Episode 11 The Housing Enforcers

The law says everyone has the right to a safe place to live.

-Seen those flies?

-Yeah.

But for thousands of people across Britain,

the reality can be more hovel than home.

Just vermin, vermin, filth.

Whoa!

It's not me, it's the landlord!

In the battle between tenants and landlords,

it's local housing officers who are on the front line.

-No, we're not, we're coming in.

-No, no.

-The police...

-Excuse me.

I'm Matt Allwright...

I'm trying to understand how the property could be

in this condition, while rent is still coming in.

I'm back on the job,

once again joining the ranks of the housing enforcers.

It smells like pee.

This is somebody's playground.

They're tackling problem properties...

It just feels like a time bomb.

..dealing with the consequences of nightmare neighbours...

-And he called me a

-BLEEP.

..and doing their best to help those in need.

We can stand here and look at the very rich people, looking back down.

Today, some uninvited guests turn up in an East London kitchen.

We just heard a squeak. What did that sound like to you?

It did sound like a mouse.

In Suffolk, we go after some flagrant fly-tippers.

I've cleared a huge amount of stuff.

That's quite distinctive, isn't it?

You'd surely noticed somebody bringing that out.

We inspect the empire of a self-proclaimed

-king of the Cumbrian landlords.

-All that block's mine.

That block there, that's all mine, as well. I own a substantial amount.

You could call it Bobbington, rather than Workington, really.

Right now, Britain is in the middle of a housing crisis.

If you want to buy a property, chances are you'll need

to save almost three times your annual salary as a deposit.

And that'll get you a mortgage that'll make your eyes water.

No wonder that there are now more people renting

than at any time in the last 60 years.

And protecting those renters are the country's housing enforcers.

In this programme, I'm training to become one of them.

Three years ago, Newham, in East London,

was thrust into the spotlight as the home of the Olympics.

Yet it remains one of London's poorest areas,

with a serious housing shortage.

A lack of affordable homes in London has led to a boom

in rented accommodation here - not all of which is regulated.

Today, I'm joining housing officer Paul Oatt,

who's investigating what could be an illegally-rented property.

The first thing we're going to do today is have a proper look

at the property. We're going to inspect it from top to toe.

We've been there, done a preliminary visit, to see what kind

of set-up it was, what kind of tenancies we've got there.

So, we've got a family on the ground floor

and a separate family on the first floor.

They're sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities.

-It's not licensed, so that's another issue.

-OK.

So, we're going into this place. Is there any chance at all...

Have we met the landlord, do we know what he or she is going to say

and what their approach will be?

I have notified the landlord that we're coming to inspect

the property. Their reaction was to go straight to the council

-and make a complaint.

-Right.

And also say that they were going to get an injunction, to prevent us

from going to the property.

OK, so, we're dealing with someone who is not necessarily

receptive to the idea of positive change.

-Indeed.

-Shall we go?

-Let's go.

If the landlord does appear, hopefully, we'll catch him

in a good mood. Though Paul's not taking any chances.

He's asked the police to show up, just in case there's any trouble.

There we are. There's the police.

We've come to look at this private house, which has been converted

into a series of crowded bedsits.

A single mum lives on the ground floor, with her three children.

She's agreed to let us in, but doesn't want to be identified.

-Hello.

-Hello there, how do you do?

So, have you had any more contact from the landlord?

She was here yesterday.

-Yesterday, was that after I came?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, OK.

-She came towards the evening, to fix the water.

-To fix the water?

-So, do we have hot water at the moment?

-No, I don't think so.

OK, thanks. Right.

The entire family lives in this through lounge.

We go through from the bedroom in here.

We've got a big bed there and then we've got sofas in there.

And we've got mum and three kids living in this space here.

It's really hot. It's very, very hot in here.

They're using these plug-in heaters to keep warm. There's one here...

Three fan heaters, we've got an oil-filled radiator there, as well.

It's an accident waiting to happen.

