Episode 12 The Housing Enforcers

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

I worry about the fire risk here.

But for thousands of people across Britain,

the reality can be more hovel than home.

How many months ago was it we had this place cleaned?

-The whole of that bit was black with mould.

-Hello?

In the battle between tenants and landlords...

It's your fault, not the door's fault. I don't care!

-It's local housing officers...

-What's causing that smell?

..who are on the front line.

The son's come out with baseball bats and knives on occasions.

'I'm Matt Allwright.' A lot of this problem is caused by the dogs.

-That's YOUR responsibility.

-Yeah.

'I'm back on the job once again,

'joining the ranks of the Housing Enforcers.'

It's got that mouse smell.

'They are tackling problem properties...'

This feels like an accident waiting to happen.

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

I need to tell you that you're committing an offence under the Housing Act.

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

Good old boy.

'Today, I'm faced with some of the worst housing conditions

'I've ever come across.' Oh, my God!

She does still cook for herself and obviously cold air that's

going to come in from the door is going to freeze this.

It's really bad...

'One housing officer discovers the grass isn't always greener.'

I've probably gone about 10 foot into the garden, if that.

We can't get any further.

And one young mum can't believe her good fortune.

It will be my home and it will be Clara's home.

She'll grow up here with her friends

and I really am grateful for what I've been given.

They say that an Englishman's home is his castle.

But if it's a rented castle, then it's the job of housing officers

to make sure that it is a safe and decent place to live.

One of the hardest things any of us

will face as we grow old is making the heartbreaking decision

we are no longer able to look after ourselves and the home we've come to love.

In Kent, Swale Council's Staying Put Manager, Susan Hughes, is there to

help the elderly live independently for as long as they can.

But sometimes people are just too proud to admit that

staying put isn't in their best interests any more.

And that's when the job gets really tough.

So, Susan, I'm carrying a great big fire, radiator thing.

-What's going on?

-Erm, this is a scheme that we're doing.

It's called the Winter Warmth.

We are able to give out fires

and all different things to help people keep warm.

We've got blankets and that.

Keeping this house warm is just part of a much bigger problem.

We've been called in by a neighbour,

who is concerned its elderly owner is living in squalid conditions.

This particular client is one I called a few weeks ago

and we are looking at doing a grant for various issues

because her house is in quite a big disrepair.

Because this scheme is set up, I thought I would pop in and see

if there's anything we continue to keep her warm.

Even though her house is in disrepair, this is still the best place for her, do you think?

It's her own property and she's lived in it all her life,

so she doesn't want to move. She's also got a little dog,

who is the sort of life of her life,

so she won't move unless the dog can go with her.

'Up to now, the woman, who doesn't want to be identified,

'has refused to admit she needs help

'and Susan's had to work hard to convince her to accept the heater,

'even though her only form of heating is a dangerous electric fire.'

-Hello!

-We come bearing gifts.

-WOMAN:

-Ooh!

It's the radiator I spoke to you about.

-Oh!

-So, we'll put it down.

-Thank you. It's quite heavy!

-And that hopefully should be safer for you to use, OK?

-Thank you very much.

And then there's your blanket that we said you can put over yourself.

-Oh, lovely. Thank you very much. Put them down there...

-And some gloves.

-OK?

-Yeah.

So, all of this is provided using this scheme.

Yeah, the Winter Warmth scheme. Yes.

Just to make sure you're keeping warm.

'It seems amazing to me that in this day and age, we are handing out

'a hat and gloves to keep this woman warm in her own home.

'But she's not alone.

'Shockingly, according to some estimates, in the UK...'

Before we can get this house warm, there is a major problem that

needs sorting, or no number of heaters are going to help.

Right, this is her back door, which as you can see,

has got big gaps in it.

And with the winter and the frosty nights,

I am really concerned about that.

'Even making urgent repairs isn't straightforward

'because we are not dealing with the welfare of a tenant

'and a landlord, who can be forced to make things better.

'This is a home owner

'and she's determined to maintain her independence.'

The thing is, this house needs a great deal doing to it

but you can't wade in and just decide on someone's behalf,

-what needs to happen to their home.

