Episode 11 The Housing Enforcers


Episode 11

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DOG BARKS

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

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I wouldn't keep my dog there, is the honest truth.

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..but, for thousands of people across the UK,

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the reality can be more hovel than home.

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The house is falling to bits. There's nothing I can do.

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In the battle for decent housing...

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We've just got conditions that are just appalling.

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I don't know how the people are coping, to be quite honest.

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

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If somebody had died here,

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you would've been standing in Coroner's Court.

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'I'm Matt Allwright and I'm back with The Housing Enforcers.'

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-15 people in this house.

-15 people in total living in here.

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'I'll be with them as they tackle problem properties

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'and slum conditions...'

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It really does look shantytown.

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Yeah, it's not up to standard.

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'..as they deal with dodgy landlords, nightmare neighbours

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'and everything in between...'

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Oh, my God. Straight away, there's the smell of dog muck.

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You never know what you're going to find.

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'..doing their best to help those in need of a happy and healthy home.'

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-Yeah.

-Yeah.

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'Today, terrible living conditions leave a mother fearing for her

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'family's health...'

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It's not safe for you, it's not safe for the children.

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That just makes it even more upsetting.

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..a terminally ill tenant is trapped in his own home

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by vandals...

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He's totally reliant on the lift here.

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He needs to enjoy the time he's got left.

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'..an overcrowded flat puts lives in danger...'

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-Today there was five people living here.

-OK.

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So someone's lying to me then.

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'..and a neighbour's nuisance letters disturb the peace.'

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-Obviously, you called the police?

-Yes.

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We might not always know it, but there are people from every local

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council whose job it is to make sure we have a safe roof over our heads.

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I'm working alongside the men and the women who use the law to make

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sure we don't live in slums,

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but in homes fit to raise a family or enjoy our retirement.

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They can make sure that you have the facilities you need

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as you get older.

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They also have the power to start the process that can send

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a bad landlord to prison or help evict a bad tenant.

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They are the housing enforcers.

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The whole of the UK is struggling with the housing crisis,

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but in our capital the problem is at its worst.

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Sky-high rents plus a cap on benefits means that people have to

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move from the area where they live,

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because they can no longer afford to live and pay the rent.

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And it's not just people living in the posh postcodes,

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it's also affected single mums and others in London's satellite towns,

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places like Croydon.

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By March 2015, councils in the capital had relocated more

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than 15,000 families to a different area.

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At Swale Borough Council, housing officer David Dale is helping

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a mum-of-three from Croydon,

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who was moved 45 miles from friends and family.

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She's now bringing up her kids in a dangerously run-down property.

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Anne-Marie is worried that severe damp, rotten windows

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and leaks are putting her children's health at serious risk.

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What's the purpose of the visit?

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We've served notice on the owner.

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Attached to that was a list of works that we would want done.

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We should, therefore,

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see quite a lot of this work either under way or completed?

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That would be our hope, yeah.

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'David's asked housing officer Glyn Pritchard to join us

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'at the terraced house in Sittingbourne.

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'The tenant, Anne-Marie, was relocated here, 45 miles

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'away from friends and family in Croydon, nearly two years ago.'

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I'm interested to hear a bit about your story, then,

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how you ended up here.

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If you were in Croydon, how does that work?

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It was because of the benefit cap.

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I had a three-bedroom flat on top of a shop in Croydon.

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And it was £1,300 a month.

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I actually asked the council if they could help me.

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The rent was so high, they wouldn't pay that much rent.

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They said they would relocate me out of Croydon.

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Anne-Marie's on the waiting list for a council property

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back in Croydon, but high rents mean her benefits would only just

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cover the cost of accommodation, leaving nothing for food and bills.

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To make things worse, her current home is in a shocking state.

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I wouldn't mind it so much if the place was actually suitable.

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You feel it's not safe for the children,

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you feel that it's not safe for you and you don't want to be in there.

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That just makes it even more upsetting.

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'The deadline for the council's improvement notice is

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'fast approaching,

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'so David, Glyn and I are here to check the landlord's progress.

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'And with winter coming, the heating system is a priority.'

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Have you got any hot water or heat in the house at the moment?

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Just cos the boiler looks like it's got no pressure on it.

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Yeah, I keep having trouble with that.

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I have to keep turning it on and off and touching all the buttons

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to try and get the hot water going.

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Have you got a gas safety certificate?

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I haven't received a gas safety certificate.

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When I first moved in at the property,

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I never actually had any hot water or heating.

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But, at the moment, you can get hot water

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-and you can get central heating?

-Yes.

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-If you keep topping it up, if you keep keeping the pressure up?

-Yes.

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OK. This floor feels like it's ready to go.

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Yeah, every time I come down, there's water.

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I have to mop it all the time.

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What we think has happened is there's been a leak from under

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-the sink.

-Yeah.

-It hasn't been repaired

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and it's just seeped through under the floor.

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'It seems like there's just one problem on top of another.

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'It's not an ideal environment for her kids.'

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It's almost impossible to clean the house in the state that it's in.

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This is the problem, this is why we want to get the floors done, we want

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to get the doors done, we want to get the leaks fixed,

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we want to get the work surfaces done.

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These are all things that are outstanding on this list.

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'Later, we find problems with the house that could cause

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'serious injury to young children.'

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A child, standing on the end of the bed, could go straight through.

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In Hertfordshire, like many local authorities across the UK,

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Stevenage council works really hard to tackle vandalism

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and antisocial behaviour, which can blight the lives of residents.

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It's an ongoing problem for housing officers like Natasha Best,

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who's dealing with a particularly heartbreaking situation today.

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She's been called in to help a man with cancer who's just a few

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months left to live.

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He's become trapped in his own home because of vandals.

