0:00:02 > 0:00:05The law says everyone has the right to a safe place to live.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06- See all these flies?- Yeah.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09But for thousands of people across Britain right now,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13the reality can be more hovel than home.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14Vermin, vermin, filth.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Oooh!
0:00:16 > 0:00:19It's not me. Blame the landlord!
0:00:19 > 0:00:21In the battle between tenants and landlords,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25it's local housing officers who are on the front line.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- No, we're coming in.- No, no.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28- The police...- Excuse me.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30'I'm Matt Allwright.'
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I'm trying to understand how the property could be
0:00:33 > 0:00:37in this condition while rent is still coming in.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39'And I'm back on the job once again,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'joining the ranks of the housing enforcers.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:44It smells like pee. This is somebody's playground.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46'They are tackling problem properties...'
0:00:46 > 0:00:49It just feels like a time bomb.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'..dealing with the consequences of nightmare neighbours...'
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- He called me a- BLEEP.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56'..and doing their very best to help those in need.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:00We can stand here and look at the very rich people looking back down.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Today, I meet two families living in truly shocking conditions.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- And here.- Ah-ha.- Water.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16So when it rains, you get water coming down the light bulb
0:01:16 > 0:01:18- and all over the floor.- Yes.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23A derelict house has been menacing the neighbours for over 15 years.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25We've got rats running about here at night
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and they're coming up that scaffolding to my roof.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31My wife is a nervous wreck with the rats running around.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And helping a hoarder who has been holding on to more
0:01:34 > 0:01:35than just his belongings.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38When you just said quite clearly to me that
0:01:38 > 0:01:42in ear shot of me, that
0:01:42 > 0:01:45you want to end it all, you've got to say that to a doctor.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Right now, Britain is in the middle of a housing crisis.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56If you want to buy a property, typically,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00you'll need to have saved almost three years' salary as a deposit.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04And that'll get you a mortgage that'll make your eyes water.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08No wonder we've now got more people renting than at any time
0:02:08 > 0:02:11in the last 60 years.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Protecting those renters are the country's housing enforcers.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19And in this programme, that's what I'll be training to become.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Newham, in East London -
0:02:24 > 0:02:27famed as the borough that hosted the glory
0:02:27 > 0:02:29of the 2012 Olympic Games...
0:02:30 > 0:02:35..but also recognised as one of the most deprived areas in the country.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41I'm working with housing officer Paul Oatt, investigating
0:02:41 > 0:02:44two properties owned by a landlord who is suspected of operating
0:02:44 > 0:02:48several unlicensed houses of multiple occupancy.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Morning, sorry to trouble you.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56That means any property such as bedsits or shared houses
0:02:56 > 0:02:59where there are more than five unrelated people living separately
0:02:59 > 0:03:01under one roof.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03How many people live here?
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Hmm...
0:03:04 > 0:03:07This is supposed to have a selective licence.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11And that, in Newham, means that it is for a single family.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The occupant that we have met has already said there's
0:03:14 > 0:03:18a number people here, maybe five or six people, all living separately.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22And that makes it a house of multiple occupancy.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Completely different licence required.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27It also means the landlord needs to ensure that things like
0:03:27 > 0:03:29fire safety measures are in place.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31There are a couple of concerns.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Your smoke alarm doesn't work.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35The kitchen is the most likely place for a fire to start,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37it's the most common place.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39If that was to start here and you were asleep,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42you would have no warning of the fire.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- Yes.- And the people upstairs would have no warning.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47So...that's a concern.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Because it is multi-occupied, ideally, this should be a fire door.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55It is just an ordinary door, so smoke can get out,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57fire can spread very easily.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Landlords are legally required to make sure smoke alarms are kept
0:04:02 > 0:04:03in working order.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Let's see if the landlord is complying with regulations at
0:04:10 > 0:04:11his other property.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Hi, good morning. London Borough of Newham Council.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- Your landlord has a licence, yeah? - Yeah.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19And as part of the conditions of the licence,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21we need to come in
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and inspect the property.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25No, I know he doesn't live here.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27How many people do live here?
