0:00:02 > 0:00:05The law says everyone has the right to a safe place to live.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07We want to get your problem sorted out.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09But for thousands of people across Britain,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12the reality can be more hovel than home.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15- That gulley pan was up to the top with- BLEEP.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17This is not right, this.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19'In the battle between tenants and landlords,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'it's local housing officers who are on the front line.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:25This is a really dangerous place to be living.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'I'm Matt Allwright, and I've been training hard,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'ready to join the ranks of the housing enforcers.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:33The fire's in here, you're in there.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- Yes.- You can't get out. 'Tackling problem properties.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:39In the walls, I hear scratching.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41It's a bit of a death trap.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'Dealing with the consequences of nightmare neighbours.'
0:00:44 > 0:00:48- Urine running down the wall. - 'And everything in between.'
0:00:48 > 0:00:51- We want to pass, nothing gets done. - I'm so pleased for you.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55- I feel like I've won the lottery. - You're looking like a bad landlord.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'Coming up, I meet a lady whose passion for pests
0:01:03 > 0:01:07'has pushed the neighbours and the council to take action.'
0:01:07 > 0:01:09The rats were here before I came here.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12She has put chicken carcasses out on the bird table.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Take care, Pat.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18One family's complaints about poor housing conditions may have backfired.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20That's really, really damp.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23We just wanted the stuff to be fixed and we could carry on living here.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28And poor plumbing leaves a tenant overflowing with disgust.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It is coming through into here, and it is all around there.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34A solid puddle of stinky poo and I'm not dealing with it.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36That's fair enough.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42What do you do if you're living near someone who is making your life
0:01:42 > 0:01:44an absolute nightmare?
0:01:44 > 0:01:47The sensible option is to get your local authority involved
0:01:47 > 0:01:49and let them sort it out.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54In Lowestoft in Suffolk, housing officer Sandy Campbell
0:01:54 > 0:01:55is on the case of a homeowner
0:01:55 > 0:01:58whose feeding of wildlife in her back garden
0:01:58 > 0:02:01has resulted in her neighbours' homes being infested with rats.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04After repeated warnings from the council,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06the case is now going to court.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08So what we're applying for
0:02:08 > 0:02:11is a criminally related Antisocial Behaviour Order.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I don't want the defendant to be fined,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16I want her to stop causing the problem
0:02:16 > 0:02:19that's so badly adversely affecting these neighbours.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I'll be meeting Sandy and the team from the council
0:02:22 > 0:02:24at the woman's property a little later on.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26'But first, I'm keen to find out from neighbour Nicky
0:02:26 > 0:02:31'how the rat infestation has affected her and her family.'
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Hello. Nicky? I'm Matt.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39Over by the pampas grass there, we've got a huge nest,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41like a big dome, where they all go in.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43They're walking all around our garden.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48- So you see these regularly, do you? - Yeah, they come out during the day,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52we've got plenty of pictures with them walking around the garden.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55And we've got holes all along the fence.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00- So these are coming from next door? - Yeah.- We know that for certain?
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Yeah, because she has put chicken carcasses out on the bird table.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07She thinks she's doing good by feeding the birds.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Well, it sounds like the neighbour, Patricia Ann Symonds,
0:03:10 > 0:03:15is running some kind of restaurant for rats. If that's not bad enough,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19the infestation is having a serious impact on Nicky's kids.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20This is my son's room,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24he has actually been sleeping on the floor in our room
0:03:24 > 0:03:27because he's worried about the rats getting in
0:03:27 > 0:03:28and under the bed.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31He don't feel safe in his home any more.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36- It's not great, growing up with that fear already there.- No.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It's the sort of thing you keep with you for a while, isn't it?
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Yeah, I mean, he's nearly ten,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45and since he's been here that's all he's known.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47You've always got that fear
0:03:47 > 0:03:49that there are going to be rats on the doorstep.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Yeah. It's annoying that you've got a garden
0:03:52 > 0:03:54and you can't use it.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Yeah.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Sad.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Are you all right?- Yes. Yeah.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Maybe this time, she will listen.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03She will listen.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It's no wonder Nicky's so upset -
0:04:07 > 0:04:09not only are her kids terrified,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12but rats can spread all sorts of dangerous bugs.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Things are now so bad, she's considering selling up.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It's a shame that you should have to think about moving.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Yeah, just through somebody. Cos it's a lovely road.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I mean, we even asked the council to buy our house,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29but whether they would, I don't know.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Last straw with it, I think.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36It's clear that Nicky and her family are really suffering here,
0:04:36 > 0:04:37but they're not on their own.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41On the other side of the infested property is Jane.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- You are convinced that that's where they're coming from?- Yes.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46What makes you so convinced?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I've actually witnessed next door putting food out in the gardens,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and we've spoke to her numerous times, you know,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53"Can you stop putting it down?"
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But she just can't see that she's causing the problem.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Show me your rat holes.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Rat holes, welcome to my world.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02We'll shut the door,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04cos I'm learning to do that in this neighbourhood.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06SHE LAUGHS
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- As you can see, they're down there. - So that's right under the patio?
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Yeah, as you can probably see, my patio has collapsed.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13Oh, my God, look!
0:05:13 > 0:05:16So they go right underneath that, totally undermine it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19If you look at that end, as you can see, and here, they just...
0:05:19 > 0:05:21So is that where they are?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Are they under there now, do you think? Hiding away.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I don't know about that.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Oi, get out, come and eat this poison.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'It's looking pretty bad for the neighbours on both sides.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'The question now is,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37'will being served with a criminal Antisocial Behaviour Order
0:05:37 > 0:05:41'stop Patricia from her feeding activity?