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Where he lives, there's only access by one lift

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and we've had a lot of problems with youths, recently, damaging the lift.

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So, because of his health problems, if the lift is damaged,

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he can't leave his flat.

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It's Natasha's job to find a new flat quickly for someone who

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now has no choice but to leave the place he's called home for 23 years.

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He's simply too ill to walk down the stairs.

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Moving is one of the most stressful things in anybody's life

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and being ill is just going to make it that much harder for him.

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As you can see, it's not a very disability-friendly flat block.

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There's steps, there's only one lift, it's not good, really.

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Today Natasha is calling in to see Neil...

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-Hi, Chris.

-Hey, Natasha.

-Hi.

-Come on in.

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..and his brother, Chris, who's been a constant support through

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months of treatment and surgery.

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Hi, Neil.

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Neil's had a problem eating for a long time,

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but, at the beginning of this year,

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really, he had cancer diagnosed.

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Neil can't speak any more,

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but he wanted to tell us in his own words what he's been going through.

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He was diagnosed with cancer in the voice box.

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Then he had six weeks of radiotherapy

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at Mount Vernon Hospital.

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He went up on his own. He was independent, took his own car up.

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But the treatment didn't kill it.

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The radiotherapy had not worked at all, so he had to have surgery.

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Neil's voice box and windpipe were removed,

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but there was worse news to come.

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It led to finding cancer at the base of his tongue.

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For Neil, the loss of the tongue means not only has

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he lost the ability to speak, but he can't taste anything.

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He can't smile, he can't do so many things that we all take

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so much for granted.

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And then it wasn't too long after that final diagnosis that

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Neil was told that there was nothing that could be done.

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Neil knows he's got six months left and things aren't going to

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get any easier, there's nothing he can do about it.

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I was at the meeting when he was told that,

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and he was much braver than I was.

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He's incredibly brave.

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I wanted to give him a cuddle and I reached forward to hold both

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his shoulders and because he was frightened,

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he jerked and that hurt, didn't it?

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So silly little things, like that, can create problems.

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You can't cuddle him.

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Desperately want to, but can't.

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CHRIS LAUGHS

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Don't!

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"That'll stop him blubbing."

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THEY LAUGH

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Clearly, the brothers are supporting each other through a very

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difficult time.

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And Chris knows that being stuck in the flat is making life even

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more miserable for Neil.

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Well, he's totally reliant on the lift here,

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he can't get up and down the stairs without it.

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Do you feel kind of lonely and depressed being here?

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-"Trapped," yeah.

-Yeah.

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Living in the flat, currently, it takes us

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half an hour to get down to the car park.

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It's dependent on a lift, but also stairs.

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There's no wheelchair access and, eventually,

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Neil will need a wheelchair.

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If Neil was here for much longer,

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he would become totally marooned.

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He needs to enjoy the time he's got left.

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"It might mean I can start to get out and about a bit, yes."

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It's not much to ask for a man in Neil's situation.

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And his family and friends are determined to make

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the transition as easy as possible for him.

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Neil's condition is going to get worse,

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so it will assist everybody,

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-I think, in the future.

-Mm.

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I mean, Neil's been here for 23 years

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and there are lots of memories and everything else here.

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Making the move is quite difficult for him.

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Natasha wants to move Neil into a sheltered home on the ground

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floor, where he'll still be independent

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but have a warden on hand if he needs help.

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How do you think that you're going to manage with the move,

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do you think you're going to cope OK?

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"No problem."

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No problem, I'll see you on Thursday.

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And that's the nearest I've seen of a smile for a long time.

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Later, we'll find out whether Natasha has found Neil the new

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home he needs in order to make the most of his last few months.

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How are you feeling in yourself now?

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"At this minute, very good."

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Back in Sittingbourne, Anne-Marie's unhappy with her rented home,

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after being relocated here by Croydon Council

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because the benefits cap means rents there were too high.

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..knowing you've left your family, left your friends into a house

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that you feel is not safe for the children.

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'We're checking to see if the landlord has fixed a long list of

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'potentially dangerous problems with the property.'

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Just hold on to the handrail.

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HE GASPS Look at that.

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It's not just the dodgy banister we're concerned about.

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We've got a damp wall there, we've got a rotting window.

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If there's a child standing on the end of the bed,

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could go straight through.

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-Looking at the back window, where the glass has fallen out...

-Yeah.

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..same sort of thing.

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-This one is just waiting.

-It's just waiting to happen.

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It's totally rotten.

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'Anne-Marie was absolutely right to complain to the council.

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'All the problems she's pointed out are genuine

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'areas of concern for David and Glyn.'

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You've got a single light bulb here,

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the rose is not fixed to the ceiling at all.

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What's happened to the piping over there?

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These are hot-water pipes for the radiator upstairs.

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They could be pulled away from the top,

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so that, before you know it, you're going

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to get water coming down, if they are damaged any further.

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-They should be boxed in, ideally.

-They should be boxed in, yeah.

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This place obviously needs a lot of money spent on it.

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Anne-Marie first complained to the landlord.

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By law he has to ensure that the property is maintained and safe.

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When the work required wasn't done, she complained to the council.

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But the landlord told the council that the

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problems are caused by Anne-Marie herself.

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Tell me about the practicality of living in a house like this.

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What's it like?

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It's one thing after another,

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you think you've sorted one problem out and then...

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It's just so horrible and depressing.

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I feel like I'm stuck and I can't get out.

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Part of what he's claiming is that the state the house is in

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is because of you and your kids and the way that you behave.

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How would you react to him saying that?

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You can't blame me,

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because you can see for yourself how bad the house is.

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It hasn't just been like it, it's been like it for a long time.

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What Anne-Marie says makes sense when you see her bathroom.

