Episode 7 The Housing Enforcers

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

-You've actually seen rats, have you?

-Yeah, we have.

'But for thousands of people across Britain right now,

'the reality can be more hovel than home.'

-We've got a nappy in the tree there, look.

-I'm sure that is...

COCKEREL CROWS

'In the battle between tenants and landlords,

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

-I can smell gas.

You're committing an offence under the Housing Act.

-Are you having a laugh?

-'I'm Matt Allwright.' Damp, cold, dangerous...

They're trying to make me look bad.

Have you only recently become aware of planning permission?

'And I'm back on the job once again,

'joining the ranks of the housing enforcers.

'They're tackling problem properties.'

It's a right old mess in there, isn't it?

'Dealing with the consequences of nightmare neighbours.'

I've had three tyres cut.

'And doing their best to help those in need.'

This is the first time I've had a smile on my face...

We just heard a squeak.

Where does that go, then?

'Today, I visit two properties that have been turned into death traps.'

There's just a cable coming through from the next-door property...

-I can smell gas.

-OK.

'And has this housing officer taken on more than he can handle?'

-See all those flies?

-Yeah.

-You're going to have to do something.

The property has gone downhill a bit.

Britain is in the middle of a housing crisis.

The Government reckons to meet demand

we need to be building nearly a quarter of a million homes

every year, but the reality is we're only managing about half that.

It's just one of the reasons why the number of people

renting their homes right now is at its highest since the 1950s.

At the front line of this crisis are the country's housing enforcers

and in this programme, I'm training to become one.

The job of housing officer is not always a straightforward one.

Some tenants and properties need a little bit more attention

than others.

People like Mid Suffolk District Council's Andrew Weavers

are there to offer a helping hand.

I do worry about people and once I get my teeth into something,

I do try and help them as best I can.

Today, Andrew is off to visit a council tenant

who has been on his radar for a little while.

This particular gentleman I remember going to see a few years ago

regarding an overgrown garden.

That got me at the address and I could see the property wasn't at its

best, let's say, it was quite dirty, he wasn't looking after himself.

And we'd also got a report that he might have gone missing

because the door had been left open all day.

So I visited with the police.

We found him OK, but he was oblivious to everything.

Andrew's worried that the property's in such a state that the

fabric of the building could be in trouble.

Because we've had a report from our maintenance section,

they're a little bit concerned about the condition of the property.

I think he may have slipped a bit or not been managing very well,

so I really want to try

and get in to see if there's anything that we can do to help.

Often, there are telltale signs of a problem on the exterior

of a property and Andrew knows exactly what to look for.

One bag in there. And this one's completely empty.

Before going in, Andrew takes a look in the garden.

Not going to be able to get in there.

I'm worried that the place is really filthy.

KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hello, Mr Keegan.

-Hiya.

-I've just got...

Our repairs and maintenance department, they're a little bit

worried about the property because obviously,

-we want to do some repairs at some point.

-Right.

-And I think your property isn't quite what it should be.

-Oh, right.

I've just...let it...

Let it go a bit, I suppose.

This is Joe Keegan.

Joe's been living alone for several years since his divorce

and it's very clear he's not managing at all,

although he hasn't always lived like this.

When I first left school, I was...an apprentice plumber.

And I got my apprenticeship as a plumber, then I got made redundant,

then I worked in a factory for a little while,

then I saw this advert in the paper - Butlin's.

And I got a job as a waiter.

And, um...

That's where I met my ex.

Right.

OK. What concerns me, Mr Keegan, is the property has gone downhill a bit.

-Right.

-I know I think I last dealt with your garden,

-but your garden don't look too bad.

-No.

But it's inside your property.

The whole house is a health and safety hazard.

-See that fruit over there? That's all sitting there rotten, look.

-Yeah.

-Look, there's some fruit here. Look at the flies come up, look.

-Yeah.

-Look, when I touch that, look at that.

-Yeah.

-See all those flies?

-Yeah.

Believe it or not, Joe actually cooks every day in this kitchen.

I eat well. Fruit, yoghurts. I cook...

I got a gammon to cook tonight.

-There's a lot of food laying about.

-Yeah.

-And a lot of flies.

And um... There's a lot of um, food that's gone off a little bit.

-Right.