0:05:41 > 0:05:45'Before Sandy and the team arrive to inspect the property again,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'Patricia has agreed to meet with me.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:50What your neighbours are saying,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and other people are saying, is you're putting food out
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and that is encouraging rats to come in to your back garden.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58OK, so I put food out to feed the birds,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02but it's not on the ground, as they have insisted.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06As far as I'm concerned, the rats were here before I came here.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10You know, they just don't appear out of nowhere, Matt.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14'Well, that might be true, but putting food out can't help.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'Despite Patricia not having the tidiest back garden,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20'it's not the rat run I might have been led to expect.'
0:06:20 > 0:06:24What we haven't got here is any food that I can see.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27No, you can have a look, and you can see.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29And I can't see any rats, OK?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- No.- So I'm not walking in here and seeing rats scatter.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- How often do you see rats in your back garden, Pat?- I haven't.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I haven't. I haven't seen one
0:06:38 > 0:06:41for a long, long while.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But it's true, Matt, I'm not out here that often.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47'Well, Pat might not be,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51'but Nicky's kids haven't been able to play outside for months.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53'However, Pat's adamant that it's not her fault.'
0:06:58 > 0:07:01'Coming up, council officers find some damning evidence.'
0:07:01 > 0:07:04There's fresh rat droppings down here,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07so we're going to need to bait up the back garden.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17In St Helens, Merseyside housing officer Pam Coppock,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and her colleague Chrissy Nevitt are investigating a complaint.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23We're going to have a look at one of the houses
0:07:23 > 0:07:26that appear to have issues about possible sewage
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and blockages in the main sewer.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30We can have a general look around the area
0:07:30 > 0:07:34and have a look around the house and see what's going on, really.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It's Pam's job to assess any hazards in the property,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41using the Housing Health And Safety Rating System.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43It sounds like tenant Dave has plenty to complain about.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Well, the electrics, for a start, keep shorting
0:07:47 > 0:07:48and going out
0:07:48 > 0:07:51and, if it happens on a night, me freezer defrosts.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Plus the drainage round there,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56I have been complaining about since December,
0:07:56 > 0:07:57it's all just been flooded,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and it's all blocked up with, well, poo.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I'm not going to be the one doing it
0:08:02 > 0:08:05when the landlord's promised to do it, you know?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Dave isn't alone.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Over half of the 7,000 rental properties in St Helens
0:08:10 > 0:08:13would fail what's known as the Decent Home Standard
0:08:13 > 0:08:15applied to council-owned properties.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Let's hope this isn't another one.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Hello, is it David? Hi, David.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24- Is it all right if we come in?- Yes. - Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Just to explain why I'm here and what happens,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28when we receive a complaint,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and we know there's a private tenant in the house,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33we have a statutory duty
0:08:33 > 0:08:35to come out and do an inspection, OK?
0:08:35 > 0:08:37That inspection includes
0:08:37 > 0:08:39any risks that you might be aware of
0:08:39 > 0:08:42that might compromise your health, safety or welfare.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45You've got that sewer out there, no lights working,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47and the lights keep tripping as well
0:08:47 > 0:08:51and I have to go down there in the dark and flip the trip switch,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I just don't like electricity.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54No, I don't blame you.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Do you know what's gone on, do you know who the new tenant is...
0:08:58 > 0:09:00- The new owner, do you know anything?- No.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03It seems the identity of the landlord is a mystery,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06so Pam will need to track him down.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But first, there's the matter of Dave's unusual flatmate.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- Have you really got mice? - Yeah.- Have you?
0:09:12 > 0:09:13- OK.- I've called him Kaiser,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15cos he disappears like that,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and he's got a funny back leg.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20His back leg's a bit wonky
0:09:20 > 0:09:22so I don't want to kill it or catch it.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24I just leave it. He doesn't like chocolate,
0:09:24 > 0:09:25so I give it bit of cheese.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28You really don't need to encourage it!
0:09:29 > 0:09:32If you put it in a cage and call it a pet, that's different,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35but if you let it run around, ten-to-one it'll be 600 mice
0:09:35 > 0:09:36at the end of the year.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39If you see one mouse, they're not on their own, you know.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42This one is, though, and I even heard it digging in.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It took, like, three days to scratch its way through
0:09:45 > 0:09:46from under the stairs.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- Is that where it's come from?- Yeah.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Mm, it sounds like Kaiser the mouse
0:09:50 > 0:09:54has met very little resistance on this invasion,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58and even got collaborator Dave to serve up his favourite meals.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00I'm just going to have look under the stairs
0:10:00 > 0:10:02to see if I can find any holes
0:10:02 > 0:10:04or any points where the mice
0:10:04 > 0:10:07or any other pests can get into.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11There's a little bit of rubble,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and I think he might be dropping in through there,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17cos there's some plaster and concrete on the floor.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Go on, what do you feed him?
0:10:19 > 0:10:22A little cheese, he likes bits of toast with cheese on,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and ends of pizzas and that, he finishes them.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Don't like chocolate, though.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Everyone told me mice like chocolate.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30It's good chocolate, nice, dark Belgian chocolate.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32He won't touch it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35He's probably feeding a nest-full, you know that, don't you?
0:10:35 > 0:10:36It's not good.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I'm sure Kaiser the mouse enjoys a fine and varied menu,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42but if the tenant is found to be causing the infestation,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45they could be liable for pest-control costs,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48so encouraging him probably isn't a good idea, Dave!