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It's in a small extension at the back of the house

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and the problem is obvious as soon as we walk in.

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-So, you can smell the damp.

-Yeah, the damp is overwhelming in here.

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-All the paper is peeling off cos it's so damp on the walls.

-Yeah.

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An absolute minimum of care

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and attention has been paid to this property in the way it's been

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put together.

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'And it's not only in the bathroom.

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'We noticed that where the landlord has put a new back

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'door on the house, it's created yet another problem.'

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This is the new door that was fitted just a matter of weeks ago.

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And already, the damp is creeping up it.

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-This is an internal fire door.

-Right.

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So it's not meant to be mounted on the outside of the house.

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They saved money, chucked in an internal door that they might

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-have had already...

-Yeah.

-..and there we have the result.

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And it's starting to degrade.

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'This place is clearly badly maintained

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'and it doesn't look to me like it's the fault of Anne-Marie

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'or her kids.'

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The landlord is claiming that all of these things are down to

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tenant behaviour and the house was pristine, supposedly,

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before this tenant moved in.

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But sash windows don't rot from the outside because of tenant neglect.

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-No.

-This is something that's directly attributable

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to the landlord, surely.

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If people are desperate or need housing in a hurry,

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they can end up with landlords who really don't feel the same

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responsibility towards them.

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As rents in parts of the south-east go up and up,

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more and more people, like Anne-Marie, are forced to

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settle for living conditions which just aren't good enough.

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I think they grab the first property they can,

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because they don't want to end up homeless.

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As you can appreciate, she's got children.

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Unfortunately, she came here from a London borough.

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In our area, we check the property,

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so we know that there's no category hazards in there.

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What we're talking about, it sounds like, is boroughs outside London

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being a dumping ground for the responsibilities of London

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boroughs who just can't cope, maybe.

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I would say it's probably going to be on the increase,

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because the closer you get to London, the higher the prices.

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Here, the lower the prices, but the rent seems to be going up and up.

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But then you only find out about it

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when they present themselves as homeless or there's a problem

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with the property, because the original deal is with

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the private landlord and you don't get involved at all.

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-No, no.

-Wow.

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I know AnneMarie has limited options, but I am surprised

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she hasn't tried to find an alternative to this place.

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Why are you still here? I mean, it's in such a shocking condition,

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I'm just interested to know what your other options are and why you

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choose to stay somewhere which seems to have so many problems attached.

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Well, I'm not choosing to stay here at the moment,

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I am trying to get as much support and help as possible.

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But Croydon Council is helping me. As soon as they find me

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somewhere, then I will be moving out as soon as possible.

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'You can't blame Anne-Marie for wanting a more suitable

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'home for her kids.

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'In the meantime, the landlord has a further two weeks to sort out

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'the problems at the house or face prosecution.'

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Hopefully, the threat of prosecution at the end might get him to do it.

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If not, then, yeah, we will go down that route.

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Later, David returns to see if the work has been done.

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It hasn't been replaced and it actually seems to have got

0:18:470:18:51

a little bit worse since we were last here.

0:18:510:18:55

In Stevenage, a vandalised lift left terminally ill tenant Neil

0:18:580:19:03

feeling like a prisoner in his own flat.

0:19:030:19:06

He was just too ill to manage the stairs.

0:19:060:19:10

Housing officer Natasha Best is on the case, finding him

0:19:100:19:13

a new home so his final months are as comfortable as possible.

0:19:130:19:17

Do you feel kind of depressed being here?

0:19:170:19:21

-"Trapped," yeah.

-Yeah.

0:19:220:19:26

These sorts of cases do pull on your heartstrings a little bit,

0:19:260:19:30

because it's really difficult to see someone in a state and stuck

0:19:300:19:36

and just being able to help them.

0:19:360:19:41

Cos not all cases you can do anything.

0:19:410:19:43

Luckily for Neil, she has been able to help, finding him

0:19:430:19:46

a sheltered ground-floor home with everything he needs.

0:19:460:19:51

The importance of getting all of this done...

0:19:510:19:54

so he could move and actually live a little bit

0:19:540:19:58

of the last of his life

0:19:580:20:01

in this accommodation,

0:20:010:20:03

hopefully, is going to make him happy.

0:20:030:20:06

Neil's recently moved into the flat.

0:20:060:20:09

It has easy wheelchair access

0:20:090:20:10

and, even better, no sign of the vandals

0:20:100:20:13

who damaged the lift and kept him housebound.

0:20:130:20:16

Today Natasha's paying him a visit with support worker Sarah

0:20:170:20:21

to see how he's settling into his new home.

0:20:210:20:23

And they're not alone -

0:20:230:20:25

Neil's friend Bob has popped in too.

0:20:250:20:27

Hi, Neil. You all right?

0:20:290:20:31

How was the move?

0:20:310:20:33

Did it go OK?

0:20:330:20:34

"Because I was helpless, it was really hard for me."

0:20:380:20:41

Are you happy here? Have you managed to settle in OK?

0:20:410:20:45

"Yes. No more antisocial...lift

0:20:480:20:52

"and people nice here."

0:20:520:20:54

That's really good.

0:20:540:20:55

So have you been through all the care plan with Neil

0:20:550:20:58

and organised what support he's going to get?

0:20:580:21:00

Yeah, we've done a settling-in plan

0:21:000:21:02

and we'll do a daily visit every day to see if he's OK

0:21:020:21:05

and if there's any support he needs.

0:21:050:21:06

And does she do all right, Neil?

0:21:060:21:09

"Spot-on." Brilliant.

0:21:090:21:11

So, do you mind if Sarah just shows me around the flat?

0:21:110:21:14

-Yeah, that's fine.

-Is that all right?