-Who is helping you keep on top of this?

-Nobody, really.

-Nobody.

And the bathroom's even worse.

You haven't used this bath for a long time.

I use the shower now and again.

Do you? It's got cobwebs in it.

Yeah.

Is there anyone that can help you clean the place up a little bit?

-Yeah, my son.

-Your son.

-Yeah.

Andrew's problem is that he needs Joe to at least start

the work before the council maintenance team will return.

Our repairs people won't come in, they won't do any repairs,

-and the property will go downhill.

-Right.

We've got to get it up to standard

-so our workmen will come in.

-Right.

-Now, don't be offended,

if I can get anybody to come and help,

if they're wearing white suits, protective clothing. All right?

Cos they've got to keep themselves safe and clean,

-so don't get offended, all right?

-Yeah.

As I say, we've got to meet each other halfway here.

-We can't do all the work. You've got to do some of it yourself.

-Yeah.

Andrew has approached Joe's family to see

if they're able to help with the clean-up.

They're going to go and try and give him a bit of a clean-up.

They've cleaned him up to a certain point before.

They've even replaced the toilet cistern not long ago.

But he was surprised how quickly it had all deteriorated.

So the plan really is, they're going to go in and do a little bit.

I've asked them if they'll get the floors cleared of all the cans

and the bottles and maybe it's just keeping on top

and keep doing the visits.

It's hard for Andrew to leave cases like this at the office.

I look at them and I look at my dad cos when my dad was alive,

if he was ever left alone, I think

my dad would be like that...and...it just drives you to try and help them.

But will Andrew be able to help,

or will this all be too much for Joe and his family to cope with?

My next case takes me to Oxford.

It's one of the UK's oldest cities

with people calling it home for the last 1,000 years.

But some problems are very much part of the 21st century.

This morning, I'm with housing officers,

Alice Hasted and Iain Lingard

investigating a very unusual situation.

Three tenants in a private property are apparently stealing

electricity from the house next door, which used to be owned

by the same landlord, but is now under temporary management

by the council.

We start by visiting the flat which is alleged to have been

stealing electricity from the neighbours.

KNOCKING

You do start to get a feel for places straightaway.

You look at this and you think, this is not a healthy-looking house.

Yeah.

'Once inside this cramped and airless property,

'it seems my instincts are correct.'

It feels like, in Oxford particularly,

where rents are so high and the value of property is so high,

there are so many of these places emerging where

they kind of defy categorisation as a house or a flat or whatever it is.

Because you're just being wedged into whatever space is available.

It's just impossible. What is this? Is this a flat?

Is this a house share? Is it lodgings? Is it part of next door?

Is it the same as next door? I don't know.

The cause for alarm isn't just that three tenants

are crammed into such claustrophobic conditions.

It's whether this property's electricity is being supplied

and paid for by their neighbours.

Are either of them even aware of what's going on?

From what we can see, this place, which is incredibly hot,

-is being fed by electricity from next door.

-That's right.

There is no evidence of a meter in here,

a consumer unit, any kind of controls on this side.

There's just a cable coming through from the next-door property

and presumably, whoever is paying the bill in there is also paying

for the bill in here,

and it's hot enough to keep tropical plants in here.

Yes, it certainly is.

And humid enough, as well.

You can't tell obviously on the camera, but it's like Kew Gardens

in here, except without the admission fee and a nice teashop.

'I wonder whether next door even know

'they're shelling out for these sauna-like temperatures.

'A visit to the bathroom reveals even more squalid conditions.'

Three are living here full-time.

I say living, but it's quite unbelievable.

There's not enough ventilation in here and as a result of that,

every surface is covered in mould.

Covered in thick, black mould.

We have a loo that's barely functioning.

'It turns out it's not only electricity that is being

'supplied, apparently free of charge,

'courtesy of the folks next door.'

So, hot water is coming from next door?

-I believe so, yeah.

-They're taking hot water, as well?

-From next door's boiler?

-Yes.

-Totally separate property.

Those tenants are paying their electricity

and gas bills to heat next door's flat.

Alice and Iain's job is to assess this perilous property

and if necessary, move the tenants out of harm's way.

There are two people living in this room, so a father and son,

we think, who are occupying this one here.