-No. No, that's true.

She owns her property and is very proud of it

and wants to continue living here.

We're actually called Staying Put,

so, we're here trying to help people stay in their own home.

Sometimes you can see that it's not the best ideal situation

but all we can do is advise.

And if Susan wants to convince the woman

to accept the council's help, taking it slowly is her only option.

What I find is if I do a small job first, I gain the trust of them.

So, if we can repair the door and then possibly, after Christmas,

repair the sink, she'll begin to trust us.

And then hopefully, we can look at the bigger picture.

-Because, yeah, certainly, there are lots of things in this house that is unsafe for her.

-Mm.

But we've got to gain her trust and get her to work with us.

It's obvious this place has seen better days but nothing

prepares me for the sights and smells waiting for us in the kitchen.

As you can see, round here, there has been a leak under the kitchen sink.

Erm, and this is what I'm really worried about.

She does still cook for herself and obviously do some work in here.

So, you've only got that cold air that's going to come in from

the door and it's going to freeze this and make it a real big hazard.

This is really... It's really bad.

You've got mud all over the lino,

-which just makes it incredibly slippy.

-A slipping hazard, yeah.

'Water leaking onto the filthy floor has created a serious hazard.

'Amazingly, the NHS spends on average £4.6 million a day

'as a result of the over-65s suffering a fall.

'So, if the council can help prevent the fall in the first place,

'it will keep that cost down.'

I mean, I don't... What is it...

-What is this we are standing on? Is this a mat?

-Yeah, that is a mat.

I think, put down to stop her slipping.

'I'm genuinely shocked that someone would CHOOSE to live in conditions like this

'but it got me wondering, at what point does the council have the right to step in?'

This kind of goes beyond the remit of the housing officer, doesn't it?

Because this is a private home. This is someone's own home.

And yet, we can... I can see things in here

-which really seem to be dangerous for the occupant.

-Yeah.

And, you know, that point where you take that responsibility away

from that person and say that where you're living is putting your life at risk.

-Yeah, yeah.

-That's beyond our remit and yet we're standing here, witnessing it.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, we do, I try and explain things

and once I've gained a bit more trust,

I will come out with the environmental health officer as well and we'll

talk again about what we can do.

-But again, when it's the person's own home...

-You've got to take it so slowly.

-Mm.

-Because it's a matter of pride.

-Yeah.

'Later, I'll be catching up with the worried neighbour,

'who is also trying to help convince our homeowner to accept

-'the fact she isn't coping.'

-I thought, "God..."

I just burst into tears, you know.

And even the builders are shocked by the state of the house.

Probably one of the worst that we've been into.

Next we head over to the beautiful Cotswolds...

one of the most quintessentially English

and unspoiled regions of the UK...

..to join up with the Stroud District Council housing team.

Currently, Stroud has almost 50,000 homes,

just over 10% of which are owned by the local authority.

Making sure this limited supply is used to the best

of their ability is down to housing officers like Sarah-Jane Weaver.

We are off to carry out a five-month introductory

tenancy home visit.

If they are new to the council,

they are put on an introductory tenancy,

which lasts for the first 12 months,

and we carry out three visits,

just to keep a check on them, basically,

find out how they're doing, making sure they've got no problems,

concerns.

It makes it easier for us to pick up on any rent issues.

For some, moving into a new property can be a daunting prospect,

with new responsibilities to tackle.

For others, it's a welcome fresh start to an independent future.

What have you got? She's got a poorly cold, haven't you?

One new tenant is single mother Karen Appleton,

who recently moved to this two-bedroom house.

Until now she's always worked and supported herself.

This is her first experience of a council-owned property.

When I first saw the house, it was still a building site.

No carpet, all sort of just wooden floors.

Yeah. It was just empty. So it was quite daunting.

I've never had a council related property, I've always

sort of worked and been able to afford my own properties and things.

Moving to this house couldn't have come at a better time. Always

having lived independently, the last few years have dealt her several blows.

I spent my 20s trying to have a baby.