0:21:160:21:19

'Although Neil is frail,

0:21:190:21:20

'it's clear that he's much happier and more comfortable here.

0:21:200:21:24

'The flat has much better facilities

0:21:240:21:26

'and emergency pull cords in every room

0:21:260:21:29

'so he can summon help whenever he needs it.'

0:21:290:21:31

OK, this is the wet room.

0:21:320:21:35

Obviously he's got a nice, big shower.

0:21:350:21:39

It's really good that he's got the walk-in shower,

0:21:390:21:41

because at his last property

0:21:410:21:43

he obviously had to contend with a bath and...

0:21:430:21:46

as well as the stairs and everything else

0:21:460:21:49

it wasn't suitable for him,

0:21:490:21:50

so it's great that he's got this facility as well now.

0:21:500:21:54

The shower has got easy buttons to push.

0:21:540:21:56

There's also a chair there so that he hasn't got to stand,

0:21:560:21:58

he can always sit down.

0:21:580:22:00

-Brilliant. Grab rails.

-Yeah, a lot of grab rails.

0:22:000:22:03

-Yeah. All nicely decorated.

-Yeah.

0:22:030:22:05

Being on the ground floor

0:22:050:22:07

means that Neil can now get out and about with his friends and family

0:22:070:22:10

when he feels up to it.

0:22:100:22:12

This might seem like a small thing,

0:22:130:22:16

but it's transforming the time he has left.

0:22:160:22:19

So I'm really glad the move went good for you.

0:22:190:22:22

How are you feeling in yourself now?

0:22:220:22:24

'"This minute - very good."

0:22:280:22:30

'You have to admire Neil's spirit.

0:22:310:22:33

'And Natasha is delighted to have been able to help improve his life.'

0:22:330:22:37

This is one of the cases

0:22:390:22:41

that is going to make me feel a sense of satisfaction,

0:22:410:22:46

because I know that I've managed to help him.

0:22:460:22:50

He obviously is in a lot of need

0:22:500:22:53

so it's really good

0:22:530:22:54

when you can manage to help someone right to the end

0:22:540:22:57

with what they need to make their life better.

0:22:570:23:00

Sadly, Neil's now passed away.

0:23:060:23:08

Neil's brother Chris told us having the new flat,

0:23:080:23:11

even for a short time,

0:23:110:23:12

had made a huge difference to Neil's final months.

0:23:120:23:15

Defending our right to a safe place to live

0:23:180:23:21

is the job of housing officers right across the UK.

0:23:210:23:24

This is not really an acceptable way of leaving the property behind.

0:23:240:23:28

You think(?)

0:23:280:23:29

I'm working alongside the men and women that do exactly that.

0:23:290:23:33

-Top marks.

-Yes!

0:23:330:23:35

-I'm hitting the streets...

-Hello, can you open up?

0:23:350:23:38

Definitely somebody inside, cos we've seen movement.

0:23:380:23:42

..finding out what's happening on the front line...

0:23:420:23:44

The cistern's in the bath. I don't know how they flush it.

0:23:440:23:48

..and learning what it takes to make sure that a house

0:23:480:23:50

is a fit place to call a home.

0:23:500:23:52

I'm very shocked. This is ridiculous.

0:23:520:23:55

You shouldn't have people living in here.

0:23:550:23:57

Oxford, a seat of learning

0:24:040:24:06

and one of the most beautiful cities in Britain.

0:24:060:24:09

But for one in five of its residents,

0:24:090:24:11

life might not quite live up to that image.

0:24:110:24:13

They're living in shared houses -

0:24:130:24:16

one kitchen and lots of bedrooms.

0:24:160:24:18

Housing officer Adrian Chowns is the council's top man

0:24:180:24:21

when it comes to ensuring everyone in Oxford is safe in their own home.

0:24:210:24:26

To keep them safe,

0:24:260:24:27

the council started a licensing scheme for landlords,

0:24:270:24:30

to make sure basic things like proper fire alarms are fitted.

0:24:300:24:33

Family homes are excluded from this.

0:24:330:24:35

If a house has three or more unrelated people living in it

0:24:350:24:39

the landlord needs a licence

0:24:390:24:41

to show he or she is complying with safety legislation.

0:24:410:24:44

We're strolling. I like that, Adrian.

0:24:440:24:47

-We're strolling through the streets of Oxford.

-Yes.

-What's our purpose?

0:24:470:24:51

We're going to have a look at a property above a restaurant.

0:24:510:24:54

Apparently the leaseholder of the restaurant

0:24:540:24:58

has put in some of his staff

0:24:580:25:00

into the accommodation above.

0:25:000:25:02

-Right.

-And also, allegedly,

0:25:020:25:05

he's renting some other rooms out to foreign students.

0:25:050:25:09

So what's the issue with that?

0:25:090:25:11

Well, we've got the licensing issue,

0:25:110:25:13

so, you know, we've got a multi-occupied property.

0:25:130:25:16

So this could need a licence and we haven't got a record of one?

0:25:160:25:19

The restaurant staff are living above their place of work.

0:25:190:25:23

We'll need to find out if they're related.

0:25:230:25:25

If not, then the landlord will need a licence.

0:25:250:25:28

The fee for that helps fund inspections like this.

0:25:280:25:32

Interesting, interesting. Rent a flat above a shop.

0:25:320:25:36

Do you remember that? It's a lyric from a song.

0:25:360:25:38

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-Oh, OK.

-It's Pulp. Jarvis Cocker.

0:25:380:25:42

Probably a bit too old for Pulp.

0:25:420:25:44

-No, never too old for Pulp.

-More of a Cure fan.

-Oh, OK.