0:10:48 > 0:10:51You can't have mice running around, it's not good.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Dave's hungry housemate is just one thing
0:10:54 > 0:10:58on a list that also includes a broken oven and dodgy electrics.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01As soon as you open it, this doesn't work.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Smoke, it's burning, whatever it is,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07the smoke keeps setting the smoke alarm off.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09We'll be finding out later on
0:11:09 > 0:11:13that these could be the least of Dave's problems.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15It was just like a porridge,
0:11:15 > 0:11:16- big pudding of- BLEEP.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Back in Lowestoft,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Patricia leaves food out for the wildlife in her garden,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28but refuses to believe it's attracting rats.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32As far as I'm concerned, the rats were here before I came here.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Following years of complaints from her neighbours,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37she's been given a criminal Antisocial Behaviour Order,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and now housing officer Sandy Campbell is here
0:11:40 > 0:11:42with the council pest controller
0:11:42 > 0:11:45to try to deal with the rat infestation once and for all.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Obviously I will be coming on the land,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49the warrant is with private-sector housing,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I'll come on the land with you.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I want it dealt with as sensitively as possible.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55The whole point is we eradicate the rat problem
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and make as big of a headway into that as we can.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00I spoke to Pat earlier on.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02I went in there and I said, "Let's have a look,"
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and she showed me the back garden. I couldn't see any rats,
0:12:06 > 0:12:07I couldn't see any evidence of food.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Now, it may be that she's had a tidy up
0:12:10 > 0:12:12because she knows everyone's coming today.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I've been visiting this property so much.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I'm seeing rat holes open, rat holes closed,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and shovelling earth over them doesn't get rid of them.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21'As this issue seems to have come to a head,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'Patricia has requested that the police are present.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26'But Sandy's known Patricia for five years
0:12:26 > 0:12:28'and has her best interests at heart.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:32I will still try and deal with this in the most sensitive manner.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I'm still making choices that are actually benefiting her
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and trying to make the situation as easy as possible.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40'Well, Sandy's certainly right
0:12:40 > 0:12:42'about the need to get this problem sorted,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44'for everybody's sake.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'Pest controller Steve is going to lay some new traps
0:12:47 > 0:12:52'and, being an expert, it's not long before he spots the classic signs
0:12:52 > 0:12:53'that kind of passed me by.'
0:12:55 > 0:12:57'Don't forget, I am a trainee.'
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Faeces. And smearing, as they come over.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09That brown mark is as they come round...
0:13:11 > 0:13:13So where would they be right now, then?
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Rats are nocturnal.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Generally you would find them
0:13:18 > 0:13:21at dusk and sunrise, peak activity,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24but generally that would be at night that they would be active.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26You've got gnawing there, you see.
0:13:26 > 0:13:27There is gnawing there, Steve,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and also this earth has been relatively freshly disturbed.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35There are rat holes here, under this earth which has been kicked over.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It looks like a chicken bone in that corner.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40There are certainly plenty of signs that rats are here,
0:13:40 > 0:13:41and you can't ignore that.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43'Holes are one thing,
0:13:43 > 0:13:44'but there's another key sign
0:13:44 > 0:13:47'that the rats are still active in these gardens.'
0:13:49 > 0:13:51There's fresh rat droppings down here...
0:13:56 > 0:13:59..so we're going to need to bait up the back garden.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Steve, what's your verdict?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Obviously she hasn't been feeding here for a while,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06probably because she knew this was happening,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10but there's been a lot of feeding going on
0:14:10 > 0:14:11and that's the problem.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14That's basically why we've reached this point today -
0:14:14 > 0:14:16you're not going to get the bait take
0:14:16 > 0:14:19as long as the food keeps going down.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23There are different ways to feed animals and feed cats
0:14:23 > 0:14:24in your own home
0:14:24 > 0:14:25without leaving it out there
0:14:25 > 0:14:28to cause an attraction for rats.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- OK.- That's what I don't...
0:14:30 > 0:14:32That's the bit I still can't get my head around.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I think the lady thinks, if she stops feeding the animals outside,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37in some way they may starve.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40They won't. I have been here at length
0:14:40 > 0:14:44and spoken to her about how she could continue feeding the birds
0:14:44 > 0:14:46whilst not attracting the rats,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48and none of that has ever been put in place.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51She has not wanted any intervention, she's very private,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55but unfortunately that privacy has impacted very badly
0:14:55 > 0:14:56on the neighbours.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00What I have done, I have put three boxes in your front garden.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Don't feed the birds,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03because what we want to do is get the rats in the boxes
0:15:03 > 0:15:05to get this situation under control.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07I'm hardly ever feeding the birds.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Nope, but we'll be coming back, probably in about ten days.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Well, hopefully people will be satisfied then.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Well, I hope so too, Pat.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17Find out later if the plan works.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Here in Britain you only have to look out of the window
0:15:24 > 0:15:28to work out why so many of the calls that come into housing departments
0:15:28 > 0:15:30concern damp homes.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Sometimes it's not always obvious
0:15:33 > 0:15:35how the water's getting in.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38That's when you need skill and experience -
0:15:38 > 0:15:40the skill and experience I don't have.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45In Tendring Council in Essex,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Housing officers Ian and Grant
0:15:47 > 0:15:50are off to see a family who believe their health is being affected
0:15:50 > 0:15:52by their damp home.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55This came out of housing allocations, didn't it, this one?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Well, it says here, "Property in disrepair,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59"ongoing problem with damp and mould issues.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02"Glen from allocations visited the property in December
0:16:02 > 0:16:04"and told her to contact us."
