Episode 12 The Housing Enforcers

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

Oh!

I wouldn't ever envision anyone living like this.

But, for thousands of people across the UK,

the reality can be more hovel than home.

The house was a death-trap, at the end of the day.

'In the battle for decent housing...'

Leaving things, that's what happens.

This is totally unacceptable.

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

If somebody had died here,

you would have been standing in coroner's court.

'I'm Matt Allwright and I'm back with the housing enforcers.'

LOUD BANG Oh!

-You all right?

-Yeah, good.

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

'and slum conditions...'

Faeces is an issue of... That's...

Faeces IS an issue!

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

'and everything in between...'

No!

That's incredible!

'..doing their best to help those

'in need of a happy and healthy home.'

-Oh, it's fabulous!

-Oh, Margaret!

SHE CRIES Oh, Margaret!

'Today, in Dudley,

'things get heated over a flat built in a precarious position.'

The situation has escalated somewhat since I last called.

If we could have the presence of a police officer,

we really would appreciate that.

'I visit the tidiest student house I've ever seen.'

This is what you do not generally find in student accommodation.

Look, we have stationery, organised incredibly neatly,

and a rich and plentiful supply of toilet roll.

'In Newham, I join housing officers on an inspection of a family home

'that may have been unlawfully converted to individual bedsits.

What have we got here?

OK, yeah, so we've got a cleaning rota for the kitchen

and the stairs and, on it,

we've got eight different names on that,

which is always a good indication of just how many people there are.

'And, after recently losing his mum and family home,

'housing officers help to find Harry a new place to live.'

It's been stressful trying to do it by myself,

but I've got support and stuff.

It makes you realise life is too short, so...just crack on with it.

Every year, more of us rent the homes that we live in

and, every year, rents go up.

For those of us chasing cheaper housing, that can mean

enduring living conditions so bad that they break the law.

I'm working alongside the men and women

whose job it is to uphold those laws.

They are the housing enforcers.

'Here in Dudley, from time to time, the council comes across properties

'that are deemed just too dangerous for people to live in.

'Some are overcrowded, others lacking in basic fire safety.

'But today, for housing officers Lindon Morgan and David Bates,

'they're on the way to a truly bizarre property -

'a flat that presents real and present danger

'even before you open the front door.

'They've had a tip-off that some tenants

'may be living in a rented flat above this shop

'and just finding the entrance offers its own element of risk.'

If this is access to a flat, I'm not happy.

'But it gets worse.'

As you can see, it's quite a narrow entrance. It's obstructed as well.

There's the staircase. This is the only way in and the only way out.

'And then, once you reach the end of the stairs,

there's only one way to access the flat.

'First, you have to stand on this chair

'and then clamber across this roof

'before finally trying to reach the front door in one piece.

'Even if you do manage to clamber up onto the roof,

'there are still plenty of obstacles in your way.

'Mr Talib is the manager of the shop below.

'Maybe he can shed a little light on what's going on.'

-Is this occupied?

-We just chill out there.

-OK.

It's very, very dangerous.

I mean, I'd be worried with even you coming up here

or anybody coming up here. Somebody is going to fall off.

Have you had the roof tested?

Do you know if the roof is capable of supporting people walking on it?

-To tell you the truth, I don't know.

-You don't know.

-Is there any other way to get in the flat?

-No.

This is the only access to the flat?

-No access from the shop at all.

-No access from the shop.

'Well, David does manage - somehow or other - to clamber up.

'Unsurprisingly, he's not impressed.'

It's not normal to have access across a roof.

So we'll have to contact Planning and Building Regulations.

It's a fire hazard, there's actually bags of kindling.

People could come over, play in it, fall in it,

knock it over there onto somebody.

It needs tidying up, really.

'Mr Talib says that, despite what the housing team may have heard,

'the flat isn't occupied by any tenants.

'The guys are going to need a bit more convincing.'

-You been in there, haven't you?

-Yeah.

So, you've got a little kitchen.

-A little kitchen, toilet.

-Toilet.

-One big room.

-One big room, right.

Has anybody ever slept in there overnight?

Tell me, who's been doing the washing?

There's washing powder there. Has that been there for ages?

Clearly, it's being used for something else.

'For David and Lindon,

'gaining entry to this flat is now vitally important.

'If there are people living inside, they're being put in real danger.'

-It's a death trap.

-It's horrendous! Absolutely horrendous!

I mean, there's no barrier at all. You could just fall off there.

If I fell off there, that's it. If you fell off, that's it, you know.