Shockingly overcrowded conditions like this haven't been experienced

by most families in the UK since the '30s.

Without your heaters in here, is it very cold?

-Yes.

-Gets very cold. OK.

What makes living here even more unpleasant

is the lack of ventilation.

But the windows don't appear to open.

If you can't open the windows, you haven't got an escape route.

If there was a fire in this living room, you'd be stuck here.

There's no separation, no containment.

And as we move through the house, the problems pile up.

Anything structural about the hallway?

Well, there's no light bulb there.

And also, I'd want to see some kind of smoke and fire detection here.

Because you've got the kitchen there, that's where fires are likely

to start, they could spread straight through here.

-So, you know, there's quite a few things.

-Quite a few issues.

Quite a few issues, with this one.

The kitchen here is in constant use by all the tenants at the property.

What strikes you about this kitchen, Matt?

-This is a cold kitchen and that's never a good thing.

-Yeah.

You know, that's not the right way to heat it.

-I'm trying to think what else I've missed.

-There's no fire door.

-That door there is just an ordinary door.

-And it's wide open.

-Yeah.

And, it seems, this is a shared kitchen, in more ways than one.

We just heard a squeak.

What did that sound like to you?

It did sound like a mouse.

I've not seen any signs of droppings,

but we're going to start to have a look now.

-I think it came from down here.

-It sounded like it was it this area.

Let me just give it a little...

-They've got four-way adaptors everywhere.

-Yeah.

That looks like it could be a dropping.

-It's got that mouse smell.

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

-OK, yeah. So that's lots of mouse droppings.

-That's mouse, yeah.

Nothing else smells like it.

My finely-tuned housing officer's nose tells me

the mice have the run of the place.

Later on, we'll be finding out the fate of the tenant upstairs.

Your landlord has tried to make you say that you are leaving

-because of the council's actions.

-Yeah.

-But that's not true, is it?

-That's not true.

The stunning fells and forests of the Lake District means Cumbria

has some of the most beautiful landscape in the country.

But not everywhere within the borders

of Allerdale Borough Council is an idyllic tourist destination.

The coastal town of Workington used to be a thriving industrial port,

but the demise of its coal and iron industries in the '50s

and then the '80s,

led to widespread deprivation and unemployment.

Today, around a third of all the households claim housing benefit.

As the need for social housing increases,

historically-low house prices have allowed private landlords

to build sizeable property portfolios,

to meet this growing need for low-cost accommodation.

I have got blocks. We own all that. That block there, that is all mine,

as well. The car wash there, that's one of my tenants.

This house here is one of mine.

Ex-market trader Bobby Sharmin got into the housing game

over 30 years ago and now rents out 40 properties around the town.

We have got some units down here.

I've got a house down here. That property there.

We are substantial now.

You could call it Bobbington, rather than Workington, really!

I don't think people would appreciate it being

called Bobbington, so we will stick to Workington!

Also out and about on the streets of Workington this morning

is Housing Officer, Dean Hodgson.

He is well-known to Bobby, as it's his job to make sure any of his

rental accommodation comes up to scratch.

-Hi, Bobby, how are you doing?

-You all right?

-Yes, good thanks.

And today is the latest of many check-ups, as Dean inspects

one of Bobby's houses, with four self-contained flats.

Just having a look, making sure everything is OK.

-Have you had a complaint against one of my properties?

-No, we haven't.

No. We practically inspect all known properties in the area.

So, we are here just to do a routine inspection.

I feel as if you are just picking on my properties.

-Absolutely not the case.

-Are you sure?

-Yes. I can assure you of that.

We will pop in and see.

I will show you around. I have not been in here for some time, mind.

But you've got to understand,

I can't keep an eye on all my properties.

As a housing officer, Dean's primary concern is to assess

any potential hazards that could put the tenant's

health or safety at risk.

If you have any questions while we're going round, just let me know.

Right.

For Bobby, these visits can be a worrying time.