0:25:440:25:48

# Rent a flat above a shop

0:25:480:25:50

# Cut your hair and get a job... #

0:25:500:25:54

Well, Adrian might not be terribly good at recognising song lyrics,

0:25:540:25:58

but he is an expert

0:25:580:25:59

when it comes to spotting potential problem properties.

0:25:590:26:02

'To do that, first, we need to get in.'

0:26:020:26:04

MATT SNIFFS Takeaway land.

0:26:040:26:06

Yeah. Oh, most definitely.

0:26:060:26:08

MATT SNIFFS AGAIN

0:26:080:26:10

-It smells...

-The thing is...

-It smells good up here.

0:26:100:26:13

There's no way in up here.

0:26:170:26:18

ADRIAN LAUGHS

0:26:180:26:21

Can't find a way into the premises.

0:26:210:26:22

That's what we're trying to get into, there.

0:26:220:26:25

There are times when you just have to shout through a window.

0:26:250:26:28

I'm from the council.

0:26:280:26:29

How do I get access to do an inspection of this flat?

0:26:290:26:33

Where's the door?

0:26:330:26:35

-Go that way.

-The door's that way?

-Yeah.

0:26:350:26:38

Can you just open it for me and let me in, then, please?

0:26:380:26:41

They're obviously going down some stairs there.

0:26:410:26:43

Is it not through the front of the shop,

0:26:430:26:45

if they want to get in that way?

0:26:450:26:46

METALLIC CLANG

0:26:460:26:48

-I'm baffled.

-ADRIAN LAUGHS

0:26:510:26:53

Is it this one here, do you reckon?

0:26:530:26:55

It feels like we might have diluted the element of surprise

0:26:550:26:58

-a little bit by now.

-Yeah.

0:26:580:27:00

'Well, after we find the front door...'

0:27:000:27:03

KNOCK ON DOOR

0:27:030:27:04

'..we can finally get to work on assessing the property.'

0:27:040:27:07

Hello?

0:27:070:27:08

-Hello. Hi.

-Hello.

0:27:090:27:11

So I just need to get some details from you first, if that's OK?

0:27:110:27:15

How many people have we got living here at the moment?

0:27:150:27:18

Just the three?

0:27:190:27:21

And what's their names, please?

0:27:210:27:23

You don't know their names here?

0:27:270:27:29

OK. So who have we got?

0:27:290:27:30

We've got you and your friend here?

0:27:300:27:32

You both live here?

0:27:320:27:34

And you said there's "those people",

0:27:340:27:36

-which suggests there's more than one.

-Yeah.

0:27:360:27:38

Do you pay any rent?

0:27:380:27:39

No, I don't pay that.

0:27:390:27:40

You work in the restaurant, do you? Yeah?

0:27:420:27:44

'It seems that Adrian's suspicions may be correct.

0:27:450:27:49

'There are definitely people living here,

0:27:490:27:51

'and they don't seem to be family members.

0:27:510:27:53

'Time for some further investigation.'

0:27:530:27:56

Other than you, how many people live here?

0:27:560:27:59

-Five? Today, there was five people living here?

-Yeah.

0:28:030:28:06

OK. So someone's lying to me, then, in other words.

0:28:060:28:09

'There seems to be a little confusion

0:28:090:28:11

'about exactly how many people are staying here

0:28:110:28:14

'but, looking round, there are a few pointers that could help.'

0:28:140:28:17

(Toothbrush test.)

0:28:170:28:19

-One year.

-One year?

0:28:210:28:23

(Three beds. There's three beds. One, two, three.)

0:28:240:28:28

'With four toothbrushes and three beds in just this one room,

0:28:290:28:33

'it seems very unlikely the whole flat is shared by just three people.

0:28:330:28:37

'And things could be even worse than Adrian suspected.'

0:28:370:28:41

I don't think it's debatable at all.

0:28:410:28:43

-You're looking at the state of the ceiling...

-Yeah.

0:28:430:28:45

..that's ready to collapse.

0:28:450:28:48

-It's completely bowed across the surface.

-Yeah.

0:28:480:28:52

-I wouldn't want to be sleeping here at night.

-No.

0:28:520:28:55

'Coming up, we discover dangerous wiring and faulty smoke alarms.'

0:28:560:29:00

It says here, "Important, disconnect mains before removing the jacket."

0:29:010:29:05

Is that the jacket that's already off?

0:29:050:29:07

-Looking at that, I would be asking for a gas safety certificate.

-Yeah.

0:29:070:29:11

Earlier, urgent repairs to Anne-Marie's rented home

0:29:200:29:23

still hadn't been made, despite the council serving her landlord

0:29:230:29:26

with a notice to improve the house.

0:29:260:29:28

It's just so horrible and depressing.

0:29:300:29:33

I feel like I'm stuck and I can't get out.

0:29:330:29:36

Two weeks later, the notice has expired

0:29:360:29:39

and housing officer David Dale

0:29:390:29:40

is back to see if there's been any progress since our last visit.

0:29:400:29:44

Hi, Anne-Marie. You OK? Just here to check on the works.

0:29:440:29:48

The first thing David wants to check is the back door.

0:29:480:29:52

OK, so this is the door we saw last time.

0:29:520:29:54

Obviously, it hasn't been replaced,

0:29:540:29:56

and it actually seems to have got a little bit worse

0:29:560:29:59

since we were last here.

0:29:590:30:01

And it's starting to peel all along the bottom,

0:30:010:30:04

where the water's getting into it.

0:30:040:30:06

The door isn't the only thing left undone.

0:30:080:30:11

The last time we were here,

0:30:110:30:13

the bathroom was damp, with peeling wallpaper,

0:30:130:30:15

the electrics needed attention,

0:30:150:30:17

and the windows were rotten.

0:30:170:30:19

So I've had a quick look around the place.