I had five miscarriages...

through that time. Depression was the first...

..first sort of symptom I was getting.

They diagnosed me with bipolar, um,

and psychosis.

I was fairly low.

Well, sort of...at the end of my tether, really.

With support from her family and her GP,

Karen got on the road to recovery.

Over the last three years, since that diagnosis, I've basically been working

and doing therapy groups and things,

and then Clara came along.

Here she is. I have a future now, I've got something to look forward to.

Also supporting her is Karen's ex-partner and Clara's father,

who is always on hand to help out.

If I haven't got a support worker come in one day, or my family

aren't around one day, he will come and check to make sure I've eaten,

and he's been really good, actually, supporting me all the way through.

With her life back on track,

Karen was delighted to be offered this property by the council, who

felt the space and secluded garden would be perfect for her and Clara.

-Hello.

-Hi. Come on in.

-A bit early.

-That's OK.

I need to have a quick look around, all right. Do you

want to come up with me and then you can bring her with you so she doesn't...

She'll have a grumpy rumpy.

By inspecting the properties on a regular basis,

housing officers can gauge whether the tenants are coping

on their own or whether they need extra support.

I've broken the bathroom toilet seat but I'm going to get that fixed.

-We don't do toilet seats.

-That is all my problem.

-Yeah.

OK, so everything is fine in there. Bedroom is all right.

-Nice and warm in here. You've got no problems with damp and mould?

-Not in this room,

but there is a small problem in my bedroom.

-OK, do you want to show me?

-I think it's where we've had so much rain.

-Right.

-You can see it.

It is actually turning mouldy now at the top.

Sometimes it can be one of two things.

It can be the guttering or it could be the insulation in the roof.

If you can keep clearing it, it might be worth just opening the window

and getting a bit of ventilation going around, all right?

-Yeah, that's fine.

-OK.

Inside, apart from the small patch of mould,

it looks as though Karen has really begun to turn this house into her home.

It is a homely house, it makes me...

It has made me happy.

Maybe it was my turn to have a bit of luck. A baby and a nice house.

I notice you have been doing some stuff out in the garden.

We have started the garden now.

-The mattress. Whose is that?

-That was hidden.

Do you know what we found, we found a chainsaw, a grinder,

some sort of axe, I don't know. All in the hedge, hidden.

Like a lot of council-owned properties, this house comes

with a decent size garden, but as budgets are tight across the board,

the garden is often the last thing to see any real investment, leaving

it up to the tenant to either tackle it or let nature take its course.

You know, we have to point out that it is actually a tenancy

condition that they maintain their garden.

Some of them do struggle.

A lot of our properties have got big gardens.

For Karen, though, far from being a struggle, getting stuck into the

garden is turning out to be another big help on her road to recovery.

-All that at the back will be burned.

-So are you doing a patio out there?

-Yeah...

-The slabs are already there.

-They were all hidden under here.

-Excellent.

-Because they are quite expensive.

-Yeah. They're quite heavy as well.

THEY LAUGH

When the garden is finished, it will be really nice.

It will be somewhere I can actually get outside.

The doctors are all...

upping... You know, you need vitamin B and vitamin D

from the sun, which helps serotonin levels,

and I think there is a lot of benefits to being outside.

I find Sarah's inspections a lot easier than

when previously I've private landlords.

I find the council a lot more easy-going.

I think they try and make the property yours.

Um, they are still the owners, but they want it to be yours

and for you to make it into a family home and look after it.

We are going to want to put a fence down here.

What I would suggest you do is, don't take this down.

-No...

-Any fence you put up, put up within that boundary. OK?

She wants a bigger garden, she can see the potential there.

She is clearing it, and I think she will do a really good job. But we'll see...

when I come back at ten months.

I'm hoping it is going to be very nice, something out of Gardener's World.

SHE LAUGHS

-Righty ho.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

It's looking good. For Sarah, a tenant taking pride and ownership over the property

they live in is the perfect outcome.

For Karen, somewhere safe she can call home means

she can now fully begin building a new life for her and for baby Clara.

