A landlord of a tenement—
(a) shall maintain it in a habitable condition; and
(b) except temporarily on occasions such as marriage and the like shall not cause or permit the tenement to be overcrowded:
Provided that no proceedings shall be instituted against the landlord in respect of any infringement by him of the provisions of this section, unless a notice in writing that the tenement is not in a habitable condition or that it is overcrowded, has been served upon the landlord or his agent by the Health Officer, and the landlord fails within such time as may be specified in such notice to take such steps as may be reasonably open to him for putting the tenement in habitable condition or for securing the abatement of the overcrowding therein, as the case may be, including, if necessary the taking of legal proceedings for possession of the tenement.