If the flats don't comply with regulations,

he could have some costly work to do.

I notice there is no source of heating in here, Bobby.

No radiator in here.

Right. It is only a small bathroom, mind. Do you need one for there?

I mean, would you not be comfortable having a dump in there?

-There does need to be some source of heating.

-Right, OK.

Bobby eventually concedes his chilly bathroom doesn't comply.

Adequate heating is essential, as temperatures below 16 Celsius

can lead to serious health problems.

Next in the firing line is the bedroom,

as Dean spots a potential safety issue.

If a fire is going to start in a flat, what we need to make sure of

is that there's an alternative means of escape from the bedroom.

So, obviously the issue we have is it's going to be very difficult

for someone to get out of there safely.

So, we need to have a little think

about how we make the means of escape a little bit better.

At my expense, again.

Naturally.

It's likely Bobby will have to shell out for a new window,

with a lower, more accessible opening, to keep his tenants safe.

Fire door with a self-closing device

and smoke seals and strips around it.

Two rooms down and two problems noted on Dean's clipboard.

But can Bobby see his point of view?

He is just doing his job, at the end of the day, which is fine.

But sometimes I think there are a lot of petty things that I think,

"I don't need that".

But you just have to try and get on with it.

He does work with me and I work with him, the best I can.

Dean turns his attention to what looks like damp in the basement.

It looks like we have some water ingress there, as well, possibly.

Any reading over 200 on Dean's damp meter

will spell more trouble for Bobby.

The maximum value is actually 999, which is what we've got here.

So it is actually indicating that the wall is really quite wet.

-Could your machine not be faulty?

-No.

It is calibrated quite regularly.

So Bobby's soggy plaster has pushed Dean's meter to the limit.

It looks pretty grim and could be putting his tenant at risk.

Is that a health problem? I mean...

Absolutely.

If you have a lot of moisture that enters into a dwelling,

it actually increases the level of house dust mites in the air

and that can actually make asthma worse.

Not to mention the potential for allergic reactions to the mould

and sleeping in a bedroom with a horrible smell.

Do you supply them to the landlord,

so they can keep an eye on the properties?

-No, but they are available to purchase.

-I don't think

I can afford one of them.

Later on, Bobby's list of repairs grows longer,

until he reaches breaking point.

-If you have issues with the benefits side...

-There's no-one to talk to.

They all just fob you off to each other.

Next, I'm heading back to Newham, to help housing officer

Paul Oatt investigate a rented property, in which the tenants

are being forced to exist in pre-War conditions.

You've got mum and three kids living in this space here.

That's just the ground floor. Upstairs, there are other problems.

I've got to use this, cos there is...

no lightbulb in the socket on the landing.

'There are three rooms up here.

'It looks like two of them are unoccupied.

And in here...

'We found the broken hot water tank.'

-Oh, man, look at that wiring!

-Yeah.

'This is where the danger facing both adults and children

'living here really hits home.

'Around 50 people die from electrical fires every year

'in the UK.'

Hello?

'The third room up here is occupied by supermarket employee Jayanthi.

'She's been living here for about 15 months,

'but for reasons unknown, the landlady seems to want her out.'

Jayanthi, your landlord has tried to make you sign this.

-Yeah, yesterday.

-And this says, "I..."

on the date that it says here, "..would like to give

"formal notice that my lodger tenancy will come to an end.

"Recent visits by local council/immigration officers

"are the prime cause to concerns for my action.

"My notice period commences on..." -

then the date - "and my vacation date is..."

-..three days ago.

-Yeah. Yesterday, he gave it to me.

-Yeah.

I say, "How do I moving? I not look at house."

'Jayanthi lives here with her partner and pays £500 a month

'in rent, but she's just been given four weeks' notice to move out

'and has no idea why.'

So, if you pay a periodic rent and you have sole use of this

-place here?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? Without your landlord living here?

-No.

-You're a tenant.

-Tenant. But only living this room.

-Is that correct?