Do you appreciate what we're saying about how dangerous this is?

-We don't know how safe this is.

-Yeah, yeah.

'And potential dangers to tenants don't stop there.'

This is the kitchen. That's the cooker there. The electrics...

I don't know, they might be OK, they might not.

If there's a fire in here

and somebody's having a sleep in the back room,

they aren't going to get out, are they?

Or they're going to find it very difficult to get out.

And if it's at night and they come out, it's pitch-black.

Look at all the trip hazards along here.

'David and Lindon are clearly getting increasingly concerned

'about this property, but, despite owning up to using the flat,

'it seems Mohammed isn't able to open it up

'as another family member has the key.'

I'd like to have a look inside.

And there's no way at all, Mohammed, you can get a key?

He comes back at ten o'clock.

-You can't phone him?

-He's gone to work, hasn't he?

-We'll come by later in the week.

-We'll come back later in the week.

We're to help you, work with you and make it safe

for you, your family and all visitors.

Yeah. I'll sort it out, don't worry.

'So, unfortunately, the housing team are leaving without

'being able to check if there's anyone living inside.

'They're planning on coming back soon, though, as the dangers

'presented to potential tenants here are very real indeed.'

Well, I'm basically down alongside the flat.

Although it's only a first floor roof,

that's a long way to fall and its onto a very unforgiving surface.

In fact, there is rubble and bins and fridges.

This one clearly needs to be prohibited

so we'll do that as a matter of course,

straight away, without failure

and then try working with the landlord to get him

to realise that he's got a responsibility to health and safety

and the health and safety of those who are using it

or even visiting it.

It's got to be safe.

'And Mr Talib seems willing to do his bit.'

I can understand, yeah.

There's a bit of rubbish on top of the roof,

but I'll get rid of that tonight.

I know what I'm taking, it's my risk.

I can understand where they're coming from.

It's not for the company, it's not for no-one else.

'But, later, the warm welcome starts to heat up.'

Listen, we need to sort this out before I do anything with the flat.

-All right, well...

-For me to come up here,

jump on there, it's not safe.

-No, I agree, yeah.

-I agree with that.

'Waving off your children to go to university

'is fraught with all kinds of worries for a parent.

'But top of the list has got to be making sure

'they have somewhere safe, affordable and decent to live.

'In Bangor, housing officer Richard Hughes

'is part of the team at Gwynedd Council,

'whose job it is to make sure

'that more than 11,000 students in the city have just that.'

So, I hadn't really registered, I don't think,

that Bangor was such a big university town, but clearly it is.

Yeah, it's massive.

They get thousands and thousands of students here

from all over the world, really.

And that changes the pressure, then, on housing here.

Oh, definitely, definitely.

We do try our best to try and maintain an acceptable

and satisfactory standard of that accommodation.

Are there exemplary landlords out there for students?

Yes there are, to be honest with you.

And, to be honest, it's always a pleasure to work with them

because they're so keen

and they're generally people that actually care

about the wellbeing of their tenants.

I wish everyone was the same.

'Today, Richard's taking me to meet one landlord

'who so determined to do things by the book,

'she has called in the council herself

'because she is worried a couple of her rooms

'don't meet the minimum size requirements

'set out by the planning department.'

This is our welcoming student let for four students, so do come in.

Thank you very much.

'I'm barely over the threshold.

'It's already obvious that Kay-Lesley Hallam-Black

'isn't your average landlord.'

-How does it work here?

-Just let me direct you to here.

-Oh, OK.

That's all my thank yous, look, which I'm very proud of.

-I bet, I bet.

-Because we put our heart and soul into this.

'Shocked when her own daughter found herself

'living in an unsafe student house while at university 14 years ago,

'Kay-Lesley and her sister bought this place,

'determined to give tenants a better experience.'

Even early on, I can tell this is very much unlike

the student accommodation that I lived in.

-Oh, it's unlike what I had.

-It's spotless.

Well, thanks to the students, yeah.

'And thanks to some very clear house rules.'

We've got a very strict contract, I have to say.

So, what are the things I wouldn't be allowed to do in your house?

Well, you wouldn't be able to smoke,

you'd have to take care of the property.

You'd have to keep it clean.

How would you know if I was or not?

Cos I inspect. Oh, it's in the contract.

We do three inspections a year.

'The house rules seem to be doing the trick.

'It's unlike any student house I've ever seen.'

This is what you do not generally find in student accommodation, look.