0:16:04 > 0:16:05Righty-ho.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Damp affects almost 1 million properties across the UK,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11so it's not surprising it's one of the most common calls
0:16:11 > 0:16:13housing officers get.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17- It's here, mate. - Whoa, yeah. Well done.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Looks like it's this little bad boy.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Hello. Tendering District Council.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26One of our housing allocation officers came to see you
0:16:26 > 0:16:28back in December, is that right?
0:16:28 > 0:16:32That's right. We've got damp, mould, virtually everywhere,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- near enough everywhere in the house.- Right.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39And it's affecting my partner's and my son's health.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- Right.- He's severely asthmatic.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43I'm affected a lot more in the winter
0:16:43 > 0:16:45because, obviously, our roof leaks as well,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and as you'll see up the stairs.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48You still got a roof leak, have you?
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Well, the guy said...
0:16:50 > 0:16:52The landlord said he fixed it
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and sent someone to fix it, but the wall's still damp.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58You can see new patches where new damp has come.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- Right, OK. Do you want to sort of run us through?- Yes.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- Where do we start? - You start knocking on the wall...
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Areas of blown plaster.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08There's all blown plaster all the way.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10That's all right, I think, that bit.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Yeah, that sounds a bit more...
0:17:12 > 0:17:15It's all... Pretty much all this whole section here.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19This is where you can see it's starting to come damp again.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Even my relatively untrained eye
0:17:21 > 0:17:24can see that the damp marks on the walls
0:17:24 > 0:17:25show there has been a major leak.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27But as a housing officer,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28I'm starting to learn
0:17:28 > 0:17:31everything isn't always as it seems.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33IAN: Do you know when this was painted outside?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36They did paint it...last year.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39They came and put a little bit of filler in there.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- GRANT:- Well, that's interesting to hear.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Where did they fill it, did they fill it at the back here?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Pretty much 90% of the house they filled.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Right, OK, because that tells me again
0:17:48 > 0:17:50that, potentially, because this is solid...
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I don't know if you can see these lines?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54They're like blocks.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Now, probably what's happened is the water's sheeted against it.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Where the cracks are, the water gets behind it,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01it has seeped into the structure.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05You have then got a situation where you paint that structure.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- It's sealed the water in...- Exactly.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- So what's the water going to do? - That's it, it's got nowhere to go.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12And it's going to go one way.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13It's starting to look like
0:18:13 > 0:18:16the landlord has made repairs to the outside walls,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18but that these may have trapped the damp inside.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22It also looks like the damp could be affecting the family's health.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- Is that your boy?- That's me stepson.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29In that back room. How old is he?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31He's 13, he's got asthma the same as me.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And in the winter, it gets on his chest
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and it gets on my chest a bit as well. He gets very wheezy.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39Nobody knows for certain
0:18:39 > 0:18:41if living in a damp house can cause asthma,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45but experts are agreed that the mould that grows in damp
0:18:45 > 0:18:47produces spores that can make it worse.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51The dampness in the house, it hasn't been fixed.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55He's done a couple of bits of work, the problem still hasn't been fixed,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59and it is just... It's an ongoing problem
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and it's not great for my kids or my partner.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Their health is deteriorating
0:19:03 > 0:19:06because of the mould and the dampness is in the house.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Cor, that's really, really damp, innit?
0:19:09 > 0:19:11You move your hand and it just... You got covered in paint.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14'In the winter, I hate it.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15'I hate it so much.'
0:19:15 > 0:19:20It's so cold, and the expense to try and warm that house up...
0:19:20 > 0:19:23You wouldn't believe me if I told you!
0:19:23 > 0:19:25GRANT: Crikey, yeah.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- IAN:- The white stuff isn't actually mould,
0:19:28 > 0:19:29that's actually salt.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31So when the water comes through the brick work,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33it brings salts out of the brick with it as well,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and that's the white stuff you can see.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38So it's not going to be harmful to your health, just wipe it off.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40The tenants in this house are doing what they can
0:19:40 > 0:19:42to keep the mould at bay.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44But the salt coming through the walls is another clue
0:19:44 > 0:19:47that the problem may not be a current leak.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Have you actually seen water on there or has it just appeared?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52No, it's just appeared from the damp...
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It could be historic, if they've done those flashings,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56it could be what's in the structure coming out.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Now, I've been to enough damp houses by now
0:19:58 > 0:20:01to know that there is one more check that needs to be done.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05And unfortunately for Ian, it involves a ladder.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I have gone up on ladders before. It has been known,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09but I don't relish the prospect, I have to say.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It's not something I enjoy doing.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- We'll stitch you up, don't worry. - Yeah, thanks.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Coming up, the cause of the damp is confirmed,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21but tenants Chris and Elizabeth discover
0:20:21 > 0:20:24that it only makes their problems worse.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I received a letter
0:20:26 > 0:20:29saying I have to vacate within a month.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It's the job of housing officers up and down the UK
0:20:35 > 0:20:39to defend your right to a decent place to live.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- You're not sleeping here, are you? - Oh, no, no, no.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46'I'm going to be working alongside the men and women who do just that.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48'It is just room after room of devastation.'
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It's just every room you go in.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53'I'm hitting the streets, I'm learning on the job...'
0:20:53 > 0:20:55That is just soaking up all the water
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and bringing it straight into the house.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00'..to find out what it takes to make your house'
0:21:00 > 0:21:01is fit to be called a home.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02People here are at risk.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04I'm not happy about this property.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Your tenant is still living here and is still paying her rent.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We just wanted the stuff to be fixed so we could carry on living here.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Next, I'm heading to the town of Smethwick in the West Midlands
0:21:17 > 0:21:19to join housing Hercules Roy Nicholls
0:21:19 > 0:21:22en route to yet another problem property.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28It's a complaint from the occupants,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31who basically have said that the landlord...
