0:00:02 > 0:00:05The law says everyone has the right to a safe place to live.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06I worry about the fire risk here.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10But for thousands of people across Britain,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13the reality can be more hovel than home.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16How many months ago was it we had this place cleaned?
0:00:16 > 0:00:18The whole of that bit goes black with mould.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Hello?
0:00:19 > 0:00:21In the battle between tenants and landlords...
0:00:21 > 0:00:25- It's your fault, not the dogs' fault. I don't care. - This is what you get.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26..it's local housing officers...
0:00:26 > 0:00:27What's causing that smell?
0:00:27 > 0:00:29..who are on the front line.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32The son's come out with baseball bats and knives, on occasions.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34'I'm Matt Allwright.'
0:00:34 > 0:00:36A lot of this problem is caused by the dogs.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38That's your responsibility.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41'And I'm back on the job, once again joining the ranks
0:00:41 > 0:00:42'of the housing enforcers.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:44It's got that mouse smell.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46'They're tackling problem properties...'
0:00:46 > 0:00:49It feels like an accident waiting to happen.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'..dealing with the consequences of nightmare neighbours...'
0:00:52 > 0:00:54So, I need to tell you that you're committing an offence
0:00:54 > 0:00:55under the Housing Act.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'..and doing their best to help those in need.'
0:00:58 > 0:00:59He was a good old boy.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08'Today, I'm on the hunt for overcrowded properties
0:01:08 > 0:01:09'in east London.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:13None of them really seem to know the others' date of birth
0:01:13 > 0:01:15or full name.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18If they're family, they're not close family.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21The housing team come to the rescue of a pregnant teenager
0:01:21 > 0:01:23who's found herself homeless.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I didn't plan it. I didn't want this.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Didn't want a baby till I was later on.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I think I'm a bit young still.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35'And it isn't the sea I'm sniffing in this Clacton bedroom.'
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I'm going to say it, no-one else is saying it, it smells like pee.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Right now, Britain is in the middle of a housing crisis.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47If you want to buy a property, typically,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52you'll need to have saved almost three years' salary as a deposit
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and that'll get you a mortgage that'll make your eyes water.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59No wonder we've now got more people renting
0:01:59 > 0:02:02than at any time in the last 60 years.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Protecting those renters are the country's housing enforcers.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And in this programme, that's what I'll be training to become.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18With around 35,000 privately rented homes,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21safeguarding tenants' welfare is a huge task
0:02:21 > 0:02:25for the housing team in the London Borough of Newham.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28To help them monitor standards, the council was the first in the country
0:02:28 > 0:02:30to introduce a pioneering scheme
0:02:30 > 0:02:33where all rented properties have to be licensed.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38It's the job of senior private sector housing officer Julia Bull
0:02:38 > 0:02:41to weed out criminal landlords who are flouting the law.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Today, she's carrying out raids on a number of unlicensed properties
0:02:46 > 0:02:48she thinks are being rented out.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I've come along to lend a hand.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53What do you know about the place we're about to go into?
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Well, the intelligence tells us
0:02:55 > 0:02:57that it's possibly a property that's rented that hasn't got
0:02:57 > 0:03:01a property licence. So, we're going to go in and check and to verify that
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and see whether there is people living there
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and if they are, then we'll take some details.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'And the housing team have a few tricks up their sleeves
0:03:09 > 0:03:12'to help them catch out unscrupulous landlords.'
0:03:12 > 0:03:15So, what's the intelligence, where does that come from?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17We have databases that we use.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18Council tax,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20housing benefit,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23we look at 192.com,
0:03:23 > 0:03:24those kind of things, just to see...
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Electoral register, just to see the kind of movement of people
0:03:27 > 0:03:28in and out of the property.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33'Once a suspicious address has been identified, getting access
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'to check exactly who's living there can still be a problem.'
0:03:39 > 0:03:43'So, we've got reinforcements to make sure it runs smoothly.'
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Hello, sir. Do you rent the whole house or do you rent one room?
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- We rent two rooms. - You rent two rooms.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- And how many bedrooms are there here?- Three.- Three bedrooms.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Can we come in and have a chat because it's a bit cold out here?