We have stationery, organised incredibly neatly,

and a rich and plentiful supply of toilet roll.

There is no blame to be apportioned.

"Who used the last of the toilet roll?

"Who used the last of it?" Look at it! They're never going to run out.

This is a term's supply. It's incredible!

-Well, we try to think of everything.

-Shoes, all in a row!

'And, upstairs in the bedrooms,

'there is a continuing theme of tidiness.'

-Look at the... It's immaculate.

-Yeah.

Well, because they know that we're coming tomorrow to inspect.

-I honestly don't think I would qualify.

-Do you not?

-No.

I think you're OK, you know.

'Attention to detail is why Richard's here.

'Like all good landlords,

'Kay-Lesley tries to stay up-to-date with the regulations,

'but she things a couple of her bedrooms

'might be too small to comply with the council's licensing requirements

'so she's asked Richard to come round and check.'

So, what is your concern, then? What is it you need help with?

Well, having expended over the years a lot of time and effort

and money, I need the income from four tenants

cos this is my pension pot now

and these two smaller bedrooms don't quite come up to spec.

'If the rooms don't comply with the planning department's

minimum size requirement, Kay-Lesley and her sister could be facing

'the prospect of losing half their rental income.'

We try to be as reasonable as we can because there's some old houses here

and we generally have a look

and we try to assess each case on its own merits, really.

So, there is some flexibility?

There's a little bit of wiggle room

-if it's a couple of inches here or there?

-Yeah, definitely.

'With so much at stake, size really matters.'

-We need to find a smaller room and measure that.

-OK.

-Right.

-OK, so this is a much smaller room.

-Yeah.

You've got a bed, desk, wardrobe.

You've got all that you need and it's cosy.

-Shall we measure it?

-Yeah, but I don't think...

I'm worried that the rug's going to be pulled out from under my feet

and I'm told, "You can't do it," cos it won't work then.

We can't rent this out to only two students.

There's only one way to find out.

'It's time to put Kay-Lesley out of her misery.'

It should be 81 inches. I don't do centimetres.

2.115, bang on three metres, then.

Three by two, what is it...?

-Three by 215.

-So, work that out. I don't think it...

-645.

-Is it?

Oh, that's all right, then, cos it's got to be a minimum 641,

so it just complies, doesn't it?

What we specify within the licensing conditions in Gwynedd

is that a single bedroom should have a minimum floor area

-of 6.5 metres squared, which this achieves.

-Thank you.

'It's a fraction under, but Richard is happy

'to make the most of that little bit of wriggle room.

'And, after a quick measure of the other room,

'Kay-Lesley should sleep more easily tonight.'

Right, so the point of today was to establish

-that these two smaller rooms are still...

-Compliant.

Compliant and you can let them a single rooms.

To tenants, yes. To students, yes.

Yeah, there's no problem with that, both of them.

As long as it's let to one person, I've got no concerns.

Oh, I'm very strict on that.

I'm thinking of having a "no sex" clause in the contract,

but I don't think that would be very popular, would it?

I think human rights might be affected.

We might clash there.

'That might be taking regulations too far,

'but Richard is only too glad to help someone

'who clearly takes her responsibilities

'to her tenants so seriously.

We definitely appreciate good landlords like yourself,

who are always in contact with us,

who check in now and again or ask our advice

cos we're always willing to come out.

But, then again, there's always going to be the odd one

that tries to escape us,

tries not to license, tries to take advantage of the tenants

and that's why we're here, really,

to try and catch up with them all the time.

I wish everyone was as conscientious as yourself.

This is like a beautiful relationship, this is.

-Well, I think it's important, isn't it?

-It is.

You're cheering me up no end, that's good to know.

'Now, I've met my fair share of landlords, good and bad...'

Lovely to meet you, thank you so much.

-And you.

-This is a really impressive house.

Oh, you don't know how much that means to me

and I'll pass that on to my sister.

'..but I can honestly say I've never come across one

'quite like Kay-Lesley.'

-Very nice to meet you.

-Thank you very much.

What a remarkable landlady and what a remarkable property.

In all the time that we've been doing this,

I don't think I've met anyone

who knew more about the law and compliance

and how to keep her tenants happy. She was phenomenal.

And, you know, I think her tenants should count themselves very lucky.

'Back in Dudley and housing officers Lindon Morgan and David Bates

'are on their way back to a problem property

'that had them both in a state of shock.'

-It's a death trap.

-It's horrendous! Absolutely horrendous.

I mean, there's no barrier at all.