0:21:31 > 0:21:33They've asked the landlord on numerous occasions
0:21:33 > 0:21:36to carry out some repair work,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40and basically he's not doing anything at all for them.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43'Since house prices soared,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46'this area has seen a huge surge in the number of landlords
0:21:46 > 0:21:48'converting homes into bedsits.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50'Although they may be cheap,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52'this way of living can be far from cheerful,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55'as Roy and I are about to discover.'
0:21:56 > 0:22:00So one of the problems that you can have, if you've got bedsits,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04is that sometimes the gas meter or the electricity meter
0:22:04 > 0:22:05is in one person's room.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07And when you've got that, of course,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10it means that if that person is out,
0:22:10 > 0:22:11when the meter runs out,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14everybody else in the house is without a supply.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18So that is a problem.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22'All we have to do now is hunt down the hidden gas meter,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'which is not necessarily as simple as it might seem.'
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It's like hide-and-seek, this is.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32There seem to be quite a lot of extension leads across the floor,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34which would make me think
0:22:34 > 0:22:38that there maybe aren't enough plug sockets.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Use your eyes, Matt.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Everything that we do is visual.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44So it's whatever we see.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48So here's your gas meter.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52'OK, not only is the meter in a bedroom behind a lockable door,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56'it's also buried deeper than King Solomon's mines.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'And I've got a theory as to why no-one else can get access.'
0:23:00 > 0:23:02So when he's away, the gas runs out,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05nobody else in here gets gas...
0:23:05 > 0:23:09You know, they haven't got anything - no hot water, no heating, nothing.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11So, again, it's a situation
0:23:11 > 0:23:14where it's in a room, and it's in a locked room.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15And they haven't got access to it.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18They can't get in to give themselves a bath or a shower
0:23:18 > 0:23:19or just heat the house.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21- Yeah.- OK.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25But even more hazardous than the hidden gas meter
0:23:25 > 0:23:27are a whole host of fire risks
0:23:27 > 0:23:29spotted by eagle-eyed Roy.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Any door that comes onto the escape route
0:23:33 > 0:23:36must be able to shut from any angle on its own.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39You can't rely on somebody shutting the door
0:23:39 > 0:23:41if there's a fire in the place.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42You look here...
0:23:44 > 0:23:45That closes the door.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48The problem is that is not strong enough.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50It's a heavy door -
0:23:50 > 0:23:52one chain isn't going to be sufficient
0:23:52 > 0:23:54to shut that door into the frame.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55'And there's worse to come
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'when we spot-check the smoke alarms.'
0:23:59 > 0:24:01BUTTON CLICKS
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Yeah, that doesn't work.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06And yet there's a green light on it.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11The mains, which is on the base, is showing that it's connected,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but because it's damaged, as you've just said,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16you press it, and it isn't working.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21So even though we've got - or we think we've got - detection,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23we haven't.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27That's not the only room where the smoke alarms are out of action.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Nothing.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31That's two out of two, and as I said, they're all linked.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34So I would think, if we tested every one on this circuit,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I wouldn't expect one to work on this.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39BUTTON CLICKS
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Nothing.- Not a sound.- Not a sound,
0:24:41 > 0:24:46and this is the most likely source of a fire in the house, isn't it?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48The kitchen's got to be your top risk.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Beyond the blatant fire-safety hazards,
0:24:50 > 0:24:56Roy and I also uncover a host of serious sanitary problems.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59You've got what looks like an open drain down there
0:24:59 > 0:25:02in this really unpleasant wet room
0:25:02 > 0:25:04that they've created.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07So that means... yes, the water goes down there,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09but anything that happens to be in your drain
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- can come back into this room as well.- Yeah.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I mean, I wouldn't want to come and have a shower in here.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17The tenants sharing this bedsit
0:25:17 > 0:25:19certainly aren't living a life of luxury,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23but the problems here are far more than just cosmetic.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26It's got kind of covered over with a paper thing -
0:25:26 > 0:25:28is that the workings of the...?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- Yes.- That just is wrong, isn't it?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33That's wrong on so many levels.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35'Later on, we'll meet tenant Wayne,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39'and Roy's determined to make his home a better place.'
0:25:39 > 0:25:40You know what they call him in the office?
0:25:40 > 0:25:42They call him the Rottweiler.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50'Back in St Helens, housing officer Pam
0:25:50 > 0:25:53'is inspecting a property with a plethora of problems -
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'including ravenous rodents...'
0:25:55 > 0:25:56What do you feed him?
0:25:56 > 0:25:59He doesn't like chocolate but a little cheese and that.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01You really don't need to encourage it!
0:26:01 > 0:26:02OK.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05'..and dodgy electrics.'
0:26:05 > 0:26:07As soon as you open it, this doesn't work.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Smoke, just... It's burning, whatever is burning,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12that keeps setting the smoke alarm off.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'But there's an even more pressing issue,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17'in the form of tenant Dave's drains.'
0:26:19 > 0:26:22When it rains, right, it's coming up here,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24it's coming through into here, and it's all round there,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28a solid puddle of stinky poo. And I'm not dealing with it.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33It's actually leaked into the main rainwater gully, hasn't it?
0:26:33 > 0:26:35I unblocked some of it myself at first,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- and me mates are like, - "BLEEP,- don't touch it, like,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40"get them to do it."
0:26:40 > 0:26:42- And it was, it was all- BLEEP.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46It's quite interesting - you've got one, two, three...
0:26:48 > 0:26:52..four, five, six feed-ins on one drain.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55It's just going to cause everything to rise up.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59Leaving sewage and drainage defects like that is...