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- This lady from the council needs to have a look.- Hi.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I need to just get some details.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- My children go to school... - We'll be as quick as we can.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08'We're not even over the threshold
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'and it's clear this place IS being rented out unlawfully.'
0:04:16 > 0:04:20'The occupant is happy to talk to us but doesn't want to be identified.'
0:04:20 > 0:04:22This gentleman is living here with his family
0:04:22 > 0:04:27and there's also another party, I think one other person, living here.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's not his house. He's renting it.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30What's your occupation?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- And how many children have you got here?- Children?- How many children?
0:04:37 > 0:04:38- Three children.- Three children.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42- And you share the house with another lady that you don't know?- Yeah.- Yep.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- And do you know who the landlord is? - I don't know.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- Do you have a contract or anything?- No.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49'The state of the property itself isn't too bad
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'but with a family of five and another woman living here,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'it's seriously overcrowded.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:57So, you can see, one bed
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and cooking facilities over there.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01The TV...
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Just everything that you'd need for life.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07'It's been a successful hit.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10'Although it's unclear whether any subletting has been taking place,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14'we CAN confirm the house is being rented without a licence.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16'And the council won't be wasting any time
0:05:16 > 0:05:18'getting the situation resolved.'
0:05:18 > 0:05:20So, we need to go back to the landlord now and say,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23"We've been to the property, we've got evidence to show it's rented.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25"You need to obtain a property licence."
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Because the property is not in a poor condition
0:05:28 > 0:05:30and it's not particularly overcrowded, it's not too bad,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34we'll probably offer him a formal caution rather than going to court.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36If he refuses the formal caution, then we'll go to court.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'But once we're outside, Julia isn't convinced we've had the full story.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42'She thinks the occupant we first spoke with
0:05:42 > 0:05:46'might be as much at fault for the cramped conditions as his landlord.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:49My gut feeling is that he's probably the only person on the tenancy
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and he's probably subletting the other rooms.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- That's probably why he was a bit cagey, possibly.- Yeah.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55But we'll go and find out.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58But it's not unusual for people to crowd themselves into rooms
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and then split the rent because of, obviously,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04the cost of renting is quite high, especially for a man
0:06:04 > 0:06:06that's a cleaner with three children to look after.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And it was a bit difficult to piece together,
0:06:08 > 0:06:14but it seemed like he was working night shifts and then his children
0:06:14 > 0:06:18would go to school during the day and then that's when he'd sleep.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- Yes.- So, they're kind of hot-bedding.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21'On further investigation,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24'it's clear that the property isn't being sublet.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27'But it's a familiar situation with low-income families being
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'priced out of the property market.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:32A single house like this for a family, which is
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- what it's designed for, is actually too expensive...- It's unattainable.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- ..for most of the families that would want to live in it.- Yes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39So you get these arrangements,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42these kind of ad hoc arrangements, which fly a bit under the radar.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43Yes.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46'Julia needs to speak to the landlord to get a better idea
0:06:46 > 0:06:48'of what exactly the situation is here.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51'So, we're moving on to the next property on her hit list.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53'We don't have to travel far to find it.'
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Funnily enough, we're going just down the road, where there's
0:06:57 > 0:07:00another property that's suspected not to have a licence
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and is being rented out, we think.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- Hello.- Morning. Hello, sir.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- We're just from the council, are you renting this property?- Yeah.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13'So, we've got another unlicensed rental property on our hands.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16'This time the occupants don't want us to film them.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Well, that's a tricky one to get your head round.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23There's a gentleman at the top who says that the other rooms,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27of which there are two, three, possibly,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31are all occupied by his brothers and sisters.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36However, they all have locks on their own doors and none of them
0:07:36 > 0:07:41really seem to know the others' date of birth or full name.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Yeah, I'd be very interested to see what Julia makes of this one.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49If they're family, they're not close family,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51despite the fact they all live together.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54'Join us later when we'll be solving the mystery
0:07:54 > 0:07:58'of whether this place really is home to The Brady Bunch.'
0:07:58 > 0:08:00They said, "We're all brothers and sisters."
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Then they sort of retreated to a slightly different position.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06'And the reality of what housing officers here are battling
0:08:06 > 0:08:07'starts to hit home.'