0:30:220:30:24

Everything is still exactly the same as it was last time we were here.

0:30:240:30:28

But, despite all that, David has made progress.

0:30:280:30:31

The landlord hasn't carried out any repairs yet,

0:30:310:30:34

but he HAS finally agreed to get the work that needs doing done.

0:30:340:30:38

I'm meeting a contractor round here on Monday.

0:30:390:30:42

I will go through our entire schedule of works

0:30:420:30:45

with the contractor.

0:30:450:30:47

So not just the door, which is being fixed on Monday,

0:30:470:30:50

but the floor, the windows,

0:30:500:30:53

the carpet on the stairs, the electrical faults.

0:30:530:30:56

I am happy that someone is coming around to actually have a look

0:30:560:30:59

and price up the works. So hopefully the landlord will do the work.

0:30:590:31:04

And there's more good news for Anne-Marie.

0:31:040:31:07

Because high rents in Croydon

0:31:070:31:09

led to the council there relocating her to Kent,

0:31:090:31:12

they're still responsible for her.

0:31:120:31:14

And they're trying to find her a home in Croydon she can afford,

0:31:140:31:17

so she's closer to her relatives.

0:31:170:31:20

I'm just really happy within myself,

0:31:200:31:23

knowing that Croydon council won't leave me after the two years,

0:31:230:31:27

and knowing that they would move me somewhere where I want to be.

0:31:270:31:31

That's kind of lifted my spirits, and made me really happy,

0:31:310:31:35

knowing that they're really trying to help.

0:31:350:31:39

I'm enormously sympathetic to Anne-Marie.

0:31:390:31:42

She's been trapped here for two years.

0:31:420:31:44

I just really hope she finds somewhere nice to live.

0:31:440:31:47

And we can get on and deal with the property,

0:31:470:31:51

cos the works needed are quite extensive.

0:31:510:31:54

Swale council have had an estimate for necessary repairs to the house -

0:31:590:32:02

it's going to cost £20,000

0:32:020:32:04

to bring it up to the basic standard required by law.

0:32:040:32:07

The council's prosecuting the landlord

0:32:070:32:09

for failing to comply with improvement notices.

0:32:090:32:12

Croydon Council, who moved Anne-Marie and her kids to the area,

0:32:120:32:15

told us, "We were disappointed to learn that this property

0:32:150:32:18

"was not maintained to the standards we expect.

0:32:180:32:20

"We've found a suitable new home for Ms Hardcastle

0:32:200:32:23

"near close family in Margate."

0:32:230:32:25

Anne-Marie and the children have, indeed,

0:32:250:32:27

been moved again by Croydon Council to be near to her sisters.

0:32:270:32:31

Not back to Croydon, as she'd hoped, so she could be near to her mum -

0:32:310:32:35

the combination of the benefit cap

0:32:350:32:37

and soaring housing prices have made that impossible.

0:32:370:32:40

While Croydon may have found a happy compromise in Margate,

0:32:400:32:44

the council there do say cheap accommodation

0:32:440:32:46

has led to other councils dumping their dependent population

0:32:460:32:50

into the area, exacerbating serious social problems.

0:32:500:32:54

MUSIC: Common People by Pulp

0:32:570:32:59

Back in Oxford,

0:32:590:33:00

we need to find out if this flat above an Indian restaurant is safe

0:33:000:33:04

and suitable accommodation for the restaurant workers who live there.

0:33:040:33:07

And, just as importantly, how many of them do.

0:33:070:33:10

Once again, we find ourselves in a flat in a property,

0:33:120:33:16

trying to establish the truth.

0:33:160:33:19

And trying to work out what set of rules apply to this place.

0:33:190:33:25

If it's a family, a single family living here,

0:33:250:33:28

it's different to if you have a series of individuals, unrelated,

0:33:280:33:32

even if they are all working in the same place. The rules are different.

0:33:320:33:36

And we're getting different stories from different people.

0:33:360:33:39

-So there's just you three that you know of?

-Yeah.

0:33:390:33:42

-Bit difficult.

-You, this gentleman and the other guy that lives here?

0:33:420:33:45

Are you sure that there's only you three here?

0:33:450:33:48

Yeah, only three guys.

0:33:480:33:49

Because the guy in that other room

0:33:490:33:51

has just told me that there's five people living here.

0:33:510:33:53

Five people? No, these other people have gone already.

0:33:530:33:56

Well, they were here yesterday, they were here this morning, he said.

0:33:560:34:00

So either he doesn't know or you don't know.

0:34:000:34:03

'The council insist that landlords in the city are licensed

0:34:030:34:06

'before renting rooms out to more than two tenants,

0:34:060:34:09

'something the leaseholder of this property has so far failed to do.

0:34:090:34:13

'And, on top of the confusion about numbers,

0:34:130:34:15

'we're also more than a bit concerned

0:34:150:34:17

'about the state of the property.'

0:34:170:34:19

It says here, "Important, disconnect mains before removing the jacket."

0:34:190:34:23

-Yeah.

-Is that the jacket that's already off?

0:34:230:34:25

Looking at that, I would be asking for a gas safety certificate.

0:34:250:34:28

Yeah, yeah.

0:34:280:34:29

-We can do the bathroom if you want.

-Let's do the bathroom next.

-Yeah.

0:34:290:34:33

A shower. Electric shower.

0:34:340:34:36

Toilet.

0:34:360:34:38

We've got a hot-water heater that is...

0:34:380:34:40

jerry-rigged onto that.

0:34:400:34:43

-No, the wiring's not brilliant, really.

-Oh, my God, yeah.

0:34:430:34:47

You'd really want that behind the tiles.

0:34:470:34:49

It's enough to suggest that we need an electrical safety check

0:34:490:34:52

-doing on the flat.