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Well, it's unforgiveable, really.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03It should have been tended to,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05but the house has been up for sale
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and there is a little bit of problem, contentiousness,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10with who the actual owner is,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13so I think it's got lost in the sale.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Worried about the waste,
0:27:15 > 0:27:16Pam has put a call in
0:27:16 > 0:27:20to St Helen's resident sheriff of everything smelly -
0:27:20 > 0:27:21colleague Glyn.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Nothing is too gruesome for Glyn.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Hiya, Glyn, you all right?
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Have you come to see our sewage puddle?
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- Yeah.- We've got a nice bit of sewage for you.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35I don't know why it's coming up there,
0:27:35 > 0:27:36because that's...rain water.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39First things first, they'll need to check the flow.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46I think it's the sink, and I'm going to try the bath now.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Leave that one upstairs running for a minute, please.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- The cold water.- OK.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- Right, you can turn it off now.- OK.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02Ooh, that's no good, is it?
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Luckily, Glen soon gets to the bottom of the blockage -
0:28:06 > 0:28:08armed with a very useful stick
0:28:08 > 0:28:10and what sounds like his own personal bleeper.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17- That gulley pan there was up to the top with leaves and- BLEEP.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- It was just like a porridge, a big pudding of- BLEEP.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22- Yeah, that's what I- BLEEP -
0:28:22 > 0:28:24to be honest with you, I'm not cleaning that up.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26The landlord's... They're the one to do that.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29As I say, I've just done that now, the drain's unblocked -
0:28:29 > 0:28:32if you want to chase your landlord up, by all means,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35- but I've got down there now and it's not even my- BLEEP.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Well, fair enough, no-one asked you to,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39but I'm not cleaning out that.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40Dave, Dave...
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Anyway, I'm done, I'll see you later.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43Because it looks like
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Glyn's cleared it out of the gulley,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49fingers crossed, that'll be the end of it.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51If it's not, you phone me straightaway
0:28:51 > 0:28:53and I get back on to the landlord for you.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56But, in the meantime, when I do a notice on the landlord
0:28:56 > 0:28:58for all the faults that we've seen today,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00that's going to be included to be cleaned up.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Pam and the team will now attempt to track down the landlord
0:29:04 > 0:29:06and advise them to sort out the issues
0:29:06 > 0:29:07or face a hefty fine.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10It's one of those things where it's a rented property
0:29:10 > 0:29:13so it's not attention to detail, it's just rented out.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15And also, just because you're renting a property
0:29:15 > 0:29:18doesn't mean that you can live in absolutely anything,
0:29:18 > 0:29:19you've still got a standard,
0:29:19 > 0:29:23And that's what the Housing Act and the Housing Act Health And Safety Rating System does -
0:29:23 > 0:29:28it ensures the tenant has a minimum standard of accommodation.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Coming up, we find out what happened to Dave's dirty drains.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Back in Tendring, housing officers Ian and Grant
0:29:43 > 0:29:47are out to discover why Chris and Elizabeth's home is damp.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49The dampness in the house,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51it hasn't been fixed.
0:29:51 > 0:29:52It's an ongoing problem
0:29:52 > 0:29:55and it's not great for the kids or my partner.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59Today, our damp-finding duo are on their way back,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01this time equipped with a ladder for some final checks.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04And Ian is feeling nervous.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07- I'm not looking forward to going in the- BLEEP- loft. I hate it.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09You're going up, mate, I tell you.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11- BLEEP!- You're going up first.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13I'm behind you, so you'll be all right.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Well, at least I'll have something large and spongy
0:30:16 > 0:30:18to break my fall, won't I?
0:30:20 > 0:30:23The landlord had recently carried out extensive work
0:30:23 > 0:30:25to both the walls and roof of the property,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29but unwanted water still seems to be seeping in to the house.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Grant and Ian won't rest until they have their answer.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Come on, then, supersonic.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36Yeah, wonderful(!)
0:30:36 > 0:30:37Let's have a look, then.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40I hate ladders...
0:30:40 > 0:30:42- Look at him...- Steady!
0:30:42 > 0:30:43Oh!
0:30:43 > 0:30:46If you look along the top there,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50you'll just see what I think are sort of a few crumbly, soft reds.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52I reckon it's historic.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58You going up a ladder is like you doing your typewriting at work -
0:30:58 > 0:30:59one foot at a time, innit?
0:30:59 > 0:31:00Painful.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05The roof inspection proves to Grant and Ian
0:31:05 > 0:31:06the repairs are good
0:31:06 > 0:31:09and no more water is getting into the property,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12which means there can only be one cause of the problem.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17Looking at this, we've got cracking against the exterior here,
0:31:17 > 0:31:19which obviously has allowed penetrating damp,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21rain ingress into the structure.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23This has now, well, sort of been filled
0:31:23 > 0:31:25and it's painted,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28so it's sealing in any moisture that was in the structure.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Plaster and render will have to come off, brickwork treated, dried out,
0:31:32 > 0:31:34and then re-rendered and set.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37But it's ideal now, cos the summer weather's coming
0:31:37 > 0:31:39so we can get it dried right out.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41It looks like the landlord's done everything he can
0:31:41 > 0:31:44to stop more water coming into the property.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46But it's not solved the problem,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48and the extra work the landlord needs to do
0:31:48 > 0:31:50means very bad news for Chris and Elizabeth.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Since contacting the health environment,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56they have contacted my landlord
0:31:56 > 0:32:00and we had the visit on the Tuesday and the Wednesday.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04On the Thursday, I received a letter
0:32:04 > 0:32:07from my estate agent,
0:32:07 > 0:32:12saying that I have to vacate within a month.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15The family's tenancy is up for renewal
0:32:15 > 0:32:17and the nature of the building work that needs to be done
0:32:17 > 0:32:21means the landlord's decided not to let them renew their contract,
0:32:21 > 0:32:25so the house can be empty while he carries out these vital jobs.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Although he's entirely within his rights to do so,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31of course this will have consequences for the family.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34The kids may have to change schools, which is going to disrupt them.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Especially with my oldest, Kieran, he's autistic and ADHD.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40- He doesn't like change. - He don't like changes.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Wow! Careful, young lady...