'Last time, despite negotiating some of the hurdles in their way,

'they failed to get access to check

'if anyone was living inside this clearly dangerous flat.'

And there's no way at all, Mohammed, you can get a key?

You can't phone him?

-He's gone to work, hasn't he?

-We can come back later in the week.

'Well, they've now returned, hoping for better luck this time.'

I'm concerned that there might be something worth seeing in the flat.

I don't know why somebody with a key

-wouldn't just let us go and have a look.

-Suspicious.

Unless there's something to be concerned about.

'The housing team are desperate for the shop manager, Mr Talib,

'to allow them access to the property as they're worried that

'if there are any tenants inside, they're being put in real danger.

'But now it looks as if their access is being impeded again,

'this time by the bins.'

Tell him Lindon and David from the enforcement team came round.

He knows. Basically, we're trying to get access upstairs.

We'd like that cos we've been up, we've had a look at the roof

and there's a lot of issues there.

He knows that we'd like to gain access to the flat.

'It turns out there's a dispute

'about who has the right of entry into this alleyway

'with the neighbouring properties using this space for their bins,

'which is making access to this flat even more dangerous.

'It's a separate issue that clearly needs dealing with,

'but, right now, it's the risks posed to any tenants in the flat

'that is top of Linden and David's list.

'Unfortunately, progress here also appears blocked.'

Nothing's changed since we were here before,

although it was made very clear, I believe, that all this clutter

on the roof was dangerous to anybody moving or working down below.

It's not been moved. That's an easy fix. That's not difficult.

It still appears that potentially somebody is using that flat.

'But it seems staff in the shop

'disagree with the housing team's priorities.'

Why don't you move these bins here out of the way?

Is that safe over there, those bins?

Well, if I was renting that flat or that flat,

-I would not be happy about that.

-Yeah, I totally agree with you.

You should really get this out of the way...

'And, when Mr Talib appears,

'it's clear he's in no mood to debate the flat either.'

Listen, you need to sort this out before I do anything with the flat.

-Well...

-It's not safe.

For me to come up here and jump up there, it's not safe.

-No, I agree, yeah.

-I agree with that.

Sort your problem out, then I can sort my problem out.

I don't need no help, I know the problem.

So we're crystal clear,

once the bins and the staircase is sorted out,

-you're prepared to let us into the property.

-Yeah.

If you had a key, you could let me in.

I could go and have a look in there. 20 minutes, I'm out of the way.

This is dangerous. Nobody is going to die by walking into a bin.

-You know and I know it's dangerous.

-Mmm, so you need to sort it out.

You need to sort the problem of A out, then we go to B.

When we first came, the bins weren't here so that wasn't an issue for us.

But obviously there is an issue, of course.

-There is an issue now because there is bins.

-There you go.

You've admitted it's dangerous so you need to sort it out.

Yeah, everything is dangerous.

But this is very dangerous. Somebody comes up here...

This is very dangerous as well.

'With tensions running high over the bin dispute,

'it's clear that gaining access to the flat

'is off the agenda again for today.

'But Lindon and David are not going to let this one go,

'as the argument continues on the street.'

You said, unless these bins are moved,

you're not going to give us access to the flat.

In my opinion, it's safe. It's a hazard, but it's safe.

The problem we've come about

is the fact that you've got a flat up here

and the only access to it is across a flat roof.

The flat stays blocked off. No-one is going in there.

If it is empty and it's not being used, that would be a better idea.

I've got no access to go through the alleyway.

'Mr Talib is promising that he's going to sort out the flat.

'For the housing team, it IS a sort of progress,

'although, after two failed attempts to get inside

'and with the roof still a potential death trap,

'it's not the result they were hoping for.'

He's done nothing with that flat. He's not done anything at all.

I'm going to prohibit the flat on the basis of the access to it.

I believe people have been living in that property.

They have got something to hide with regards to the flat

and, OK, I know they're all arguing about the bins and that.

The bins don't pose as much of a hazard

as the flat above and access to it.

'Later, when the team demand entry at the time,

'Lindon needs backup.'

OK, the situation has escalated somewhat.

If we could have the presence of a police officer,

we really would appreciate that.

Defending our right to a safe place to live

is the job of housing officers right across the UK.

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

Do you think?

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

-Top marks.

-Yes!

I'm hitting the streets...

Hello, can you open up?

There's definitely somebody inside cos we see movement.

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

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

..and learning what it takes

to make sure a house is fit to be called a home.

I'm very shocked. This is ridiculous.