I've been really lucky,

and I will do whatever I can to make sure

that I keep it nice, look nice,

and respect the council and,

you know... I look at this house, that's my home.

It's where I live. And when I go back to work, if and when,

fingers crossed it's not too long,

then I will be paying the rent and I'll, you know,

it'll be my home and it will be Clara's home,

she will grow up here...

with her friends.

I really am grateful for what I've been given.

I am.

In Swales, Staying Put scheme manager Susan Hughes has been

dealing with a case of an elderly woman who refuses to move

out of the dilapidated home she owns,

despite living in some of the worst conditions I've ever seen.

It's really bad, isn't it?

It's a difficult situation that needs delicate handling,

because the owner is too proud to admit

she can no longer look after the house or herself.

-I'd take it so slowly because it is a matter of pride.

-Yeah.

I want to try and find out how things have become so bad,

so I tracked down Eve, the neighbour who raised the alarm after

being shocked by the condition of the house.

Came around one day, I thought, God.

I knocked on the door and I went in.

-I just burst into tears, you know.

-Really?

Mmm. I said to her, "Oh, dear,

"I didn't realise you were like this."

She said, "Oh, no, I'm all right." I said, "No, you are not."

She seems in good spirits but she's...

Do you think she is coping in there?

Um... I'm not too sure at the moment.

It seems Susan is not the only person having to use

the softly, softly approach to get round

the homeowner's refusal to accept the fact she needs help.

I'm the first person she's ever let do anything like this,

so I'm treading very carefully.

So you yourself are trying to get, do it

little bit by little bit, and just

make her happy with somebody being involved on some level.

Yeah, let her know that I'm here for her.

That means Eve has to give her access to her own home,

just so that she has some of the basics.

I have thought I will take her down my house and let her use my...

shower and things, because she doesn't have anything like that, no hot water.

-There is no hot water in the house?

-No.

Since her partner's died, she just can't...

cope on her own.

We'll all get to that stage at one point, where you just need a bit of help.

Oh, yes, that's what I said. I will help her

as much as I possibly can.

Because she was a good friend to me

when I needed one, and I don't forget things like that, you know.

Although the owner hasn't accepted that she needs to move out, Susan

has at least made some progress and convinced her to let the

council help with repairs that will make the house safe for the time being.

So money from the Staying Put scheme will pay for a new back door,

and an emergency grant from the council will be used to

renovate that filthy kitchen.

I've been really shocked by the state of the house,

but sadly this isn't an isolated case.

Are there many places like that, because that feels to me,

you know, close to the worst thing I've seen in terms of living

conditions in this country.

Unfortunately we do see quite a few a year.

-It's quite an eye-opener.

-Yeah.

Very, very difficult job, Susan, I think,

and, you know, the very best of luck.

Thank you.

A few weeks later it seems the gentle touch has definitely paid off.

With the home owner's agreement,

the emergency repairs are well underway, and Susan's back

to check on progress with building contractor Richard.

-Hi, Richard.

-Hi, Susan.

-Wow, look at that!

-It's a bit different, isn't it?

-God, that is really good.

The leaky sink has been replaced,

and the house is also being kitted out with one essential

amenity that will dramatically improve life for its elderly owner.

-And what's that down there, that's the hot water?

-Hot water heater.

-That's a new hot water heater.

-She will so love that.

She hasn't had hot water in years.

So that will be good.

And you managed to get two cupboards, which is really good,

so she can have a nice work surface to be able to do some bits on.

That's really good, she'll be so pleased.

-You'll get it all done today, do you reckon?

-Hopefully.

-If all goes according to plan, yes, hopefully.

-Right, right.

It's a huge improvement, but it has come at a price.

The bill for the work has been higher than the value of the grant,

but builder Richard was so horrified by the state of the house,

he's generously helped out with the extra cost.

The particular house we have come into is probably one of the worst

we've been into for some time.

Not pleasant for us to work in, not pleasant for the person to live in.

This was a particularly bad... You know, there's no hot water.

The plumbing and the waste pipes were leaking very, very badly.

It must have been very hard to live in this...in this, should we say, state?