It's got the feeling of somewhere that whatever work you do to it,

it's not going to get rid of some pretty major problems.

-For a start, it hasn't got its own electricity supply.

-No.

-How do you get rid of that?

-That's the case.

As soon as that does happen, it is going to be unliveable, anyway.

At some point in the near future,

three people possibly being without a home.

I know it's a home that you wouldn't want to live in

and they shouldn't be living in

because of what we've found in here,

but we are talking about possibly a decision which means that

three people are looking for somewhere to live.

We cannot accept people living in these conditions.

If it's so much that it's putting their safety at serious risk,

we have to take action.

Given the gravity of the case, Alice decides urgent

and decisive action could be necessary.

I don't see how an improvement notice

is going to make this place adequate.

I think we will need to assess this

and seriously consider prohibiting the use of this accommodation.

The potential for a fire in here and next door is great,

just because of the drain on the electricity supply.

I'm not a electrician, but I would suspect that cable has not got

sufficient size to take the amount of power that is going through it.

What we've got to do is go next door and find out their side of the story

and see what's happening on the other side of the wall.

-Definitely.

-Let's go next door and check it out.

Coming up, when we pay a call on the neighbours,

things are even worse than we imagined.

This place is terrible in a different way.

It's been a couple of weeks since community housing officer

Andrew Weavers last visited Bramford resident Joe Keegan.

You haven't used this bath for a long time.

In that time, Joe's family have stepped in to try

and help clean up his house.

This time, the exterior signs are much more positive.

We've got bins in use. This is something I like to see.

Rather than being empty at the side of the property.

That tells us a lot.

And they're full. Lovely.

KNOCKS ON DOOR

-Hello!

-Hello, sir.

-Oh, my word! Look at your hat!

-How are you doing?

Not too bad.

-There's been a massive transformation.

-Joe...

-Yeah, it's good, isn't it?

-What a difference!

-It is, isn't it?

-How do you feel?

-Great.

It looks to me like Joe's family have been more than just

lending a hand.

In fact, they've totally cleared the house.

-So, how long did this take?

-Not long.

-Not long?

-No.

-A little bit of a sweep up.

-Yeah. And a hoover.

-And a hoover up.

-And a hoover up.

-But I was just...

-When I came and saw you last time, I was a bit worried about you.

-Yeah.

But I can see you're using the bins. I've just heard the bin lorry go by.

-Yeah.

-I'm eating well.

-Good.

-Got some warmer clothes on, as well.

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

-Laundry yesterday.

-Good.

-Yeah. And I've got a nice bit of gammon.

-Lovely job.

Smoked gammon.

-Fantastic.

-I'll cook that in the oven, in a big casserole pot.

-Yeah?

-With onions, mushrooms, on a slow heat, number one gas.

-Well done.

You wouldn't want to have cooked in here before.

It was full of clutter and dirt, a real health hazard.

The transformation now is unbelievable.

Just a few weeks ago, the living room was pretty much uninhabitable.

Now, you can actually see the floor. And the television.

The bathroom was causing serious health concerns.

Now, Joe's family have put in some elbow grease... Well, have a look.

Oh, wow! That's a lot better. I can actually see the bottom of the bath.

Fantastic.

It's proper progress.

Now, Joe, you've just got to keep it up.

-You took part in helping, did you?

-Yeah.

-Did you throw stuff away?

-Yeah, I did.

-And you're going to continue to use your bins?

-Yeah.

-Recycle bins?

-I put the bin out today.

-I noticed.

-Yeah.

-First thing I noticed.

I thought - hello, that's good news.

-I don't think it will get as bad as it did before.

-No.

-Cos I think you probably realised...

-Oh, yeah.

-You just can't...

-Yeah.

-Live like that.

-No.

And also, I think you need to help your ex-wife

and your son by actually putting your rubbish in the bin.

-Yeah.

-What I will do, I'm going to come back.

-Right.

-Probably about...

-I'll probably give it about a month.

-Right.

-About four weeks.

-Right.

-And I'll come and give you a knock.

-All right, then.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-I won't tell you I'm coming.

-No.

-Keep you on your toes.

-All right.

THEY CHUCKLE

-Lovely job.

-Bye, Andrew.

-Well done. Good old boy. Thanks very much.

-Well done.