0:32:43 > 0:32:46With the council's help, they now have just a few weeks
0:32:46 > 0:32:48before they have to find a new home.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52They possibly might put us in a B&B
0:32:52 > 0:32:54or sheltered accommodation,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57or temporary accommodation.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01But I don't want to do that, cos it's not fair on my children.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05It disrupts everything in the household, with routine,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08and with my older son I have to have a routine,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10because it just disrupts him...
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and he just don't like changes,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15and that's when he kicks off.
0:33:23 > 0:33:24Come back later,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26when we'll discover what happens
0:33:26 > 0:33:28to this family who are facing homelessness.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35'Next, it's back to Smethwick in the West Midlands,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38'where I'm on duty with housing officer Roy Nicholls,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42'responding to tenant complaints about a dangerously dodgy bedsit.'
0:33:43 > 0:33:46- It's got kind of covered over with a paper thing, hasn't it?- Yeah.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48That's wrong on so many levels.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52'Tenants here say the landlord has refused to address the issues,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55'which include a top-up gas meter they can't access.'
0:33:56 > 0:33:59You know, no hot water, no heating. They haven't got anything.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01'During our inspection, we've also discovered
0:34:01 > 0:34:05'that none of home's fire-detection systems seem to working.'
0:34:07 > 0:34:11Here we go. They've all got a hole in them in the same place.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13- They have. - Has someone disabled them?
0:34:13 > 0:34:14That is a possibility on this one.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17If they keep going off in different people's rooms
0:34:17 > 0:34:18and they keep doing that...
0:34:18 > 0:34:20They stick a screwdriver through the front of it.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21- And disable it.- Yes.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24'With tenants clearly smoking in the house,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28'the chances of a fire starting is significantly increased.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31'But, according to Wayne Healy, who's lived here for over a year,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34'the landlord couldn't care less.'
0:34:34 > 0:34:36You know, it's cold in here,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39and the landlord is not cooperative
0:34:39 > 0:34:40in any way whatsoever.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Any faults, it's all our faults.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44He doesn't take responsibility for anything.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46He's bringing me down, literally,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48and I've been putting up with this for over a year now.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Yeah, because you don't really know
0:34:50 > 0:34:52how long you're going to be able to be here.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55No. I'm trying to move, but it's not that easy,
0:34:55 > 0:34:56because it's just lack of money.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59I've just been stuck here, going through it all.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05With Roy, I feel like I'm getting very close to the source,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08to the oracle, the source of all wisdom.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10He's got such a lot of experience.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14His action, could, in a worst-case scenario,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18save the life of five, possibly eight, people.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20We don't know how many are living there.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22But it's very real results,
0:35:22 > 0:35:26and could make a very real difference to people's lives.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Listen, Wayne, thank you for letting us in
0:35:29 > 0:35:30and letting us have a look round.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- You know you've got the best guy you can have with Roy, don't you? - Yeah, Roy has helped out a lot.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Do you know what they call him in the office?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- I'm going to find out now, aren't I? - They call him the Rottweiler.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Rottweiler! I would've called him the Pit Bull.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44He is too big for a pit bull.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48Having "doggedly" carried out his inspection - ugh! -
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Roy the Rottweiler can now start barking at this landlord
0:35:51 > 0:35:55to get his bedsit in shape, or risk a serious fine.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58I will tell him that there is going to be a schedule of works coming,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01but I'm going to see if I can have a meet with him.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04I'll try and mediate between the two
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and see if we can get this sorted in one way or the other, OK?
0:36:07 > 0:36:11- Is that all right? - That's fine, thank you.- Magic.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13The good news is that since our visit
0:36:13 > 0:36:16the council have served a Hazard Awareness Notice
0:36:16 > 0:36:17on the property
0:36:17 > 0:36:20to fix all the problems we discovered on our inspection.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Roy and his team are working closely with the landlord
0:36:23 > 0:36:25to make sure he complies.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34I've seen enough housing cases now to realise that no two are the same,
0:36:34 > 0:36:36and I'm also starting to realise that,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39no matter how much housing law I learn,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43sometimes the best way to get a result
0:36:43 > 0:36:47is to try and get everyone to use a bit of common sense.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50At Suffolk Coastal Council,
0:36:50 > 0:36:52there isn't much that housing officer Theresa Howarth
0:36:52 > 0:36:54hasn't seen in her 20 years in the business.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58But even for the most experienced housing officer,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01every case presents its own unique set of circumstances.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04We're going to a rented property now
0:37:04 > 0:37:07where the tenant has lived in the property, I believe,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10for about 70 years, and is in her 90s.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14At some point in the past, her husband built a lean-to porch,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17and, unfortunately, this porch structure
0:37:17 > 0:37:19is now in a very poor state of repair.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22The home's long-term tenant
0:37:22 > 0:37:24is 96-year-old Olive Wilson.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28I have lived in this house ever since I married.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31That was a long, long time ago.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32This dispute situation
0:37:32 > 0:37:35is causing a lot of distress to her,
0:37:35 > 0:37:36and I understand that,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38but sometimes people's expectations
0:37:38 > 0:37:40of what the council can actually deliver
0:37:40 > 0:37:41are greater than what we can.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43To complicate matters,
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Olive's landlady isn't your typical property tycoon.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48She's also in her 90s,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51so she's responsible for a property
0:37:51 > 0:37:53and really hasn't got the ability
0:37:53 > 0:37:56to carry out the management that's required.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00To help find an amicable resolution to this long-running feud,
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Theresa's enlisted the aid of local councillor Tony Cooper.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Hello, Mrs Wilson?