It is still a million miles away from anyone's idea of a dream

kitchen, but there's one person who is absolutely thrilled with it.

-Look what you've got.

-Wow!

-I say.

-That's a nice sink there.

We've got a bit of worktop here that you can work on, make it safer.

-We've got a nice cupboard.

-Oh, lovely.

You can put some nice things on there.

And what he is doing at the moment, that is going to be the hot water.

-Very nice.

-OK?

Thank you very much.

-Brilliant.

-Absolutely lovely.

It's a small change but a big result.

Despite her initial unwillingness to accept help,

Susan's delicate approach has made things better.

-Oh, that was nice, seeing her reaction, she's really pleased.

-Yeah.

Once she's back in the office,

the reality is she's only won the battle, not the war.

I'm happy I've left her better off than when I first met her.

Still not happy about the state she is living in,

so I am rather concerned, so I will take out the environmental

health officer, and social services, and we are going to

discuss with her the situation and the risks that are at the house.

Now Susan has gained her trust, she needs to keep plugging away

to convince her that moving out is the best thing.

She just wants to stay in her own home.

She's lived in it all her life, it was her pride and joy, it is,

you know, very important for her to be able to look after herself,

so I think we need to make her see now that as she's getting older

and frailer, there are people that can help her.

It's good to know that housing officers like Susan Hughes

are prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to help

people like the lady I met.

Since we last visited her, Susan's arranged for Age Concern to pay her a visit.

Hopefully that will become a regular thing.

The next step is to get her out of the house

and off to the day centre now and then, and Susan is hopeful this

will happen very soon, but it will of course be the lady's own choice.

Defending our right to a safe place to live is the job of housing

officers right across the UK.

We will continue with this, we're not going to stop, I promise you that.

And in this series, I'll be working alongside those men

and women that do just that.

Look at that, that is literally made just out of doors.

People do die in properties like this.

'I'm hitting the streets...

'I'm learning on the job...' It has got that mouse smell.

What the hell is that?

'..I'll be finding out what it takes to make sure that everyone's'

house is fit to be called a home.

It is heartbreaking, there is no other word for it.

Just a money-making machine, really. People preying on other people's vulnerabilities.

If I get £1 million tomorrow, I'm surely going to buy my dream.

Finding suitable accommodation for someone who is homeless can be

challenging at the best of times.

But what if that person has just been released from prison?

In Salford, Greater Manchester, housing officer Lisa Fitton

and I are heading to a local drop-in centre to meet ex-offender Alan.

What do we know about Alan at this stage?

From the paperwork that we've got, he had nowhere else to live,

so he came to the local authority to ask for help regarding housing

and homelessness. Following that, he was

moved into temporary accommodation.

33-year-old Alan has spent the last ten years in and out of prison.

Like many ex-offenders, when he was released he had no job

and no home to go to.

But everyone has the right to somewhere to live,

and as housing officers, we want to find Alan permanent

accommodation that is right for him and for the wider community.

What we want to do is make sure you are rehoused into a place that

you will be able to manage and maintain,

so we need to just try and make sure the tenancy you move into now is going

to be sustainable for you and manageable for you.

-So, before Magnolia Court, where we you directly before that?

-Jail.

-You were in prison before. Which prison was it?

-Strangeways.

-And how long were you in prison for?

-Four months.

So...that was between

August and December last year.

-Can I ask why you were there?

-Robbery.

-Right.

Obviously you've been in prison before, twice.

-Is that something that you feel you've addressed, is that something you...

-Yeah.

'Alan's certainly no angel,'

but research suggests that stable accommodation is a key factor

in reducing the chances of someone's reoffending.

So it's in everybody's interest that we can make this work.

The idea of today is just to find out what we need to do now, where we

need to look for accommodation and what we need to do to help you get moved into your own place,

and what things you need in place, so furniture, benefits and things like that.

So at the minute, the money you're getting, is that enabling you to top

up your gas and electric and buy the food you need and things like that?

-OK.

-I'm skint once it's done, like.

Aren't we all? SHE LAUGHS

What about general support to make your tenancy successful? Is there anything you are worried about?