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Is this what life's like for you in Newham?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12That you can come out and knock on the door and if you get
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- in you're going to find somewhere that's a wrong 'un, basically?- Yeah.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It's bad enough not having a place to call your own
0:08:23 > 0:08:27in any circumstances, but imagine being eight months pregnant
0:08:27 > 0:08:30without a roof over your head.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34That's the reality for 19-year-old Gemma Smith-Tennant in Salford.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Gemma's been homeless
0:08:36 > 0:08:40since the hostel she'd been staying in closed unexpectedly.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43So, she's been sofa-surfing at friends' houses for weeks.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46And a recent stay at her mum's didn't work out.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Fortunately for Gemma, being pregnant and homeless makes her
0:08:51 > 0:08:55a priority for Salford Borough Council and they've moved quickly.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- That's an airing cupboard.- Yeah.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Need to tell you that this is your cooker.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04It's temporary accommodation officer Wendy Greenhalgh's job to provide
0:09:04 > 0:09:07emergency shelter for Gemma until they can find more suitable
0:09:07 > 0:09:10permanent accommodation for her and her very imminent arrival.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- This is your bedroom.- Yeah.- OK.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Um, the door has got a lock on it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Ideally, these properties should be for two people,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- so it should be shared.- Yeah.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22You'd have your own room and everything else would be shared
0:09:22 > 0:09:24but we don't, because of your pregnancy,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- we don't plan to put anyone else here in with you, OK?- Oh, right.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32Finding herself pregnant and homeless was a shock for Gemma.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35I didn't plan it. I didn't want this. If I could...
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Well, I can't change it, I wouldn't change it.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42But I'd have waited till I was about, at least 29.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46So, we've got a bit of a food parcel here for you, Gemma.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51So, there's just tins, that's some long-life milk, some bits of tins
0:09:51 > 0:09:55and pasta and stuff that you can make easily and warm up.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57We've put your bedroom stuff in the bedroom, haven't we?
0:09:57 > 0:09:59And you've got some towels in there.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Gemma was hoping that she'd be able to live back at home with her
0:10:02 > 0:10:07mum and the baby, but after a trial run, she's had to move back out.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08And then you went into the hostel
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- and you thought everything was going to be all right from there?- Yeah. And then it closed down!
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I was gutted cos, like, I was settled and everything.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Gemma's story isn't uncommon.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20There is a high incidence of unplanned pregnancy amongst
0:10:20 > 0:10:23young women living in temporary accommodation.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Providing homeless people with accommodation
0:10:27 > 0:10:29comes at a public cost.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31So, there are the keys.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33And Wendy has to remind Gemma of her responsibilities.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Because you're full duty homeless,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39as you know, if you get an offer of accommodation that you refuse,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- OK, it's called the discharge of homeless duty offer.- Yeah.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Which means that we've then, effectively, done our job
0:10:45 > 0:10:48and if you refuse it without a valid reason,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51we wouldn't provide you with anything else and at that point, then,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54you'd be given notice to leave here. OK?
0:10:54 > 0:10:59Gemma's situation is quite common in terms of people
0:10:59 > 0:11:03that are sanctioned on benefits that have no money or, obviously,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07pregnant people then go from one benefit to another. And it doesn't
0:11:07 > 0:11:11happen instantly, it crosses over and there is a gap in the middle.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16We do have limited funds available for food and stuff like that,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20for people who are moving into properties with nothing.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Whether or not the state should step in to such an extent with cases
0:11:25 > 0:11:29like Gemma is up for debate, but one thing is clear - it's good for her
0:11:29 > 0:11:33baby's sake, at least, that she has the support of people like Wendy.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Feels a lot safer.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Cos I've got a lock on my door and it's mine
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and I know no-one can get in.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47As her due date approaches, the council are urgently
0:11:47 > 0:11:50trying to find Gemma a permanent place to live.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Will she have a real home to bring her baby back to?
0:11:54 > 0:11:58She's going to really struggle to get everything for baby.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02It isn't as easy as it, you know, everybody seems to make out.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15In east London, I've been hitting the streets of Newham with
0:12:15 > 0:12:19senior private sector housing officer, Julia Bull.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Every rental property in the borough has to be licensed
0:12:22 > 0:12:25by the council, so we've been banging on doors
0:12:25 > 0:12:28to identify landlords who are flouting the law.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Hello, sir. Do you rent the whole house?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32We've already come across a bit of a whodunnit
0:12:32 > 0:12:36at one overcrowded and unlicensed rental property.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And the mystery is deepened at a second property,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41where at first it seems as though this is a family home.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- Hello.- Morning. - Do you want to take this one...?