They shouldn't have people living in here.

'Back in Dudley, and the property where you need

'to stand on a chair to get to the front door.

'The council's housing team are desperate to check out the flat

'in case there are people living there

'and also to see if it's as dangerous inside

'as it is on the outside.

'Lindon Morgan is on the case again,

'this time accompanied by housing officer Glen Cooper.'

We're going back to a property today

that we previously tried to gain access to

on two previous occasions.

My colleagues have notified us of some serious issues here,

which really gives us little alternative

but to get a warrant.

So we'll go to the owners today

and we'll request they give us permission to go in.

If they don't, we'll go in with a locksmith.

'Yep, they're not messing around this time.

'After being refused entry not once but twice

'by the shop manager, Mr Talib,

'they've brought a locksmith along

'to make sure they're getting inside.'

-Hello, Mr Talib. You've been dealing with David Bates previously.

-Yeah.

He asked me to come today to execute a warrant

-to get access to the property upstairs.

-Yeah.

So, we're here to tell you we've got a warrant to go in.

-You've got a key, I believe.

-I've not got a key.

-You haven't?

-No.

OK, so we got a locksmith here so he'll go in, change the locks,

let us have access. We'll do an inspection

and then we'll give you the key, all right?

-You got the warrant?

-I have, yeah.

I'll see if I can get the key for you.

Give me about ten minutes, yeah?

'The warrant gives the housing team

'legal permission to enter the property.

'The only question now

'is will they go in the easy way or the hard way?'

Yeah, they've maintained that they haven't got the keys

and, surprisingly, when we come along with a warrant,

they've got a key or they can get access to a key,

so we'll see how it pans out.

'While Mr Talib attempts to locate the missing key...'

Ten minutes, otherwise we will be going straight in, all right?

'..Lindon has a little mission of his own.'

Right, what I'm going to do

so that we don't potentially have any runners,

I'm going to go up and I'm going to actually keep a visual

on the back of the property.

'The bins are still here from the last visit.

'So, unfortunately, is all the rubbish on the roof

'and the evidence of potential tenants.'

Well, there's signs that some things have been moved.

There's a cooker there, signs someone has been cooking something.

There's a pot in that one. I haven't seen any sign of life.

We won't really know until we get in.

'With the missing key still missing,

'the team decide to take matters into their own hands.'

-Hello?

-Is anybody here, Mr Talib?

-No-one.

'They guys are finally inside, but it doesn't take long

'before their investigation is hampered once again.

-They're personal papers there.

-Right, call the police.

-This is personal papers!

-Call the police.

-These are personal papers.

I was in the property, we noticed some correspondence

so I went to take some photographs of the correspondence

to see details of occupiers.

As soon as I unfolded the correspondence,

it was snatched away from me.

At that point, I decided to call the police

because obviously he is not allowing us

to carry out our inspection.

'With the team feeling they are being obstructed in their duty,

'they have no option but to get the police involved.'

They're stopping us from entering certain rooms. Yeah.

And any evidence that we'd like to look at, he's taking,

removing from the property.

'Mr Talib is hastily emptying the flat.

SIREN WAILS 'The police are on the way,

'but the guys have to do their best to preserve the scene.'

There's clothes, there's food,

there's a family picture on the wall.

It's obviously being used as accommodation, there's no question.

If they're suggesting the clothing that is in there,

the suitcases and the shoes and the food is theirs,

it's quite suspicious that, as soon as we've gone in,

they've gone in and started taking all the clothing

and all the suitcases out.

'The police are still yet to arrive

'and the evidence is disappearing fast.

'The team need to take action

'because tempers are starting to flare.'

We'll secure this until the police come.

The situation has escalated somewhat since our last call.

If we could have the presence of a police officer,

we really would appreciate that.

'The police arrive. Maybe now the team can make some progress.'

I'm just going to go down to bring them in.

Oof!

'And there we go -

'Lindon has illustrated the very reason for the council's visit here.

'This property offers huge dangers to anyone staying inside

'and that's why the team are so desperate to get in there.

'After at last being allowed to conduct a search,

'Lindon and Glen are confident they've seen enough to take action.'

We're going to serve a prohibition on it.

That means you're not allowed to use it for residential purposes.

If it's not being used, then you haven't got a problem.

-OK.

-That's it, OK.

'It might have taken them a few goes,

'but it looks like the housing team's persistence has paid off.'

Whilst on the property, we noted there were two double beds,

one single bed in the two-bedroom first-floor flat,

fresh food, shoes, belongings...