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- I, my partner, my neighbour's little girl.- OK.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- And my partner and my daughter.- OK.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- So there are two different families here?- Yeah.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Do you have a tenancy agreement? Contract.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44It's already looking like another breach of licence.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48The ground floor is actually home to a Polish family of five -
0:04:48 > 0:04:52a mother and father, their son and two daughters,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55all squeezed into three rooms
0:04:55 > 0:04:59and paying an incredible £1,000 a month for the privilege.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Whoa! This is really small.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- This is a room behind the kitchen. - Yeah, I know.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And son Sebastian's makeshift bedroom represents
0:05:08 > 0:05:10yet another fire hazard.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14This wall is ridiculous.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The wall that we've got here doesn't act as a proper firebreak
0:05:18 > 0:05:21between a room that is a risk
0:05:21 > 0:05:25and somewhere where somebody is sleeping, you know, and living.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27We do have a window at the back.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31- And we have a door here. - So the door there is...
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It's hinged on both sides, so it is actually sealed off.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- It has been screwed in, shut, so you can't get out.- It's OK.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- How long have you guys been here? - Eight years now.- Eight.- Eight years.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Did you make this change yourself, to put this wall in?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46- No, it was here before we came. - Before you came in?- Yeah.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47OK.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50You've got to imagine this family hoped for something a little
0:05:50 > 0:05:53better when they arrived from Poland eight years ago.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Instead, they have got ropey partition walls creating even
0:05:56 > 0:05:58smaller rooms
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and a back door that doesn't even open.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Not only is this place incredibly cramped, it is unsafe.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And mum Agnieszka looks at the end of her tether.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- So, this is your living room? - The living room.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15(But we have also got someone sleeping there. Who is that?)
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- Our little sister. - Your little sister?- Yeah.- OK.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- So this is her bedroom as well? - Yeah.- Agnieszka, where do you sleep?
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- On that bed.- This is your bed here? - It opens up.- Open.- Oh.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- So there are five of you between these rooms?- Yeah.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32So my mum, my dad and my sister in the living room.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I've got my own room and my brother has got the small back room.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Got the room in the back.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39There are things in this place you would change? Or...?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42THEY SPEAK IN POLISH
0:06:43 > 0:06:46THEY SPEAKS IN POLISH
0:06:50 > 0:06:54My mum would change the full house, but she can't afford it right now.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Yeah.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It seems even £1,000 a month isn't enough for decent
0:06:59 > 0:07:01and safe accommodation.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Incredibly, there is more than one family living in this house.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- So there's five of you guys here. - Yeah. And two.- Two people upstairs?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- Yes.- So you have two kitchens here?
0:07:11 > 0:07:14A downstairs kitchen and an upstairs kitchen.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16And also a downstairs bathroom...
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- No, we have one bathroom. - One bathroom.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- And the one bathroom is upstairs? - Right next to the kitchen.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- Upstairs.- So seven of you all share the same bathroom.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26And it's not even a big bathroom.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29It's a bit smaller than my brother's room.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I'll be having a look at what life is like for the family
0:07:32 > 0:07:34upstairs a little bit later on.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35It is so small!
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- This is such a small room. - I know, I know.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43- For seven people!- What happen? - I don't know.- What doing?
0:07:46 > 0:07:48It is becoming clear to me that
0:07:48 > 0:07:52the job of a housing officer isn't only about the properties.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56In fact, it is much more about the people who live in them.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58In Stowmarket, in Suffolk, that is
0:07:58 > 0:08:02something community housing officer Andrew Weavers knows very well.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07You take it home with you.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10You know, you do worry about people and you do...
0:08:10 > 0:08:12They are always on your mind.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Today, he is off to check on a council tenant who has had
0:08:15 > 0:08:19a hard time of it over the last few years.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Charlie Robinson and his wife Florence
0:08:21 > 0:08:25lived together in this house for almost three decades.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28During that time, they built up quite a hoard.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30She used to buy everything.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Didn't matter what it was, she'd buy it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Toasters and all things like that.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39I kept trying to tidy up when she was here, but...
0:08:39 > 0:08:41she wouldn't have it.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Sadly, Charlie's wife Florence died two and a half years ago.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Got cancer all over the place.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Cancer of the breast and everything.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Weren't no way they could save her.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54She is in there at the moment.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56HE SNIFFLES
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Managed to get one in the end,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02otherwise she was in the little...little sweet jar.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06I don't feel as if I want to do anything.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I feel as if I want to end it.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12But I have just got to keep going.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Following Florence's death...
0:09:16 > 0:09:19..the council were able to intervene and brought in a local company
0:09:19 > 0:09:22to help with the mammoth challenge of sorting out
0:09:22 > 0:09:25almost 30 years of hoarding.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Him and his wife were hoarders.