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Hello, sir, yeah. We're just from the council.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48- You are renting this property, sir, yeah?- Yeah.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Although they didn't want to be filmed,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54once inside, Julia's powers of detection have unearthed the truth.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56- None of them are related to each other...- No, you see this...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58..like they first said they were, so...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00They said they were all brothers and sisters and then they
0:13:00 > 0:13:03retreated to a slightly different position where they said,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- "In our country, we are all brothers and sisters..."- Yes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07- "..even though we are not related." - Yes.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10That terminology is used quite a lot and when we come
0:13:10 > 0:13:12across that, we try and infiltrate a little bit further
0:13:12 > 0:13:14because they come from the same area
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- so they class themselves as brothers or family.- Yeah.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19But obviously, in the eyes of the law, it's blood related.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22'Which makes the situation here even more worrying.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:26In terms of the law, then, we go from being one family, occupying
0:13:26 > 0:13:30a house which requires a certain kind of licence and regulation,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34to a house of multiple occupancy which requires that higher level of regulation.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Absolutely, and more frequent inspections
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and a higher level of fire protection and that sort of thing,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42because there is a greater risk with houses that are multiply occupied,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45as opposed to singly occupied, because there's more people
0:13:45 > 0:13:47coming and going, cooking at different times, coming in and out.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And a conversation with one of the occupants has shown that's not
0:13:51 > 0:13:52just a hypothetical risk.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54It's already happened.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- Talking to the lady downstairs, they'd just had a fire...- Yes.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00..because one of them put the fat on
0:14:00 > 0:14:01and the others didn't know about it.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- It's a right old mess in there, isn't it?- Yes.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09The landlady comes here quite frequently, so she obviously knows.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- "Auntie."- Yeah, she obviously knows what's going on, so, er...- Yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14We'll come down quite heavily on this one.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17There really are no excuses for this sort of thing.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21The council have requested additional documentation from the landlords.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Once this is in place, they will then decide whether to prosecute.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Because Newham is full of people who maybe don't earn very much,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33these family houses are being divided up into small portions,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36as small as they will go, and then sublet
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and that's just not what they were designed for.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43And that's what the council, that's what we are trying to fight against
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and combat by doing these checks.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49And there are plenty more suspicious addresses
0:14:49 > 0:14:52on Julia's hit list that need checking.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57Hi there. This property has come up as being rented
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and the landlord hasn't got a property licence for it.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02So can we just come in and have a chat with you?
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Fantastic, thank you.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06The 18-year-old occupant doesn't want to be identified,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08but he's happy to show us around.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11And how much rent are you paying?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- Your mum? OK. Does your mum live here?- Yes.- Where does...
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- Which room does she stay in?- That room.- She stays in there, OK.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21And what's your mum's name?
0:15:21 > 0:15:22And your sister. OK.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25He sleeps in the living room, while his mum
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and 15-year-old sister share one of two bedrooms.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Hello? Hello?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34'It's not just the three of them living in the cramped flat.'
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Well, you can see it's occupied.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41There's a fridge, stuff like that, as well as a kitchen.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43They've locks on the door, so, two rooms now.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45After a bit more detective work,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48it seems the second bedroom is home to an unrelated woman
0:15:48 > 0:15:52and possibly her boyfriend, too, bringing the total to five.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57In the kitchen, environmental health officer Vincent White
0:15:57 > 0:16:01is clear about why overcrowding like this is a recipe for disaster.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- OK, so we've got five people living in here.- Yeah.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05- The kitchen is absolutely tiny. - Yeah.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09We've ended up with a washing machine,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11which you can just about get to,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and then next to it, the cooker.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16And they've been put on the slant to try and squeeze them
0:16:16 > 0:16:19all into this kitchen, which is far too small anyway.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20Yeah, that's right.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22And it's really not serving anybody terribly well.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Every property we've inspected today has fallen well short
0:16:25 > 0:16:27of meeting the council's standards.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And Vincent's quite clear why it happens.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Is this what life's like for you in Newham?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34That you can come out and knock on a door and if you get in,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- you're going to find somewhere that's a wrong 'un, basically.- Yep.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43What we're battling up against is clever landlords with resources
0:16:43 > 0:16:47and the know-how how to maximise their profit.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48It's been a hard day
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and sometimes it's felt like we're swimming against the tide.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54But it's also clear why Newham Council feels that rental
0:16:54 > 0:16:58properties should be registered and inspected.