So we will definitely go for prohibition on the property.

After their last visit,

the council did place a prohibition order on the property,

preventing it being used as residential accommodation.

Although they believe the flat is now empty,

they will be continuing to make checks

to ensure it stays that way.

The dispute with the bins is being dealt with

as a private legal matter between Mr Talib

and the owner of the restaurant next door.

'In Newham, East London,

'the challenge of housing everyone who needs a home

'is a particularly difficult one

'as our nation's capital city can prove a magnet

'for those looking for work, education

'or simply a new start in life.

'But, with so many people looking for a roof over their head,

'there's a temptation for landlords

'to squeeze into their properties

'a few more people than is legal or safe.

'I'm with housing officers Christine Lyons and James Burton,

'who are worried that this address might be doing just that.'

I don't like it when they don't take the plastic off

the front of the UPVC.

'This property is supposed to be a family home,

'not separate dwellings, so we need to be on the lookout

'for any evidence that these rooms

'are being used as individual bedsits.'

Oh, hello, nice to meet you. I'm Christine Lyons.

I'm from Newham Council planning. Can we just pop in and have a look?

Is that all right?

'Straight away, we find some important clues

'that all is not as it should be behind the front door.'

-And you live in here on your own?

-Yes.

There's a couple of you living here. You lived in here long?

Immediately as we come in the front door,

there is a gentleman who seems to be sharing this room

with another gentleman.

He's got all his food arranged on top of his wardrobe,

which gets to be a depressing sight, you know,

because it means everything is taking place in the room.

It's not a shared space.

This house is another carve-up, basically.

'With two guys crammed into that one small bedroom,

'it's possible there's some serious overcrowding in this house.

'The kitchen might offer up some idea of just how bad things are.'

Yeah.

We're going to the kitchen,

which shows all the signs of being heavily used by a number of people.

What have we got here? OK, yeah.

So, we've got a cleaning rota for the kitchen and the stairs

and, on it, we've got eight different names on that,

which is always a good indication of just how many people there are,

but then, as we go down here, I find these interesting,

the notes that the housemates leave for each other

or sometimes it's the landlord, saying you must clean after you use.

They're doing their best to try and keep the place clean,

but it still very quickly descends into the sort of place

where you look around and it's pretty grim wherever you look.

Everything's sticky to the touch - the floor, all the surfaces.

Nothing is really getting cleaned very well. I mean, look at this.

Look at that, there!

'And it's not just cleanliness that's an issue here.'

I don't know what's happened here.

Look, you can see that at some point here, there's been a leak

from upstairs, so where these guys sit to eat,

there must have been a ceiling cave-in at some point.

All the plaster would have come down where they're eating. It's grim.

Out the back door.

'The worrying lack of safety continues outside, too.'

God, as we come out

through this really, really shonky lean-to, which is...

What do you think of that?

It's got a door there,

but I think the only purpose of the door is to hold the lean-to up.

'It's clear the house is already bursting at the seams,

'but shockingly we discover this hasn't stopped the landlord

'from trying to fit even more people into the property.'

-Well, there are shoes outside...

-It's definitely lived in.

'There's a building in the garden and, worse,

'it looks like there could be people living inside.'

-DOG BARKS There's a dog.

-Yeah.

-It's stopped barking.

-There's a bathroom there.

-The windows are open.

-Hello?

-There are bunk beds, look.

-They've got bunk beds.

-Yeah.

This is one of those structures.

This has not been thrown up overnight

or a quick conversion of the garage or anything like that.

-This has been purpose built to house people here.

-Yeah.

'But a squint over the garden wall

'tells us others have had the same idea.'

If you look along the back garden, everybody's got one.

All of these properties

seem to have additional living space in the back gardens.

Yep. It could be just an add-on to the house.

'Later on, I discover that living OUTSIDE this house

'might have been a sensible choice.'

It's grim in here and a bit grey and a bit mouldy.

It's not going to be a good start to your day.

'They say three of the most stressful things in life

'are bereavement, divorce and moving house

'so imagine what it's like if you find yourself

'facing two of them at the same time.

'In Stevenage,

'housing officer Lisa Ashdown is helping a council tenant

'who's coping with a bereavement,

'which also means he has to move out of the family home.'

I'm off to carry out a viewing for a young man

who we've served a notice to quit,

due to his mother passing away very recently.

'The sudden loss of his mum just a few months ago

'from a heart attack

'came as a complete shock for 22-year-old Harry.'