Living in your own place, being responsible for your own stuff,

-bills, anything like?

-No.

-No. What about speaking to a housing officer or landlord,

are you confident in reporting repairs

-and going in and speaking to people and stuff?

-Yeah.

OK.

Helping someone integrate into the community is one thing,

but Alan faces another challenge.

He suffers from schizophrenia,

a debilitating mental illness which requires ongoing medication

and monitoring through regular blood tests.

So is that to monitor the levels or make sure you're taking it?

Monitor the levels, innit?

-They can give you heart problems.

-Oh, right, OK.

-If you have the wrong dose?

-Yeah, if I don't keep up with it.

With one thing and another, with prison and hospital, you must

have been through a lot of systems, a lot of different processes.

-Do you get tired of it?

-It gets tiresome, yeah.

I just want to be left alone sometimes. Do you know what I mean?

'With the paperwork out of the way, I'm keen to find out a bit

'more about what is motivating Alan to go straight.'

What is it you want from this process, Alan? What are you trying to achieve?

Somewhere stable for me to live so I can go back to social services

-and...see my kids.

-How long is it since you have seen your kids?

-Two year ago now.

-How is that?

It's heart-wrenching.

-Yeah.

-Because I was going off my head because

of what I had been diagnosed with. A paranoid schizophrenic.

I was not acting normal round my girlfriend,

round my kids, round anyone.

I was doing weird things.

Like sitting on a graveyard, sitting on my dad's grave for two, three days at a time.

Not moving, just talking to myself. Do you know what I mean?

I think people thought I was off my nut.

Because of the things I was doing and that. Do you know what I mean?

People did try and help me.

But since I've been put on medication

and been in hospital,

-it's like I've evened out a bit.

-Yeah.

At the bottom of all of this, what you are trying to achieve is just

that degree of stability where

you'll be able to see your kids.

-How many kids have you got?

-Two little boys.

-Yeah.

That's the main thing, do you know what I mean?

I mean, it sounds like you've had a real roller-coaster ride.

Yeah, places like this help, though.

-If it weren't for places like this, I would have ended up in jail not long ago.

-Yeah.

Because I would have ended up doing something stupid,

-do you know what mean?

-You've spent a long time in prison already.

How important is...

-a stable place to live? Because it is only bricks...

-Paramount.

-Paramount.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

If you haven't got somewhere to live,

you end up doing things to get somewhere to stay.

And then in the wrong crowd and end up back in mischief.

Yeah.

So the main thing is somewhere to live, a stable accommodation

and stable people around me.

'It seems that Alan is really trying to turn his life around.

'But it's not going to be easy.'

-How do you feel that went?

-I thought that was...

Well, it felt like we were scratching the surface there, and Alan's problems...

-have been going for a long time and go very deep.

-Yeah.

And obviously we are trying to provide accommodation and help him with housing, but

-actually there are so many other things there.

-Housing just seems to be,

in the most part, a simple thing. Get a house, it's fine, the council

gives houses to everybody, and that is what people's perceptions are. But

the people we work with, like Alan,

if you put down on paper his history and his background, no-one's going to...

That's not a reference, no-one is going to want to give him accommodation.

Ten years in prison, Meadowbrook, prison,

violence, robbery.

That's not a reference you would want to give to a landlord,

and it is about trying to break that down, give him the support he needs, and challenge that.

If he finds difficulties in securing accommodation, the idea

is we are there to try and help him and fight his battles with him.

People would look at him as being the worst possible neighbour you

could imagine, if you look at it on paper. But actually...

When you meet him...

You meet him, and under medication, in the right circumstances,

he is desperately trying to make things work for him,

for his family, to re-establish those bonds.

He's got to go somewhere. Alan has to be somewhere.

The thing is that people don't see how keenly aware

he is of his own problems.

-He wants to address them and he wants to make them better.

-Yeah.

I'll be back in Salford later to catch up on Alan's story.

TENSE MUSIC

Sometimes, it can seem like it's a jungle out there

for a hard-working housing officer.

I mean, literally a jungle.