0:16:58 > 0:17:05Damp, cold, dangerous, overcrowded, probably.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07It's a Newham special.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12It just seems like every door that we're going through in Newham
0:17:12 > 0:17:17with these guys, it's providing us with somewhere
0:17:17 > 0:17:20that's just unacceptable to live.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23And yet, these are people that don't seem to have a choice,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26because that's what there is, that's what they can afford.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Welcome to Clacton. Sunshine, sandy beaches and safe sea bathing.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38The perfect place for a summer's day.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42But we are in the middle of winter and it's not much fun for tenant
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Kayleigh Farrah, who's living in a damp house without a working boiler.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I'm with housing officer Grant Fenton-Jones and we've arranged
0:17:50 > 0:17:54to meet Kayleigh and her landlord's letting agent at the property.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Got a few issues here. Apparently... a problem with the heating?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Boiler doesn't work, been condemned.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Right, walls damp, rising damp, radiators leaking
0:18:04 > 0:18:07and a strange smell in one of the bedrooms. Is that right?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- Yeah, you can smell the...smell. - Right, OK.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11At the moment, we're not sleeping in it.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13The boiler's been condemned, has it?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15It was condemned before we even moved in here,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17but the landlord said he was going to get it fixed.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Importantly, you've got hot water though?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21- Er, we've got the immersion heater. - Yeah.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Around one in three of us in the UK finds it hard to keep
0:18:24 > 0:18:28our houses warm, and this place is definitely feeling the cold.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32The boiler's over there. The leaflet won't come off at the moment.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35So, "Immediately dangerous, gas valve..."
0:18:35 > 0:18:38But this is the key one, here. The gas valve leak.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40The gas valve... You've got a gas leak.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44We've actually got a leak on... this here.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45- That is your gas valve.- Right.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- OK, yes.- See where the button is? - Yeah.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50- So the engineer who has been using...- So there's no gas coming into this at all?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53No, he's capped it off at source, so there's no way that that's usable.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'If a gas boiler is considered even potentially dangerous,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59'the law demands that it must be disconnected straightaway.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:03My immediate reaction, Tony, is if there's a...
0:19:03 > 0:19:05The boiler's being decommissioned like this,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07why not just put a new boiler in?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Well, that was his original plan, he was made redundant,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12so he couldn't afford to do it, basically.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Just for me to understand, Tony, when something like this,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18which is a real main constituent part of the house and making it
0:19:18 > 0:19:23work, when that stops working, does the rent come down at all?
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Well, you're on reduced rent anyway, aren't you?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Because from day one, the rent was sort of less
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- than the market rent because of the problems.- Right.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32And that was something...
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- Did you understand about this when you moved in, then?- Yeah, we did.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41We was under the understanding that we'd move in and we were told
0:19:41 > 0:19:44after he's got a couple of months' rent, then he would do it.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45We were on the understanding of that.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48We head upstairs to see the effect that the broken boiler is
0:19:48 > 0:19:50having on the rest of the house.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53First stop, the spare bedroom occasionally used by
0:19:53 > 0:19:54Kayleigh's nephews.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Are they here often, are they?
0:19:56 > 0:19:59On the weekends they're here, but at the moment we've had to stop
0:19:59 > 0:20:02because obviously the mould and that and they are actually becoming ill,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04- so...- So this is a room you can't use at the moment?