0:09:27 > 0:09:33Their whole house was top to toe full of various different things
0:09:33 > 0:09:36they'd got from car-boot sales, jumble sales...
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Now it is a lot tidier, yeah. It is a lot easier for me.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44But I still can't get up and down the stairs very well.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47This is Andrew's first visit since the decluttering.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50He is hopeful some progress has been made.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53What I want to do is go and have a look
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and also maybe approach the subject of is that property really
0:09:57 > 0:10:00suitable for him, because he has got mobility problems,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03he has got major health problems.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07And sometimes, you know, you have
0:10:07 > 0:10:11got to approach a sticky subject of maybe moving out into a bungalow.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15So, at some point, I would like to have a little chat with him
0:10:15 > 0:10:18about the possibilities of getting himself a nice little bungalow
0:10:18 > 0:10:20and having a fresh start.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The question is, two and a half years on from the declutter,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28is Charlie keeping things under control?
0:10:29 > 0:10:31How are you?
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Good, good.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36I tell you what, even just walking in here, wow!
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Wow, look at this.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40You've got your telly in here and everything. Look, you got...
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Look at that, you've got a fire here. Look. I didn't know that was here.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48HE LAUGHS
0:10:48 > 0:10:51There was so much stuff in here, literally, we couldn't open the door.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It was literally out to here.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- Yeah.- And we've gradually gone through everything else.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Near enough everything in there has got to be saved.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It is still a work in progress, but it is also a huge improvement
0:11:04 > 0:11:06since Andrew's last visit.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09This is the main bedroom, yeah, this one?
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Are they all new, the wardrobes, or were they here before?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- No, they were here before.- Were they?- You just couldn't see them.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17THEY LAUGH
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Florence may have been the biggest hoarder of the family,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25but judging by the fleet of mobility scooters in the back yard,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28it seems Charlie has picked up the hoarding habit himself.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32One, two, three, four... Five of them.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34- Six.- Six, is there?- Here, look.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36THEY LAUGH
0:11:36 > 0:11:38I missed one.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Despite the six - that's right, six - mobility scooters,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Charlie has made real progress.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47I'm really pleased, really impressed.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- You have got friends to help you? - I have got a friend to help me out.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54What does she do? She comes along, takes stuff away?
0:11:54 > 0:11:59She has... All that I'm chucking out, she has - all my walking sticks
0:11:59 > 0:12:01and everything else. I'm nearly...
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Well, I'm nearly out of walking sticks.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- I was thinking about buying some more.- No, don't!
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Don't do that.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09La-la-la!
0:12:09 > 0:12:10I mustn't hear that.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14With the house in such an improved state
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and Charlie in a positive frame of mind,
0:12:16 > 0:12:21Andrew has decided now is not the time to discuss moving.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23To be honest, he looks quite chipper, really.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27He's got a bit of a smile on his face and... Good on him.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30But on Andrew's next visit, it is
0:12:30 > 0:12:33clear the situation is worse than he thought.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36When you just said quite clearly to me that you want it all -
0:12:36 > 0:12:40you know, within earshot of me - that you want to end it all,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42you've got to say that to a doctor.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I'm investigating two properties owned by a landlord who's suspected
0:12:52 > 0:12:57of operating several unlicensed houses of multiple occupancy.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Housing officer Paul and I have seen how one Polish family has spent the
0:13:01 > 0:13:06last eight years crammed into the ground floor of this terraced house.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- How much are you paying for this? - 1,000.- OK.- Right.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13But that's not enough for this landlord who is renting
0:13:13 > 0:13:16the upstairs to another Polish family.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18So, this is your room?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Mum Dorota works as a cleaner.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23She lives here with her teenage student daughter.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Do you have any problems here?
0:13:25 > 0:13:30- Problem with landlord only. - The problem is the landlord?- Yes.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Landlord only wipe around, only.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Only money, money. Nothing.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38He might want the money,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42but the landlord doesn't seem able to keep up with the maintenance.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- So whenever it rains...- Yes.- ..you get water coming through the roof
0:13:46 > 0:13:52- here.- Yes.- And here also, onto your kitchen surface.- Yes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Dorota is having problems with the cramped bathroom, too,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59which, by the way, is the only bathroom in the entire house.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Rain.- Yep.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- Water.- Yeah.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06This electricky.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08- Yes.- Glop, glop, glop, glop...
0:14:08 > 0:14:11So when it rains, you get water coming down...