-Yeah.

0:34:520:34:55

'Potentially dangerous wiring in a bathroom can be deadly.

0:34:550:34:58

'And, in the next room we check, the news is even worse.'

0:34:580:35:01

Anything of concern on this one?

0:35:010:35:03

We've got a smoke alarm. We can give that a check.

0:35:030:35:06

BUTTON CLICKS QUIETLY

0:35:060:35:08

-BOTH:

-Nothing.

-That's a dud.

0:35:080:35:10

From our point of view, this would be what we would call

0:35:100:35:12

-an inner room, in terms of in a fire situation.

-Right.

0:35:120:35:16

Um, so the fact that that smoke alarm's not working is not good.

0:35:160:35:21

I look at it and I think,

0:35:210:35:22

-"You've got to give people living here a chance."

-Yeah.

0:35:220:35:25

And this room in particular is not giving them that chance

0:35:250:35:29

if something happened.

0:35:290:35:31

'There's already a number of concerns.

0:35:310:35:33

'That's before we can get behind the other two locked doors.'

0:35:330:35:36

I'm going to speak to the owner now.

0:35:360:35:37

I'm going to come back, I'm going to need to get into these two rooms.

0:35:370:35:40

All right, that's fine. Yeah.

0:35:400:35:41

I mean, if we don't get into these two rooms,

0:35:410:35:43

we might have to come back with a warrant

0:35:430:35:46

and do the old breaking in...

0:35:460:35:47

Is this feeling quite serious to you?

0:35:470:35:49

I mean, it's beyond the licence, isn't it?

0:35:490:35:51

There are other matters here that need looking at, it seems.

0:35:510:35:53

I mean, realistically, even if these guys were related to each other

0:35:530:35:57

and we were saying it's not a house of multiple occupation,

0:35:570:36:02

we'd want something doing with the gas and the electrics

0:36:020:36:06

and the fire safety, just from a general point of view,

0:36:060:36:09

because it's an occupied property in the private sector.

0:36:090:36:13

'Adrian doesn't just want access to the two rooms.

0:36:130:36:16

'He also wants some answers from the leaseholder of the restaurant

0:36:160:36:19

'about the state of the property.'

0:36:190:36:21

-The door is open, isn't it?

-No, it's not.

0:36:210:36:24

'Unfortunately, there's no response, and I'm starting to worry

0:36:240:36:26

'about what our visit could mean for the tenants upstairs.'

0:36:260:36:30

The feeling that I got from those guys was one of intense nervousness.

0:36:300:36:35

Cos their jobs are linked to that place,

0:36:350:36:37

they could end up losing accommodation and job

0:36:370:36:39

if the landlord doesn't like what they've...

0:36:390:36:42

you know, what they've said.

0:36:420:36:44

It's not their fault, you know,

0:36:440:36:45

the conditions that they're living in, it's the landlord's.

0:36:450:36:48

And, you know, we're trying to be... You know, we're on their side.

0:36:480:36:51

-We're trying to make it better for them.

-It's really difficult

0:36:510:36:54

-when you've got accommodation tied to employment, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:36:540:36:57

Because it's almost like you're getting something for free,

0:36:570:37:00

therefore you have no rights.

0:37:000:37:01

But of course you do. Of course you have rights, just like anybody else.

0:37:010:37:04

-Yeah.

-You've got to. You shouldn't be living in a hellhole

0:37:040:37:07

just because it's tied to your job.

0:37:070:37:09

'With the leaseholder nowhere to be found,

0:37:090:37:11

'there's not much more we can do here.'

0:37:110:37:13

-Another day.

-Yeah, definitely.

-Right, nice one.

0:37:130:37:16

But Adrian is not a man to give up.

0:37:190:37:21

And, a few weeks later,

0:37:210:37:22

he's on his way back to check on this shared house,

0:37:220:37:25

known to the council as a house in multiple occupation, or HMO.

0:37:250:37:29

So we're going to go and have a chat with this leaseholder, um...

0:37:310:37:35

about this property that we inspected,

0:37:350:37:37

those two locked rooms we couldn't get into.

0:37:370:37:39

So we're going to go back now and see what the situation is.

0:37:390:37:43

We've got enough information

0:37:430:37:45

to actually proceed with the HMO requirements,

0:37:450:37:50

but it's just to check that if it's actually five people and not three,

0:37:500:37:55

cos the original report was

0:37:550:37:57

that there were also two foreign students living there as well,

0:37:570:38:01

and I suspect that those two foreign students

0:38:010:38:04

are possibly occupying those two locked rooms

0:38:040:38:07

that we couldn't get into.

0:38:070:38:08

And the good news was that the leaseholder was there this time,

0:38:110:38:14

and allowed Adrian into the flat.

0:38:140:38:17

But not our cameras.

0:38:170:38:19

So he's let me into the two rooms

0:38:200:38:21

that were locked last time we did the inspection.

0:38:210:38:23

One of them looks like it's being occupied as an office -

0:38:230:38:26

there's a desk and some computers and that sort of stuff.

0:38:260:38:29

The other one is a bedroom.

0:38:290:38:30

There's definitely someone else, you know, there,

0:38:300:38:33

which just confirms our suspicions that it is an unlicensed HMO.

0:38:330:38:38

There's been some work been carried out.

0:38:380:38:40

Two of the smoke alarms that we saw when we went last time,

0:38:400:38:44

which were broken, they are brand-new,

0:38:440:38:46

they've been replaced now.

0:38:460:38:48

That's not, you know, to say that

0:38:480:38:49

we're not going to do anything about the fact it's unlicensed,

0:38:490:38:52

but at least, you know, we've had an impact.

0:38:520:38:55

You know, we've made something happen.