0:20:04 > 0:20:07No, and I can't use my room either.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10This happened, like, when we first actually moved in,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13when we, like, started putting stuff in, it just started doing it.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I'm looking at that and thinking that there's a problem on that
0:20:16 > 0:20:19corner, whether it's guttering or the roofing, you know,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21the tiles have slipped or something like that.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24You are right in what you say, but it could be another reason for it.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And it's an easy one, really. It's to do with the boiler.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- It's just damp, it's just cold in here.- Yeah.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33So, because we've got no heating in this house,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37then this is a cold room, it's exposed to the outside, so you get
0:20:37 > 0:20:40condensation in here on that outside wall
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and then it just lifts the paper up because it's damp underneath.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Coming up, there's a nasty whiff in the bedroom.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- I'm going to say it, no-one else is saying it, it smells like pee.- Yeah.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59In Salford, things are looking up for 19-year-old Gemma.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Pregnant and with nowhere to live,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04she was considered a priority for the council and placed in
0:21:04 > 0:21:08temporary accommodation whilst they sorted out a permanent new home.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11If you get an offer of accommodation that you refuse,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14then you'd be given notice to leave here.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15- Yeah.- OK.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Housing officer Vicky Fitton has been working hard
0:21:20 > 0:21:22to find Gemma somewhere to live.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25For the last four months, Gemma's sofa-surfed.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30She has presented as homeless and investigations have been carried out.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Parents have been spoken to and due to circumstances at home,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Gemma isn't able to go back home.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Until the baby arrives, Gemma has to live on income support
0:21:41 > 0:21:44of £57.35 a week.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48She's going to really struggle to get...everything for baby.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53Pay, gas, electric, council tax, water, TV licence.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59It isn't as easy as, you know, everybody seems to make out.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06With the baby due any time now, Vicky's meeting Gemma
0:22:06 > 0:22:10at the house that, hopefully, will soon be a family home.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- Wow! What do you think? - Looks nice, doesn't it?- Yeah!
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Gemma only got in touch with the council about her situation
0:22:17 > 0:22:20a fortnight ago, when things were becoming desperate.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So they've had to move fast.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27To shortlist for a two-bedroomed property, you need to be at least
0:22:27 > 0:22:2932 weeks pregnant. At that point,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32it's deemed that if Gemma was to go into labour
0:22:32 > 0:22:35at that point, the chances are the baby would survive.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Anything below that, then she'd only probably...
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Well, she'd only get a one-bedroom property.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Because Gemma has no income or savings,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48she's been provided with a selection of goods to stock the house.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Gemma's getting the full furniture pack, because baby's imminent.
0:22:52 > 0:22:58She's got a cooker, a fridge-freezer, beds, cot, storage wardrobes
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and chairs and a sofa. Bedding, cutlery, crockery...
0:23:03 > 0:23:06The council argues that this level of help at the start
0:23:06 > 0:23:09of a tenancy makes it less likely that problems such as rent arrears
0:23:09 > 0:23:11will happen in the future.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Would you like the sofa in this room, love?- Yeah, please.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- They make you work for your money, don't they?- They do, they do.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26VICKY LAUGHS
0:23:28 > 0:23:30- Hello? - Gemma's new landlord, Simon,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32has come to check that she's settling in OK.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Because the urgency in getting Gemma a property where
0:23:36 > 0:23:38she can access medical support and the midwives
0:23:38 > 0:23:41and things like that, it's all been pretty quick,
0:23:41 > 0:23:42so Simon's been really good
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and let Gemma move in and he's just coming around now
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and having a look at what jobs need doing, which he can do around Gemma.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I think that's everything. If you can think of anything else, write it down, yeah? Don't forget.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55There's no point in getting him in and out, in and out, in and out.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Let's get everything done, dusted and then it's sorted. Right, you off?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- I am indeed.- Aw, cheers, Simon. Thank you, thank you very much.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03- Hope you have a good day. - See you later.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Terry will be in contact to do all those jobs...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Yeah, I've got a list, yeah. I've got a list ready for him.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11- That's brilliant, thanks for popping by.- OK, no problem at all. Thank you.- Cheers, Simon. Bye-bye!
0:24:11 > 0:24:14For Vicky, getting Gemma settled in is just the first stage.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17She'll also give advice on budgeting and paying bills,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19so she's a reliable tenant for Simon.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22It's the nicer part of the job, you know, seeing results,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25seeing somebody's journey, you know, from presenting, getting
0:24:25 > 0:24:29placed in temporary accommodation, then finding somewhere suitable.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33- Right, so I'll see you at 11 o'clock tomorrow.- All right.- See you later.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34See you later.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37If you need something, Vicky's the one to go to, because she gets it done.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40She's like, no messing about.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Very happy, yeah. That's one down, that's one down that the...