At least, that's the case in Stafford,

where a gruesome garden has caught the attention

of empty homes officer Andre Fannell.

Got about ten to 15 years' worth of overgrowth in the garden.

You've got a real risk here of rats in particular.

This could be ideal harbourage for them, really.

There's plenty of places for them to hide and to live, really.

The greenhouse here, it's just a bit creepy, really,

how it's just been left and just engulfed by the bushes and trees.

Probably gone about ten foot into the garden, if that.

We can't get any further.

The council's remit doesn't just cover bricks and mortar.

If there's out-of-control flora and fauna on a property,

then the local authority can step in.

It's an empty property and the garden is extremely overgrown.

The property itself has fallen into disrepair.

The current owner, it belonged to their mum and dad.

Unfortunately, they passed away

and it's been too emotional for them to deal with this property,

to maintain it and the garden, and it's been left ever since, really.

The neighbours have complained about the state of the rear garden

and also the appearance of the front of the property.

It does stand out in the street.

We have had to explain to the owner of the impact of what the

current state of the property is having on the community.

Local authorities have a number of different powers

they can call upon to deal with a problem garden.

They could issue a notice under the Environmental Protection Act

or they could take charge of the property under an

Empty Dwelling Management Order.

They could take action under the Town and Country Planning Act

if the garden is "detrimental to the amenity of the neighbourhood."

We had served a notice on who we believed to be the owner

to clarify the exact ownership details, cos sometimes there's more

than one owner, and unfortunately they didn't respond to that,

so we had to take legal action to get them to respond to that,

and, erm, unfortunately, the owner received a fine.

But since then, we've had to serve the owner with

a notice for the clearance of the front and rear gardens.

And that's under the Town and Country Planning Act.

Non-compliance can lead to prosecution or the council

carrying out the works themselves, a process called works in default.

The council can then bill the homeowner.

If there's still no response, then the local authority can place a

charge against the property and recoup their costs

when the house is sold.

The overall plan is to get the property back into use,

one way or another.

So, will it all turn out rosy in this garden or will the council

have to take more drastic action?

In Salford, housing officer Lisa Fitton and I

have been working with Alan,

an ex-offender just released from prison

and desperate to find somewhere to live.

When I last saw Alan, he was hopeful about the future.

He wanted to rebuild his relationship

with his two young sons.

How long is it since you seen your kids?

Two years ago, now.

How is that?

It's heart-wrenching.

After living in temporary accommodation,

Alan was on the verge of being accepted

into a permanent flat of his own...

Hi, Lisa.

'..but something's happened.'

Myself and a colleague went to visit Alan on Monday evening

and we found out that he'd passed away on Sunday evening.

Right.

I mean, that's terrible news

because it really felt like Alan was making some progress.

He knew that he'd got challenges ahead

and he knew that it wasn't going to be straightforward,

but he was using this new place as a platform to try and build

and get a bit more stability in his life.

It's just really sad that this is the outcome that he's got,

cos I don't think anybody was prepared for that,

and I think, certainly, he seemed to have a lot

to look forward to in going forward

and making things better for himself and giving him some stability.

He had such a clear goal as well,

which was to get back in contact with his kids.

That was absolutely paramount to him

-and it's sad that that wasn't able to happen.

-No.

He was looking forward to everything.

He seemed to be at the point where everything was coming

together for him.

Alan's family have given us permission to feature his story.

I can't help regretting that we weren't able to see Alan rebuild

his life and his relationship with his kids, for all of their sakes.

But I do know that it's given me

a whole new perspective on what it means to be a housing officer,

and a glimpse of the realities that they face every day.

The post-war years saw a boom in the building of social housing

and nowhere more so than in Stevenage...

..the UK's first new town,

built as a large council estate in the late 1940s.

This means the majority of the homes were originally social

housing, and even today, the borough council has a larger-than-average

and ageing housing stock.

What we've found in Stevenage is that some people moved in

when the properties were built 50, 55 years ago, and they are now

coming back to us and they haven't had any work done at all.

They've still got a very old kitchen, very old bathroom.