0:38:550:38:57

And he's told me he's not prepared to speak to me.

0:38:570:38:59

We've got to go through his solicitor.

0:38:590:39:01

So that's what we'll have to do. You know, take it from there.

0:39:010:39:04

The leaseholder's reluctance to talk to housing officers

0:39:090:39:12

hasn't stopped the city council from still pursuing its investigations.

0:39:120:39:16

And the leaseholder will be brought in for an interview.

0:39:160:39:19

He'll be questioned about both conditions at the property

0:39:190:39:23

and the lack of a licence.

0:39:230:39:26

What happens after that will be partly dependent on him.

0:39:260:39:29

Mid Suffolk, and all is not as it seems.

0:39:340:39:37

In this quiet pocket of rural England,

0:39:370:39:39

there's been a strange delivery.

0:39:390:39:41

It's unsettling a small community.

0:39:410:39:43

So housing officer Andrew Weavers is on his way to investigate.

0:39:430:39:47

We're going to Stowmarket.

0:39:480:39:49

A gentleman complained a couple of weeks ago that his neighbour

0:39:490:39:53

had been putting some very strange notes through his door.

0:39:530:39:56

The trouble I have with this area -

0:39:570:39:59

there's a lot of flats and small houses in a very small circle,

0:39:590:40:03

so everybody can see what's going on.

0:40:030:40:06

There is a mixture of council tenants and homeowners

0:40:060:40:08

in this well-kept corner of Stowmarket.

0:40:080:40:11

And, with everyone living so close together,

0:40:110:40:13

it's vital that neighbours treat each other with respect.

0:40:130:40:16

-Sit down.

-Thank you very much.

-I'm in the middle of cleaning.

-Are you?

0:40:190:40:22

I'll tell you what, I'll employ you to come round my place.

0:40:220:40:25

Cos this is spotless anyway. It's always this spotless, isn't it?

0:40:250:40:28

That's what I always say.

0:40:280:40:30

There was nothing much to disturb Sidney and his wife Barbara's world

0:40:300:40:34

until something dropped through their letterbox

0:40:340:40:36

in the middle of the night.

0:40:360:40:38

Just have a quiet read of those.

0:40:380:40:41

So these just came out of the blue?

0:40:410:40:44

-There was no precedent at all for it.

-Yeah?

0:40:440:40:47

They were posted through our letterbox

0:40:470:40:49

-at four o'clock in the morning.

-OK...

0:40:490:40:51

-Four o'clock in the morning?!

-Yes.

-Wow.

0:40:510:40:54

Andrew's a regular visitor to this community,

0:40:550:40:58

and he knows that a neighbour with grievances

0:40:580:41:00

can seriously disturb the peace.

0:41:000:41:02

Wow. It's all quite a ramble, really.

0:41:040:41:07

There's talk about other people being on benefits,

0:41:070:41:09

there's talk about privacy

0:41:090:41:12

and "Genuine people, the truth is the only law."

0:41:120:41:14

Don't forget, there's stuff on the other side

0:41:140:41:16

-of some of those pages as well.

-Oh, is there?

-Yes.

0:41:160:41:19

Got "Sid 'n' Barbara, Village of the Damned." I don't know what that is.

0:41:190:41:22

-This man is clearly unwell.

-Yes.

0:41:220:41:24

Poor Sid and Barbara.

0:41:240:41:26

Clearly, this has come as a bit of a shock.

0:41:260:41:28

We felt really aggrieved

0:41:280:41:30

that we'd had these letters pushed through our letterbox

0:41:300:41:33

by somebody who had had no contact with us previously.

0:41:330:41:37

You know, apart from the odd hello, sort of thing.

0:41:370:41:40

And it was quite a shock to our systems, to be honest.

0:41:400:41:44

-Obviously, you called the police?

-Yes.

-Yeah?

0:41:440:41:46

-And you had one of the local PCSOs out to see you?

-We did indeed, yes.

0:41:460:41:51

What was the result of that?

0:41:510:41:52

-He phoned us up on the Sunday...

-Yeah?

0:41:520:41:55

..and said he'd had a word with the man, you know? And, er...

0:41:550:41:59

he was going to sort out some, er...

0:41:590:42:02

problem with the mental health people.

0:42:020:42:04

-Oh, are they going to just refer him across?

-I think so, yes.

0:42:040:42:07

I will get to speak to the PCSO

0:42:070:42:10

and just sort of see what support he's put in place,

0:42:100:42:13

-or who he has referred who to.

-Of course.

0:42:130:42:16

But if it's all nice and quiet, I think we'll leave it here.

0:42:160:42:19

-Fine, yeah.

-I will take this, just in case it flares up again

0:42:190:42:22

-and we might need to sort of be more involved.

-Yes, that's right.

0:42:220:42:26

-All right?

-Yes, that's fine by me, you know?

0:42:260:42:28

Sidney has let the matter drop so, for now at least, it's case closed.

0:42:280:42:33

Goodbye.

0:42:350:42:37

You know, having a few letters come in

0:42:370:42:39

at about four o'clock in the morning,

0:42:390:42:40

I think it would put the wind up anybody, really.

0:42:400:42:44

But they're not directed to him,

0:42:440:42:46

and they seem to be directed about other people

0:42:460:42:48

in the grand scheme of things.

0:42:480:42:50

Anything that upsets the neighbours in this close-knit community

0:42:520:42:55

is something that concerns Andrew.

0:42:550:42:57

But sometimes a visit and a chat is all it takes to keep the peace.

0:42:570:43:01

That's it for today.

0:43:070:43:08

Join me next time, when I'll be learning more about what it takes

0:43:080:43:12

to be a front-line housing officer.

0:43:120:43:14

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