-Yeah.

-OK. And that means he can't evict you with this short notice.

This is the bit I don't understand, Jayanthi. It says...

-So, this is supposed to be you, making a statement...

-Yeah.

..that "recent visits by local council/immigration officers

"are the prime cause of concern."

They've prepared this for you to say that you are leaving because

-of the council's actions.

-Yeah.

-But that's not true, is it?

That's not true.

'We know for certain that Jayanthi isn't being chased by immigration

'officials, but it's clear her landlord doesn't want her here.'

Just yesterday, this lady opened the door. I said, "Wait."

"I'll give you the letter to sign. You must sign." Holding a pen.

-"Must sign."

-She was trying to force you to sign it?

She forced me to sign it. I take it. "I give it to you to sign, take it."

As Matt quite rightly told you,

you've got to be served a proper notice to quit and given two months.

The police are going to be made aware that, if anybody...

If there are calls to assist for any eviction here,

that there's been threats of intimidation,

because it should only be a court-appointed bailiff that

tells you that you've got to leave and tries to get you to leave.

They should have a warrant and they should be from the court, yeah?

'The tenants in this house are also subject to rules,

'like this one put up by the landlady.

'It states that shoes must be kept in their rooms

'or they'll be removed,

'but Jayanthi's refused to do this, for cultural reasons.'

My culture - the prayer, no shoes.

You leave your shoes outside the house.

-Are we all right with our shoes in here?

-No problem.

-Sorry.

-No prob.

My culture. I believe. You say, "Where you put it?"

I say, "Only one room. One with two, three shoes, I usually take it out."

"You put it here, you paid £1, £2."

-Have you ever paid that money?

-No. I am argument. Why I pay?

You say, "You don't know the rules, regulations. This is British."

I say, "I know British. I am also 13 years. I paid tax, everything.

"I know everything."

'Just to clarify, there definitely isn't a British law that states

'you must pay a fine for leaving your shoes outside your room.'

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Thank you very much.

-Take care.

-Bye.

-Bye.

The owner of the property has been served with a notice

to get repairs carried out immediately.

If she doesn't comply,

the house could end up being the subject of a court order.

As for Jayanthi,

she's moved out and found herself somewhere more suitable to live,

where the landlord won't charge her

for leaving her shoes in the corridor.

Back in Workington, Allerdale Council's housing officer Dean

is inspecting one of landlord Bobby's 40 rented houses.

So far, he's found a string of problems.

We need to have a little bit of a think about how we make

the means of escape a little bit better.

-OK?

-At my expense again?

Well, naturally.

In order for Bobby's house to comply,

he's clearly going to have to fork out.

But his real concern is about how the money's coming in.

Many of his tenants are on housing benefit.

The council used to pay their rent directly to the landlord,

but that system has now changed.

Getting the rents now is so hard.

You see, the rents are getting paid direct to the tenants now.

Some pen-pusher at the council or government have decided,

"Let's give the tenants the money direct."

But when they get a cheque for nearly £1,000 or £500-£600,

they ain't going to give it to the landlord.

Because the council won't poke at the tenants, we're left with them,

so it's just hard work for the landlords now.

The council will now only consider paying housing benefit

direct to the landlord under exceptional circumstances,

such as when tenants are unable to handle their own finances.

-I'm losing money all the time.

-Mm-hmm.

-The council do not help...

And this is all related to payments being made direct to the tenants.

-I can't really say anything about that.

-Mmm.

The benefits side of things isn't...isn't my role.

-Right.

-That's not why I'm here.

Really, if you have issues with the benefits side,

-then you need to contact...

-There's no-one to talk to, Dean.

They all just fob you off to each other. I mean, I...

There's another tenant there, she's been in the property

since August, still no rent has been paid for this tenant,

cos they keep losing the paperwork at the council.

At the end of the day, it's the tenants' responsibility

to pay their rent to you on time.

It's not the council's, OK?