-Yeah.

-Seems like a happy ending for Joe.

-It's fantastic.

Not being in a mess, you know?

-And his house.

-I'll make sure it's not going to get like it was before.

He's a likeable fella. And today, he's made a bit of an effort.

He's put some clothes on, for a start, which is always handy.

And he's put his hat on, his cap, so...brilliant. I'm really pleased.

And for Andrew, it doesn't get much better.

Good visit. I was really impressed.

They've done wonders, haven't they, the family?

And I think that's a work in progress. So, I'm happy.

Um... I think Joe seems happy.

As he promised, a few weeks later,

Andrew paid a surprise visit to Joe, just to check how he's

getting on, and to make sure that everything is OK.

I'm very pleased to report that Joe is managing to keep his house

clean and tidy.

Back in Oxford, and we are trying to get to the bottom

of an extremely hazardous situation

where tenants in a privately let flat

are supposedly stealing electricity from the neighbouring property.

We will need to assess this

and seriously consider prohibiting use of this accommodation.

Time to pay a call on the neighbours

who we believe are shelling out for next door's electricity supply.

Immediately, we are confronted

with some seriously dodgy-looking electrics.

-As you can see here, that is the cable.

-Where does that go, then?

It goes all the way down there, goes all the way along this wall...

-And right into next door.

-Down here, through the wall there.

-Through the wall there, yup.

-And then that's the kitchen...

That's the kitchen for next door.

So this was one house and next door's been carved up.

Carved up and they've put an extension on the back.

-This place is terrible in a different way.

-Yep.

-In a completely different way, isn't it?

-Yep.

Just the state of disrepair in this place is...

It feels quite depressing, doesn't it?

Eventually we discover the truth about the arrangement

behind this DIY electricity-sharing scheme.

How many people are living here?

How many people are here now?

Eight people.

-Eight people.

-Are they receiving anything for heating next door?

-Have we got any information on that?

-Yeah, I've just established.

One of the tenants has just told me that

the neighbours next door make a contribution of £15 per week.

So the idea that they are stealing the electricity,

-we can forget that now.

-We can, yes.

It's actually an arrangement of some sort.

We're not dealing with theft, but the sums still don't add up.

15 quid a week for all of your electricity, all of the gas that

you need for the baths and showers, that sounds like a bargain to me.

It is.

Yeah. We move out of earshot to discuss the best way of dealing with

this dire state of affairs.

What happens next, Alice?

Well, looking at the condition of the property,

we believe that there are some significant hazards within there,

as we've gone round and had a look.

I think it is just not safe enough for them to be living there,

so the next steps would be emergency prohibition order

-under the Housing Act.

-Are we talking about hours, days, weeks?

When is this going to happen?

We will be considering that today

and probably putting it in place tomorrow, so...pretty quick.

As quick as that, wow.

So we came here thinking maybe that this property here was stealing

electricity from the one next door but, in fact,

once we've got inside, the reality was really much worse than that.

Totally, totally unacceptable conditions

and that's why, in the next couple of days, there's a good chance

that's going to have a prohibition order slapped on it.

Nobody should be living there.

In fact, the case is considered

so urgent that the council waste no time in taking action.

Less than 24 hours after our visit,

housing officer Sharon Morgan has brought along electricians

Phil and Justin

to cut off the power and prevent a possible catastrophe.

-Right, so the power's being supplied from in here.

-OK.

It's such a bewildering set-up, it takes a while for Justin

and Phil to work out exactly which cable is feeding next door.

No, I haven't seen anything like this before.

It's just a huge fire risk.

Nothing else for it, but to shut down the electric.

-You've got to make sure that supply comes off.

-Supply to next door...

-Comes off and cannot be reconnected.

-..cannot be reconnected.

So I'll now disconnect the smaller fuse board which feeds

the property next door.

The issue is that if next door

need to get to their fuse board for safety or maintenance,

they shouldn't have to come out of their house

and back into somebody else's house. Obviously,

if people are out or the doors are jammed, then it's not safe.

You need to safely be able to get to your electrical system.

But as the supply is disconnected,

housing officer Sharon raises a serious problem.

I can definitely smell gas, what's...? Is that the number?

-Yeah...

-It's still valid, yeah.

