£35 elsewhere. The middle group comprised all existing controlled houses where the rateable value exceeded £20 in London £25 and 5 shillings in Scotland and £13 elsewhere. These became subject to decontrol by the 1923 Act when the landlord obtained vacant possession or granted a new minimum period two-year lease or tenancy. The remaining controlled houses, the smallest houses, were those with rateable values not exceeding £20/£25.25/£13 as above. These could not become decontrolled piecemeal but were to remain controlled until the Rent Acts expired. If a house within these rateable value limits had become decontrolled under the 1923 Act it was not automatically brought back into control by the 1933 Act. It could remain decontrolled provided the landlord registered it as decontrolled within three months of the enactment of the 1933 Act. Rents could be increased by a percentage of the relevant expenditure to reflect the provision of additional or improved fixtures or fittings made after enactment of the 1933 Act. A tenant of a dwelling that had become decontrolled by this Act had to be served one month's notice that the possession would be required on the date specified in the notice unless a new tenancy had been negotiated before the notice ran out. Succession As has been mentioned above, the right of succession granted in the 1920 Act now required six months' residence except for a widow. A widower could also succeed to the tenancy as a member of his deceased wife's family provided that the six months' test was satisfied. Suitable alternative accommodation The Act also added new grounds for recovery of possession by a landlord (e.g. suitable alternative accommodation being available now became a sufficient ground for the recovery of possession). A second attempt (the first had been made in the 1919 Amendment Act) was made to prevent a tenant from charging an excessive rent on sub-letting part of the premises. Matters were certainly becoming more complicated. More decontrol 1938 After yet another report, this one by Viscount Ridley's Committee, the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Act 1938 was introduced. Scope of decontrol The 1938 Act automatically decontrolled all the more valuable houses in the middle value band (i.e., houses that exceeded £35 in London and Scotland and £20 elsewhere) and prevented any further creeping decontrol (introduced by the 1923 Act) of the lower range of houses in the middle-value band). The 1938