With dozens of properties on his books,

the good tenants are providing him with a good income,

but it's the bad ones who are giving him a problem.

I can tell you some stories.

In January, I've had two doors kicked in...three doors kicked in.

They're £400 a door and the tenants can't afford to pay for them.

It is a stressful thing, but that's not the council's issue, that's...

that's the clientele that we get,

cos the council can't house them, so they come to us, saying...

It's like Britain's Got Talent. When they come in my office,

it is like Britain's Got Talent.

They'll come in, do a song and dance,

two weeks down the line, it's just all going wrong, so...

Despite what Bobby may feel about the state of some of his tenants,

this house certainly has one occupant who's trying

to get his life back on track.

How are you doing? I'm Dean, from the council.

Oh, you all right, man?

We're just undertaking a routine inspection today.

So, we're just going to have a quick look around your flat,

-if that's OK.

-All right, nae bother.

Six years ago, John was working as a trawlerman,

but he's now unemployed.

He's been living in Bobby's bedsit for 15 months.

But you come from a homeless place, didn't you?

What was it, eh...?

All right, OK.

Was that where Jackie brought you up, who was your carer or something?

Aye, yeah, yeah, I'm still in contact with her.

-So, that was a mental health place?

-Aye, yeah, yeah.

-All right.

Never told me that. I wouldn't have had you!

Aye, but there's all kinds of different men allowed...

I'm only joking, John. I'm only joking.

John, do your radiators get nice and hot, up here?

-Aye, they do, aye, when they're on.

-Fantastic, OK.

-When I put them on.

Yeah...you never have any problems with the boiler going off

-and you not being able to turn it back on or anything like that?

-No.

-No, no, no.

-OK, fantastic.

-It's on.

Erm...probably needs sorted.

In fact, in fact, Bobby's the only landlord I know that,

-when you ask him to do something, he does it.

-Uh-huh, great.

-Not like the rest of them.

-How long are you here, John? Havoc.

-Well, it's the truth, isn't it?

-Ah, thanks.

-Ah...

Bobby definitely seems to have one tenant on his side.

I mean, a lot of them had drug abuse,

mental issues or something like that.

Everybody's entitled to a chance.

I must say, a fraction - when I say a fraction,

I mean, a small fraction of people who've wanted to go the straight way

and wanted to get off and wanted to do everything

and I've housed them. They've been excellent.

They've been absolutely excellent.

-What's happened here?

-Looks like the outside panel's cracked.

-OK.

As Dean completes his assessment of the house,

Bobby has a bit of a to-do list to tackle.

But as the rent's rolling in, the safety and the wellbeing

of his tenants has to be the absolute priority

and he concedes that the upgrades are for the best.

Yeah, I'll get them done, obviously. They must think that

I just sit on my backside doing nothing but, yeah, they'll get done.

I mean, I've had this property for about over ten years.

Touch wood, nothing's happened yet, but...there's always tomorrow.

Something could happen, so, I will get the jobs done.

Keep it right, keep the council happy and I'm...

If they're happy, then it gives me a bit of a break, as well.

All right, I'll catch you later, Bob, right?

-Yeah, thanks very much, John.

-All right, see you later.

Sometimes, it isn't just conditions inside properties

that cause problems for the housing officers.

And it is not always the landlord who is at fault.

In rural Suffolk,

community housing officer Ian Watson is responsible for overseeing

more than 1,400 council-owned, rental properties.

It is a huge job and it is not made any easier by the persistent

fly-tipping by some of his tenants in Sudbury.

'So, I have been roped in, to give Ian a hand.'

I have been doing the job for the last two and a half years

and, constantly, I have to go there and clear the communal areas.

Unfortunately, people will dump sofas, people will dump beds.

Nobody ever seems to know who is responsible.

They would rather make do with a mattress than an angry neighbour.

'Ian's written a letter, outlining the seriousness

'of the situation and invited the tenants to a public meeting,

'where he hopes to encourage them to take more responsibility

'for where they live.