I went to work one day and got a phone call about half two,

saying that they were working on my mum. She was in cardiac arrest.

The night before, she was fine.

There was nothing wrong with her, no heart problems.

It just came on one day.

She was 49 so, yeah, it was quite a young age.

'To add to Harry's grief,

'he's having to move out of the family home

'because there's huge pressure on the council

'to provide accommodation for families.'

He was in a two bedroom house,

which is classed as family-sized accommodation

and it's too big for his needs

so he's been offered a one-bedroom flat, which is better suited.

I'm off to meet him now so he can take a look at it and, hopefully,

he'll be happy with it and he'll accept it

and we can get it let to him.

'Now he's on his own, Harry can't stay where he is.

'But as he already lives in a council property

'and he's the immediate family of a tenant who's passed away,

'he does have the right to be rehoused by the council.

'Under the terms of the Housing Act 1985,

'if the sole tenant of a property dies,

'their partner or a close relative can apply to inherit their tenancy.

'But if the council does allow the tenancy pass on,

'it doesn't automatically give family members the right

'to carry on living in the same property.

'Instead, the council can offer them alternative accommodation

'if their property is better suited to the needs

'of other applicants on the housing register.

'Although the move is going to be hard for Harry,

'he's trying to stay positive.

It's been stressful trying to do it by myself,

but I've got support and stuff.

It makes you realise life is too short, so just crack on with it.

'And Lisa is hoping she's found the perfect place for him.

'She just has to hope that Harry agrees.'

-Good afternoon. Harry?

-Yep.

-Hello, I'm Lisa.

-Nice to meet you.

-OK, just bear with me one moment.

Come in!

OK. Right, I don't know where you want to start.

'Taking on your first home is daunting at the best of times,

'so Harry's brought friend Chloe along for moral support.

'First stop, the kitchen.'

It's pretty decent.

I know it's not the most up-to-date kitchen,

-but we deem it as serviceable so, you know...

-Yeah, that's fine, yeah.

'It's a promising start.

'And, next door, there's an unexpected feature

'which Lisa think is a real bonus

'for someone setting up home for the first time.'

-Living room.

-Living room.

And some nice person's left the carpet

so that's an expense you won't incur.

-Very spacious.

-Yeah, it's a nice size, isn't it?

'Getting your own place can be an expensive business.

'With everything else he's had to deal with,

'not having to buy carpet will be one less thing to worry about.'

-We'll go and find the bedroom.

-All right.

-Yeah, it's nice here.

-Not a bad size, is it? Double.

Yeah, nice double bed. A little bedside cabinet. Storage.

A double wardrobe. Look at that.

-Get my trainers all up there.

-Your trainers?

-How many pairs of you got?

-I've got quite a lot.

'It's a good sign.

'Harry's already starting to picture himself living here

'and he might even have a few friends to help him redecorate.'

-What are you like at painting?

-Yeah, I'm all right.

My brother is a decorator as well, so...

So you'll get this painted and sorted out in no time.

And the more people that come in as well, the quicker.

-Yeah.

-A painting party.

-Yeah.

-Can you paint?

-Yeah, I can paint.

-You're all right, then.

Give her a paintbrush!

'Clearly, there's no shortage of willing volunteers on hand

'to help Harry settle in and, with one more room to see,

'it looks like Lisa may have found him the perfect place.'

I'm in a two-bedroom house

-and this bathroom's bigger than the one I'm in now.

-Really?

-Yeah, a lot bigger.

-Good, good.

A bit more room and space in here

so it is quite a large and spacious flat, actually.

-OK. You happy with that?

-Yeah.

'The tour is over.

'Time to find out what Harry thinks.'

So, Harry, what do you think?

-Yeah, I'll take it, yeah.

-Yeah?

-I'm happy with that.

-I think it's lovely.

-Yeah, you happy?

-Yeah, so I'll take it.

Yeah, OK, I just need you to sign some paperwork, OK?

'After the double blow of losing his mum and his home

'all in the space of a few months, at least now Harry has the security

'of knowing he won't have to worry about having a roof over his head.'

-Right, lovely. Thanks ever so much.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Take care, bye.

-Bye!

'And Lisa couldn't be happier with the outcome.'

It was just nice to see somebody appreciate the little flat

and he had a smile on his face and he was quite happy.

It'll give him a good start.

He's got some painting to do, but, generally,

he can just move in to the property.

He's happy, I'm happy and he's going to be starting

a new life in a new flat so, yeah, I'm really, really pleased, yeah.