0:14:11 > 0:14:14- Yes. Open this...- So it comes down the light bulb,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16into the toilet
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- and all over the floor.- Yes.- Right.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21- And here.- Uh-huh.- Water.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24You get water in through the window as well...
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- Yes.- ..of this bathroom.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30And as we can see, there's black mould all here.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- It's so small, Dorota. This is such a small room.- I know, I know.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- For seven people.- What happen? - I don't know.- What doing?
0:14:38 > 0:14:41How much do you pay for rent?
0:14:41 > 0:14:44850 per month.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- £850 a month?- Yes.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- And that's for you and your daughter here.- Yes.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55So, despite earning almost two grand a month from the two families
0:14:55 > 0:14:59living in this house, the landlord hasn't fixed a simple leak.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- (This is a very busy house.)- Yes.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04This is a house full of people.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- And they are doing their very, very best to make the best of it.- Yeah.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10But...
0:15:10 > 0:15:12It's a classic example here of where, you know,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16a landlord has put down information, and we have come here
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- and we have found the information doesn't match up.- We have got...
0:15:19 > 0:15:21We have got seven people in this house.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26We have got three people sleeping in the front room - Mum and Dad
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- and the daughter.- Yeah.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And then we have got our friend, the young man, wedged into that
0:15:31 > 0:15:33room at the back.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It's a completely different picture to what's been written down there.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- It absolutely is.- Let's face facts, it's pretty miserable...- It is.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43..in terms of the way people are being organised and trying to live
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and doing their very, very best with the space they've got.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Yeah.- But it is not on.- Not at all.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Despite the cramped conditions
0:15:53 > 0:15:57and damp problems, the two families in this house have managed to create
0:15:57 > 0:16:00somewhere homely, clean and tidy to live.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I think the landlord still has questions to answer.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- You're going to have to take some action?- Yes. Yeah.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11And that action is going to start really with the landlord,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14bringing him into account.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16He has a licence for those properties.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20He knew what those conditions were and he hasn't kept to it.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22So that's the first step.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24It is just one thing to pull him up on the licence.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The other thing is to sort out the actual conditions.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32So it'll mean inspecting the properties, serving notices...
0:16:32 > 0:16:36And possibly this landlord will, at the very least,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40- be reduced from a five-year licence to a one-year licence...- Right.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43..and be flagged as a person of concern.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50All three of this landlord's properties were found to have
0:16:50 > 0:16:54breached their licences in one way or another.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58One property in particular had the most serious kinds of problems -
0:16:58 > 0:17:01cold, damp and fire safety issues.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05So the landlord will have to answer a number of cases against him.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09If he can't do that to the council's satisfaction, he could be
0:17:09 > 0:17:14banned from holding a licence to run HMOs or bedsits in Newham again.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23With property values being what they are,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26sometimes it seems like every other programme on TV is about
0:17:26 > 0:17:30home improvement or DIY property development.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Wherever you look, someone is extending, improving or converting.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39But what is it like to live nearby
0:17:39 > 0:17:42when those development wheels come off
0:17:42 > 0:17:46and that grand design dream turns into a neighbourhood nightmare?
0:17:46 > 0:17:48That is just what has happened here,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50in Broadland District Council...
0:17:52 > 0:17:54..where I have been following
0:17:54 > 0:17:56housing officer Mark Siddall.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I want you to take a look at this, Matt.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It's a property I'm dealing with at the moment.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07It's a converted barn in a rural location -
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Freethorpe, small village.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10It looks beautiful.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Stunning, stunning building. Really nice.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17It is an old barn which was converted back in the '80s to residential,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20but fell into disuse about 15 years ago, really.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25The current owner of the property split up with his then
0:18:25 > 0:18:29partner during renovation work on the building about 15 years ago.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32It has stood empty and idle ever since,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35with the unfinished work causing it to deteriorate badly.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I mean, the first thing that catches my eye is that it is completely
0:18:38 > 0:18:41overgrown with... What is that, ivy or something?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43It is ivy in the bulk, yep.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46It's covering the windows, there might be a door under there.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51This looks like a property that has been left alone for some time.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52It is, yeah.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55And the neighbours are a bit sick of the sight of it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Freethorpe is a pretty
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and popular village about halfway between Norwich
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and the Norfolk coast.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Round here, barn conversions can sell for over half a million
0:19:04 > 0:19:07pounds, so it is no wonder the neighbours are getting a little
0:19:07 > 0:19:10bit fed up with this abandoned building site on their doorsteps.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12I don't know what more to say about it.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14It is just vermin, vermin, filth.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Well, next-door neighbour Kevin Lindley has a much more blunt
0:19:20 > 0:19:22way of putting it.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23We've got rats running about here at night,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27and they're coming up that scaffolding to my roof.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29And we've had the rat people out from the council
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and they keep killing them, one thing or another,
0:19:32 > 0:19:33but this is building up again.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36My neighbour, he's had it up to the eyeballs.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39My father-in-law from next door, he's had it up to the eyeballs.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41We've all had it.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I'm the man that will say what I think, you know.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46And when it affects my family and my wife,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- who's a nervous wreck with these - BLEEP- rats running around.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Sorry about my language.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55I'm getting angry again. But she is a nervous wreck.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58That gentleman there in the van, he's the man that owns the place.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01I don't know what more to say.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03I've spoken to him till I'm blue in the face.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06He has assured me that it'll all be done, and nothing gets done.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09It gets done, and then it is back to this again.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I've been promised for years
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and years that that will be done.
