committee in writing within 24 hours.
10. When a satisfactory report was received from the Committee’s inspector the contractor was paid and the house turned over to the applicant.
The above outline of the method of procedure followed by the Committee, while perhaps not adhered to strictly in every case, was, in general, the usual plan adopted and served to expedite matters to a considerable degree.
In order to clarify the matter of the kind of houses the Committee would erect, they provided drawings for four or five different styles of buildings. These plans, with the price of each attached, were displayed by the Committee to all applicants, who selected the one desired in accordance with the price they were able to pay. However, the buildings actually erected were changed in minor features by the applicant or contractor with the consent of the Committee. The Committee engaged various contractors in no way connected with those retained by the Land and Building Department for the erection of camp cottages.