0:38:08 > 0:38:10- Council?- Yes, I'm Theresa Howarth.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13We met before, some months ago. And you know Tony, don't you?
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Hello, yes.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16This is one...
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Yes, I know you have got a problem there.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23- And that's how my carpet all gets wet.- Hmm, yeah.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Clearly, water is getting in.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30So, the reason this structure was put up in the first place was...
0:38:30 > 0:38:33This, at the time, was the only toilet,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35so, rather than come outside
0:38:35 > 0:38:37in the wet and the cold,
0:38:37 > 0:38:41they built this structure to give them a dry route to the WC.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Now, probably about 25 years ago or so,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45the council gave a grant
0:38:45 > 0:38:47to put an internal bathroom in the property.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49So, because that's not the only toilet,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53this structure is less critical to us than it would have been in the past.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Olive's problem-porch may be redundant,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01but simply tearing it down isn't that straightforward.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03If they demolished it, they would have to,
0:39:03 > 0:39:05as part of the demolition,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08re-route the gas pipe, because it's actually fixed to this structure
0:39:08 > 0:39:10and not to the wall.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13So they would have a more major job to do than just take it down.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18This isn't a very nice way for an elderly lady to live her life.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20I think she finds it really distressing
0:39:20 > 0:39:22that the water is coming in.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Every time she tries to open the door,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25it sticks and it's in danger of falling apart.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28It's really not something that you would want her to put up with.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30It is a worry to a certain extent,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32but there's nothing I can do about it.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35The best the council can do for me
0:39:35 > 0:39:37is to get this all sorted out
0:39:37 > 0:39:39so that I don't have any rain coming in
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and my carpets don't get wet.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46Because carpets are not things you buy every week.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49But unfortunately for Olive,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52resolving this problem isn't simple.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56If this porch was, as history seems to suggest,
0:39:56 > 0:39:57put up by the tenant,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00then repair of it may be the tenant's responsibility,
0:40:00 > 0:40:04and that's the issue that is in contention.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07So, yes, bit of a problem one, really.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Although it seems Olive is liable for the work,
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Theresa can still let her landlord, also a widow in her 90s,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16know what problems her tenant's having.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18I'm just taking some photos, Mrs Wilson.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22- I'm taking some photos. - Not of me?- No, not of you, dear!
0:40:22 > 0:40:24No, don't worry!
0:40:25 > 0:40:28These snaps will be sent to the landlady and her family.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34So, hopefully, these pictures will tell a story,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37so they can envisage exactly what Mrs Wilson
0:40:37 > 0:40:39is having to put up with,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and hopefully that will help them understand
0:40:41 > 0:40:43that it's something that just can't be left
0:40:43 > 0:40:44to go on for ever.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46So, that's my aim.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48- Take care.- Cold hands, warm heart.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Absolutely, cold hands and warm heart.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53- Bye, Olive, take care, dear. - Bye, thank you.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56As it was Olive's late husband who built the porch,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59the structure isn't the responsibility of the landlord.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01For housing officers up and down the UK,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04the law is most often a last resort.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06We're not all about enforcement,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09we're about trying to solve problems for people,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11and that's primarily why I like my job.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13You come along and you have a problem,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16you need to find a solution, and, wherever possible,
0:41:16 > 0:41:18we do that without resorting to the law.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Another housing officer who's mediated between landlord and tenant
0:41:25 > 0:41:27is Pam in St Helens.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30She discovered maintenance in Dave's home had stopped
0:41:30 > 0:41:33because of a legal dispute the landlord found himself in.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35This is now resolved
0:41:35 > 0:41:37and Dave's drains have been cleaned.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I just hope he's stopped feeding Kaiser the mouse.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44In Tendering, Elizabeth and Chris were facing homelessness
0:41:44 > 0:41:47after their landlord decided not to renew their tenancy
0:41:47 > 0:41:49so he could fix a damp problem.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Happily, the family has found a nice new home nearby
0:41:53 > 0:41:56and have settled into a damp-free life.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Sandy Campbell's ongoing case
0:41:58 > 0:42:03involving Patricia Ann-Symonds attracting rats into her garden
0:42:03 > 0:42:06seems at last to be improving.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07Ah, dead rat.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Pest controller Steve Warne went back to Pat's garden
0:42:10 > 0:42:13and, lo and behold, his traps seem to be doing the job,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15although it remains to be seen
0:42:15 > 0:42:18if Pat will uphold her side of the bargain.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Hello, young man.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22We've checked your garden
0:42:22 > 0:42:24and there had been take of bait
0:42:24 > 0:42:26in two of the boxes by rats.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29We found a dead rat this time, so that all looks good.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- Thank you.- OK, thanks very much.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34For neighbours Jane, Nicky, and the kids,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37the future is suddenly looking a little bit brighter.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Hopefully, it's all starting to get a bit better.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45And hopefully we'll be able to use my garden in the summer holiday.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48So, especially for the kids, it will be nice for them.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50At least it's getting sorted now.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56That's it for today.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Join me next time on the front line
0:42:58 > 0:43:00with Britain's housing officers.