0:20:13 > 0:20:1515, 20 years.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Nothing happens.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Now, I mean, this is a private property, isn't it?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25So, at the end of the day, if it's privately owned,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27it's up to them what they do with it.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29That is a very good start.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30We will look at all of those items
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and a lot of that information will form a sort of file, an evidence base
0:20:34 > 0:20:39for us, if we want to carry out sort of wider actions on the property.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44We do have considerable powers when it comes to privately-owned property.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47We are very slow to use them. We are reluctant to use them.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51We much prefer to try and resolve things by agreement and cooperation.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56But where we get a problem property which is definitely a real issue
0:20:56 > 0:20:58in the district, and there are lots of complaints,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01we will use enforcement powers under various acts.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Do you know, I am looking at these pictures,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05and I still can't work it out.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I can't work out how such a beautiful property,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10what appears to be anyway, in such a lovely area -
0:21:10 > 0:21:13it is a really popular place to come - why it has been
0:21:13 > 0:21:16standing empty for so long.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- I feel we need to go and see it. - Let's do that.- OK.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Later, I have the chance to put my housing officer building
0:21:24 > 0:21:26assessment skills to the test.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28The first things that appears to me
0:21:28 > 0:21:31is that the roof has quite a substantial dip in it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35We agreed a timetable of works, he failed to keep to the timetable
0:21:35 > 0:21:39of works, hence my moving the enforcement forward again now.
0:21:43 > 0:21:44Back in Suffolk,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47community housing officer Andrew Weavers has been dealing with
0:21:47 > 0:21:52the hoarding problems of widower and council tenant Charlie Robinson.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I don't feel as if I want to do anything.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00But I have just got to keep going.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02On his last visit,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Andrew saw a marked improvement in Charlie's circumstances.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08There was so much stuff in here, literally, we couldn't open the door.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- It was literally out to here.- Yeah.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Now he is returning with some good news.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Charlie could be in line for a new kitchen and bathroom.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21I was a little bit concerned we might have missed the boat,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24but they seem to be able to add him to the contract and hopefully,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26fingers crossed, around about May,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29he'll have a nice new kitchen and bathroom.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Charlie qualifies for the work under the council's
0:22:34 > 0:22:36housing stock renewal policy.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39This is one of the perks of the housing officer's job -
0:22:39 > 0:22:42bringing good news to tenants in need.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45But they will put you on their current programme,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48so they will put you on the list this time round
0:22:48 > 0:22:52to get your bathroom and your kitchen done.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56But it soon becomes clear Charlie has been thinking about making
0:22:56 > 0:22:58a completely new start.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59Had you thought...
0:22:59 > 0:23:04- Have you had any more thoughts about maybe a move or...?- Yeah.- You have?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'd like to if I can find the right place.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Good. OK. Well, that's good.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Charlie and his wife, Florence, were together in his house for 28 years
0:23:13 > 0:23:15until she died of cancer.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17As the conversation continued,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20it seems he has been hoarding more than just stuff.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24This house is filled with memories, and not all of them positive.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- Just...- Just give up and...
0:23:29 > 0:23:34I always think... On the telly, when they show them little kids
0:23:34 > 0:23:39and everything else, they've gone down to nothing...