0:24:43 > 0:24:47There's not as much pressure on me to get out of temporary accommodation.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Affordable housing is reaching a crisis point in the UK.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52But Gemma can relax
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and now look forward to her son's imminent arrival.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Just at the nick of time, really.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01I've got all the baby stuff and everything now.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03So all the baby's sorted.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04Just got to do all the decorating,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07that's the only thing that's left to do.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I'm delighted to report that Gemma gave birth to a healthy baby boy
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and she's now back in her new home, being looked after by her mum.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24Back by the sea in Clacton,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27we've been inspecting a house that's anything but shipshape.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- Boiler doesn't work, been condemned. - Right.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Walls damp, rising damp, radiators leaking and a strange smell in
0:25:32 > 0:25:33one of the bedrooms.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35'Which we can't put off any longer.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38'The time has come to have a sniff around Kayleigh's bedroom.'
0:25:38 > 0:25:39This is my room.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43We haven't been sleeping in this room for a few weeks now
0:25:43 > 0:25:45because, obviously, the smell...
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- You can't get to sleep... - It's a really strong smell.- Right.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51We've been told it's from the radiator, so obviously I've pulled that up.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54We've tried bleach, we've tried Shake 'n' Vac...
0:25:54 > 0:25:55That's like ammonia.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58I've got a feeling, looking at the patching on that underlay, that...
0:25:58 > 0:26:00HE SNIFFS
0:26:00 > 0:26:02And the smell, that something has in the past...
0:26:02 > 0:26:06'Everybody's being terribly polite. This calls for a bit of directness.'
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I'm going to say it, no-one else is saying it, it smells like pee.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- Yeah, yeah. - And that doesn't make any sense.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13I'm sure it's pee.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- And you've sniffed a lot of...- Yeah.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- ..smells in your time.- I have.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19I mean, the way you got down there to sniff the floorboards.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Shows he's committed.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22'It's bad enough inside.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25'What kind of state is the exterior in?'
0:26:25 > 0:26:27They've been converted, haven't they?
0:26:27 > 0:26:31And now there's a massive bit of rot come in on that corner there.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33'It's clear to me that most of the issues in this house
0:26:33 > 0:26:35'could be solved in one step.'
0:26:35 > 0:26:37What needs to be fixed in this house is the boiler.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38It's a big sum of money,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41but it's got to come from somewhere, otherwise this property is...
0:26:41 > 0:26:45You're going to move out eventually cos you'll be fed up with it because you'll be freezing...
0:26:45 > 0:26:49'Time to evaluate what we've seen and come up with a solution.'
0:26:49 > 0:26:52There's, like, one big problem with that property but what you've got is
0:26:52 > 0:26:55an agreement with the tenant in the first place that
0:26:55 > 0:26:59that was acceptable, which seems to have now spiralled out of control.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00Well, basically, I mean...
0:27:00 > 0:27:02They've moved in and they've taken the rent
0:27:02 > 0:27:05with the proviso that the heating's going to be...
0:27:05 > 0:27:09The boiler and the heating's going to be installed before the winter months
0:27:09 > 0:27:11come along, which in principle is OK.
0:27:11 > 0:27:12We're talking about safety.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15We're not talking about inconvenience or, you know,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17a matter of reducing the rent.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Now we're getting to the point where the people in that house
0:27:20 > 0:27:23could be exposed to excess cold over the next couple of months.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Without a shadow of a doubt.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26Obviously we'll have to do something.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29We will do. We'll take it up with the landlord immediately.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32I mean, the boiler will have to be replaced at some point
0:27:32 > 0:27:35so it's either spend that money now or spend that money
0:27:35 > 0:27:40and a whole lot more in another 12 months or two years. OK.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42- Grant, thank you so much. - That's all right.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50A new boiler was installed soon after we filmed,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53but it wasn't fitted correctly
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and was condemned by a gas safety engineer AGAIN.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Kayleigh and her family have now moved out
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and there'll be no new tenants at this address
0:28:02 > 0:28:05until the heating is sorted once and for all.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09That's it for today.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Join me next time on the front line with Britain's housing officers.