In 2006, central government introduced the Decent Homes initiative,

with a fund of £1.6 billion for the period 2011 to 2015.

At the helm in Stevenage is Steve Annetts.

Decent Homes is effectively a process whereby we are

looking at our council housing

and we're improving the various elements that are in those,

such as kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, electrical systems...

And in charge of putting the plan into action in Stevenage

is clerk of works Gerry O'Keeffe.

Work started last Monday.

The electrics have been redone in the property.

We're now in the middle of fitting the bathroom and the kitchen.

It's looking good. This one's all decorated. It's just waiting on the floor to be done.

In 2012 to '13, Stevenage Borough Council spent nearly

£9 million on over 1,300 properties.

That's an average of nearly £6,500 per home.

I was under the impression at first it was just going to be

the kitchen, and I thought, "Oh, that'll be lovely."

Council tenant Michelle Carson is having a boiler

and a bathroom fitted, as well as a new kitchen.

The bathroom really did need to be upgraded.

That's why I was like, I was over the moon about that one.

So, yeah, I've been very pleased with it.

The Decent Homes initiative states that social housing should:

It sounds...reasonable.

But at the beginning of 2011, nationwide,

there were 217,000 council houses that weren't up to scratch.

Hello, Martin.

All right, Gerry?

-How are we getting on here?

-Not too bad.

How much longer are we looking at before this is ready to get

the tiler in here?

Before the work started, I had heard quite a few horror stories,

'so I was, like, a little bit nervous.'

No, you're doing a real good job today. You've done loads already.

You haven't been here that long.

My daughter says I'm OCD about my house,

so I was, like, a little bit nervous, but they've been brilliant.

It's nice to do a nice job for nice people,

and walk out and think, "Yeah, I've done well there."

'The blokes doing the work have all got good manners, you know?'

They're not just builders on building sites,

they're in people's homes, which is a completely different ball game.

'It is a very satisfying job'

because you are effectively improving not only our housing

stock, but you are improving the lives of our residents.

So it's a win for the tenant and a win for the council.

Two weeks later, the builders' dust has settled.

Is Michelle happy with the work?

Oh, I'm really happy with it.

They've done a really good job and they let me

buy my own tiles for the kitchen, so I've put my own stamp on it.

I'm ecstatic with the whole work that's been done.

I'm so happy about it.

This might look like The Land That Time Forgot.

It's actually a suburban back garden...

in Stafford.

And it's here that empty homes officer Andre Fannell has been

dealing with a house that's stood empty for 15 years.

The garden has been left to run riot.

The neighbours have complained about the state of the rear garden

and also the appearance of the front of the property.

It does stand out in the street, so we have had to explain to the

owner of the impact of what the current state of the property is

having on the community.

The local authority has a range of powers to deal with a property

like this, but in this case,

it might be just what the homeowner needs.

The owner has got in touch with us

and said that they're unable to carry out the works.

He agreed about the state of the property,

but he wasn't able to do the works himself, so he's asked

if our contractors can do it, and for him to pick up the bill.

With the homeowner happy to pick up the £3,000 bill,

it's time to don the high-vis and crank up the chainsaws

as the council's clean-up team battle the suburban jungle.

MUSIC: Valerie by The Zutons

If the owner hadn't come to us and asked us to do the works,

we would have looked at doing the works in default

and then sending the owner a bill anyway.

Longer term, we could have gone down the legal route of doing

a compulsory purchase for the property, which, again,

would be costly for the owner,

so it's always best if the owner works with us.

Five blokes on the job today, chipping,

clearing and cutting down, and it will probably take at least another

day, I would say, depending on what's further down the garden.

If it's very similar to this,

it will probably be another day to get through the trees and brambles.

The brambles are the worst cos they're horrible to cut down

and shred and chip.

MUSIC: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

The owner has indicated that they think that they wish to sell

the property now, so it's going to be a matter of working with

the owner to get them into a position where

they can actually market the property and then hopefully an investor

or a family may decide to buy this property and make it their home.

That's it for today.

Join me next time, when I'll be finding out what it takes to become

a front-line housing officer.