'So, we're going to be going door to door, delivering it by hand.'

I prefer to speak to people, personally, because I think

face-to-face, rather than a letter through the door,

gives a better result. However, there comes a stage

where nicey-nicey hasn't worked!

'And with the pricey-pricey for the continuous clean-up spiralling,

'if his letter does not work, Ian may have to consider

-'more drastic action.'

-It does cost us and it's a nuisance.

At what point, then, do you stop being nice and then say,

"Some of this cost is coming back your way"?

We are going to have to consider upping the rental charges,

in order to get some response. I mean, a couple of prosecutions

wouldn't go amiss.

'I'm starting to feel that Ian is taking advantage

'of my junior status.'

Right, I have reached the end of my list. I have been a bit crafty,

-because there is a few more...

-I noticed that.

-I thought, well,

-as you are my apprentice...

-Make him work!

-..you could do

a few more for me!

Envelopes stuffed, we are hitting the mean streets of Sudbury.

'They are not that mean.

'It's a good job we are here from the Housing,

'not the Highways Department.'

(Look at that, there.)

-This is an example of...

-Bad car parking!

He's lucky that somebody from the council wasn't coming along

-and giving him a ticket for this.

-That's even worse,

-now I've come round this side!

-Split them up, half and half.

-Thank you.

-Right, let's go and look and see what we've got.

'We are barely through the door of the first block of flats

'before it's clear the problem is getting worse, not better.'

Oh, not again!

Was that not there last time? This is more stuff?

I have cleared a huge amount of stuff.

That is quite distinctive, isn't it? You would surely notice

-somebody bringing that out?

-One would think so.

There is some stuff at the top at the top of the fire escape there.

'There is a whole load of new rubbish in an area that has

'only just been cleared.

'Ian is determined to pinpoint the culprits himself.'

Let's go and knock on some doors.

-Oh, we've got some more.

-Yeah.

See, we have cleaned all this.

It's a constant battle, though.

'He wasn't kidding about preferring to tackle things face to face.'

KNOCKING

-Hello, there, sir. Ian Watson, from the council.

-Hello.

-You don't know whose all this is, do you?

-Yeah, it's mine.

-I am going to get it removed.

-Right.

-Give you two weeks.

-Yeah.

-Is that fair enough?

-All right.

-All right. Then, if I come back and it is still here...

All right. So, if you can sort that out.

'Well, I think that tenant has got the message loud and clear.

'But it is just one house. Postman Pat would have his work cut out

'delivering the mountain of mail we have got to get through.

'It's a frustrating situation. The actions of a small minority

'are having a massive knock-on effect on the whole area.'

It is a pain in the bum, isn't it?

When you have got that sort of thing around, you just think,

"Well, if it is like that, I am not going to look after it."

And that tends to be what happens. No-one takes any pride...

It's a downwards spiral.

'If things are going to improve

'without the council taking more drastic action,

'Ian needs everyone behind him.'

-I'm hoping I will get a response. I don't know.

-Yeah, yeah.

It's the first time I have done a letter, but it is actually trying

-to get the community spirit.

-Yeah.

-You are almost overstepping,

a little bit, your job, really, to try and make a bit of difference?

If I can do something, and people are willing to engage with us,

I'm happy to put some of my time into it, you know?

But I need that other response from the rest of the people,

-in order to do it.

-'Whatever the outcome of the letter,

'he is clear the situation has to change.'

-I can't keep doing it.

-No.

-I can't just keep clearing it,

for the sake of it, and spending the council's money.

'We are done for the day. Well, almost. Cos it looks like some

'of the tenants' dogs also leave things where they shouldn't.'

You keep taking me across all of these...

Yeah, but you have got to have eyes in your head.

-You have got to be careful.

-They aren't in my feet!

-'And that's a whole other problem.'

-Seriously, it's a sticker!

That's it for today.

Join me next time, when I'll be finding out

what it takes to become a front-line housing officer.