If you think you can definitely smell gas,

I'm not going to turn this fuse board back on.

-I can smell gas.

-OK.

Hiya, Greg, it's Justin Atkinson from Oxford City Council,

we've just come with the Private Landlord Scheme to disconnect

a property from the power

and one of our colleagues thinks

they can smell gas.

Erm, I think I can smell gas, so we're just going to get it checked.

We've asked for Transco, the local provider, just to come down

and check to make sure that there isn't a gas leak

and it is absolutely safe.

Safe is one thing this property isn't.

It's doesn't take long for the men from the gas company to make

a startling discovery.

He's just been running his diagnostics all over it

and he's found a big leak, apparently.

So, pretty lucky that my colleague smelt it.

There are over 30 gas-related deaths in the UK every year,

so it's vital to remember, if you smell gas,

you've got to open all doors and windows,

extinguish naked flames and call your supplier immediately.

The place is nothing short of a deathtrap, so housing officer

Alice Hasted makes a return visit

to get the tenants out and close it down.

As it's an emergency, the tenants will be asked to leave the property.

They will have to find their own accommodation.

The landlord can no longer let this property

and if he wants to re-let it, he will have to carry out works

to make sure the property is safe and is habitable.

If he doesn't do that, it will continue to be prohibited from use.

It's taken less than 24 hours from our first inspection to serve

a prohibition order on this unsafe accommodation

and possibly save the lives of the tenants who live here

and that is what the job's all about.

There's also some urgent attention needed in Sheerness in Kent.

Susan Hughes' job is helping those who can't always help themselves.

People whose health has deteriorated

can struggle to keep up repairs in their homes.

Sometimes, a house needs to be adapted if it's to continue

being a home for a person who isn't as mobile as they were.

Today, Susan is visiting Paul Johnson,

following a referral from one of his carers.

Social services have contacted us

because they are worried about this gentleman who has got

a bit of a disability, about his staircase, that it's open plan

and he could fall down.

I'm just coming to have a look to make sure I think

that they are dangerous and chat to the client to make sure

that he does want this done and we can get the work organised for him.

I'm Susan Hughes, I've come to look at the stairs.

-Oh, yes, they are quite dangerous, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-So, you struggle getting up and down, do you?

-Yes, I do.

I have a carer coming in three times a week so I go up

and have a wash or bath.

It's coming down that's a real problem.

I'm so worried that I won't even let the carer in front of me

just in case I fall or anything.

It's quite dangerous.

I see you've got the rail along one side, which helps a bit.

-You just need some support on that side?

-Yes.

Right, that is something we can do

and look at under the health funding, because it would prevent a fall.

Obviously, if you did fall, it would cause a lot more issues

and a lot more funding for health to actually sort you out.

-Luckily, you've not had a fall from it yet.

-No, but my children have.

Really? OK.

It was always my biggest concern, but then when I got made redundant

-and then became ill, I never was able to do it.

-Right.

Paul lives with his wife and children.

Over recent years, his health has deteriorated to the point where

he finds DIY difficult and some parts of his home are now dangerous.

Especially in the last two or three years,

things have got progressively worse.

It's not just repair work that Paul now finds difficult.

His limited income is another barrier

to maintaining the family home.

It shows signs that this is a family in need of help.

The stairs are very dangerous.

It's coming down the stairs that my legs are all wibbly wobbly

and I don't feel safe.

Paul is so unsteady on his feet

that he's frightened to use the stairs without banisters.

Together with his wife, he has taken the drastic decision to start

sleeping downstairs in what was the family dining room.

This is my bedroom that I was talking about.

-It's not really convenient.

-DOGS BARK

More importantly, it's not very, erm...

private.

As you come through the bedroom, which is the old reception room,

then you come into an extension that was built on before us

and this is the reception area which leads directly onto our kitchen.

And, as you can see,

it's not very practical to have a bedroom right next to a kitchen.

The missing handrail means Paul can't move around his home safely.

Susan's on hand to help make this once neat-and-tidy house

a safer place for him and for his family.

I'll get some estimates and come back to you,

but there is definitely some funding there for it.

And less than two weeks later, a new banister has been installed.

With Susan's help, Paul can now go

up and down the stairs much more safely.

That's it for today,

join me next time on the front line with Britain's housing officers.