0:23:39 > 0:23:43And that's just how she was, down to nothing.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47It's clear that Charlie is suffering,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51as he admits to Andrew to having suicidal thoughts.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54When you just said quite clearly to me that you want it all to -
0:23:54 > 0:23:58you know, within earshot of me - that you want to end it all,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02you've got to say that to a doctor because otherwise...
0:24:02 > 0:24:04It's your mental health, isn't it?
0:24:04 > 0:24:09And we don't want you to go down that road and feel the way you do.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Why don't you go and see the doctor and just say, tell them
0:24:13 > 0:24:14what you've said to us?
0:24:14 > 0:24:17How you are feeling at the moment.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Because we all... You know, people suffer from depression.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23You might be feeling a bit depressed at the moment.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- I'm on the depression tablets. - Are you?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28But you have got happy memories, haven't you, of her?
0:24:28 > 0:24:31You've got loads of photographs. I see her up the stairs.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I see her looking at me when you're talking to me about...about things.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Yeah.- There's all good memories.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- Let's get you a fresh start, eh? - Yeah.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Let's not worry about the kitchen too much,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46because that'll have a kitchen one way or another anyway.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47If we get you a nice bungalow
0:24:47 > 0:24:50that will be ready for you to move into. Yeah?
0:24:50 > 0:24:54We want you to be a happy little bunny in a bungalow.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55I want to come and see you.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- HE LAUGHS - A happy little bunny!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01But we do. I want to come round to see you in your new bungalow,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03sit and have a cup of tea with you.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I want to see a happy Charlie Robinson, I really do.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Cool. That's what we will do, then. I'm going to go there now, right?
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Make myself a nuisance.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17They'll swear at me when I get there and tell them what I do.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Oh, well, never mind. All right, look after yourself. All right?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23See you, fella. Ciao, mate. Good ol' boy.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27It's a surprising outcome, but it looks like it is the right
0:25:27 > 0:25:30result for the council as well as the tenant.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Charlie is now registered for a move to a new place and the council
0:25:35 > 0:25:39will be bidding on his behalf when the right bungalow comes up.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46In Norfolk, I've been following housing officer Mark Siddall
0:25:46 > 0:25:50who's been investigating a long-unfinished barn conversion.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The neighbours have now had enough.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55My neighbour, he's had it up to the eyeballs.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57The old man who just went there, that's my father-in-law
0:25:57 > 0:25:59from next door, he's had it up to the eyeballs.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01We've all had it.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Freethorpe is a small and well-kept community,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10so a building like this really sticks out.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13A visit to the site give me a chance to see it for myself.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Do you see anything there which you would consider would be
0:26:16 > 0:26:19sort of a risk or something that ought to be dealt with?
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Well, looks like there is quite a pronounced dip in the roof
0:26:22 > 0:26:25there. And it's hard to tell if that is design,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28but certainly this first row of tiles looks like that could be...
0:26:28 > 0:26:30that could be coming off.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33The top tiles, Matt, definitely, we can see there are no ridge tiles.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35At this end of the roof, you can see some ridge tiles.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- The ridge has gone completely, hasn't it?- It has been removed
0:26:38 > 0:26:40as part of the start of a repair,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43but the repair's going nowhere fast.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47The chappie who owns it, by my request, started the works.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49We agreed a timetable of works.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51He failed to keep to the timetable of works,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55hence my moving the enforcement forward again now.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Round the back, the problems are really obvious.
0:26:58 > 0:27:04Anyone walking or driving through the village is greeted by this site.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I mean, this is a total tip, isn't it?
0:27:06 > 0:27:08But you might walk past it and think,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10well, they're just having a bit of work done.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I can probably hazard a guess where some of the stuff has come from
0:27:13 > 0:27:14which is in the garden.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It's, yeah, it's been emptied out of the house.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Instead of disposing of it completely,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23he's just loaded it into the garden and left it there to decay
0:27:23 > 0:27:24and present a further eyesore.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28It is such a waste, it is unbelievable. You know.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30And you have just got to balance, haven't you,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33that thing between private liberty to do what you want
0:27:33 > 0:27:37with your property and the effect it has on the rest of the community?
0:27:40 > 0:27:43We've since heard that the owner of the barn has finally
0:27:43 > 0:27:45secured finances to complete the conversion
0:27:45 > 0:27:49and work is already taking place. But rest assured,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52housing officer Mark will be keeping a close eye on developments
0:27:52 > 0:27:56to make sure this building project doesn't hit the buffers again.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01That is it for today.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Join me next time on the front line with Britain's housing officers.