'Just over a month later and Harry has settled in.

'After everything he's had to cope with since the loss of his mum,

'he's getting the chance to enjoy a bit of stability again.'

It's been quite a couple of mad months

with my mum and stuff like that.

I've still had to sort things out on that side.

It has been quite stressful.

I mean, obviously, I'm gradually still trying to unload boxes.

'But he has made a start on the decorating.'

Obviously, this is the hall.

I haven't actually changed anything except for the paint

and that's all that's really done here.

This is my room.

It's not the tidiest, being that I've only just moved in

so I'm still trying to do stuff here,

but it's all been painted in here.

I've got new wallpaper up here.

'And his plans to turn the place

'into a home of his own don't stop there.'

Just out here, obviously, flooring and stuff like that

I need to change and just have little fixtures and fittings.

The blinds, obviously, I'm just waiting for them to be delivered.

And then just my kitchen and bathroom, hopefully,

I want to change it so I can just tile it all,

new floor, new bath and stuff.

Just try and change it all, you know,

and just make it more homely, you know, than what it is now.

It's coming along.

'Hopefully, it'll be the new start he needs.'

'Here in Newham, I'm with housing officers Christine Lyons

'and James Burton investigating a house

'that has something surprising at the bottom of the garden.'

-They're bunk beds, look.

-They've got bunk beds.

-Yeah.

'The property is supposed to be a family home

'and not a series of individual bedsits,

'but it's already clear there are too many people

'living in too small a space

'and that's resulted in some rather desperate measures.'

-That's an outdoor shower and toilet room.

-Down there.

-What's that for?

That must be for people in here.

OK, let's go and find out what's going on upstairs.

'Everything about this property is giving me the chills,

'including the dodgy basement.'

There is a very damp cellar down there full of bedding material.

I don't think anyone's living down there.

Oh, God, the smell is really grim.

OK, lets go and see what's happening.

'With conditions like this,

'it's a wonder that anyone can be happy here.'

-How long have you been here?

-I'm in here five and a half years.

-OK.

-I'm studying

and I've just completed my graduation from university.

And this house, do you like this house?

Not bad, not good, to be honest.

It's really hard to get a house,

-especially if you say, "I'm a student."

-Yeah.

'Property is so hard to come by in London,

'it's no surprise the tenant didn't want to risk

'showing his face on camera.'

Nice to meet you.

'It's amazing what you'll put up with if you have to.'

Let's have a little look in the bathroom.

Hmm, OK.

It's a bit grim in here and a bit grey and a bit mouldy.

It's not going to be a good start to your day.

'But no-one should have to put up with conditions like this.'

Oh, my God!

Have you got any smoke alarms in here in the house?

There's nothing in the house at all?

There is no emergency lighting in this house, nothing?

This carpet's really dangerous.

This bit here, you could go straight down the stairs

if you're not a little bit careful.

Just be careful, that's all.

'I think we've all seen enough to know this house

'is in serious need of repair.'

So, with that lot, we have now got a piece of work to do,

-haven't you, James?

-Yes!

That involves looking at all those addresses and seeing, one,

when those buildings were put up and, secondly,

then perhaps sending them a letter,

asking can we come and have a look at your outbuilding

and see how it's used.

The one that we've looked at today does look to be historic

so it looks as if it's been there for more than four years,

therefore we can't touch the building itself,

but the use would seem to be more recent so the use we can deal with.

So we will actually look at moving the bathroom

and the living accommodation from that

and putting it just back to an ordinary store shed.

Well, there are two things.

The planning side of things,

in terms of looking at the use of that house currently,

but much more immediate than that is thinking about the guys in there

and what needs to be done to protect them.

I mean, I would get certainly an assessment done there

of the fire protection that's required, looking at fire doors,

the smoke detectors, emergency lighting,

looking at the damp in that place.

It seems not to be adequately heated,

it seems to have too many people in there as well

and the conditions in the kitchen are horrendous

and then we need to start looking

-at the outbuilding with the planning head on.

-Yep.

The use seems quite clearly to be residential,

which is not planned, not permitted.

But, from an enforcement point of view,

we'll be taking pretty quick action on that

and getting a notice on it as quick as we can.

After filming, the council issued an enforcement notice,

ordering the landlord to change the property back

into a single family dwelling.

Over the last few years,

Newham has conducted a survey of all outbuildings in the borough.

They reckon that many of the outbuildings we saw

would already have been investigated.

That's it for today.

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