0:00:02 > 0:00:03- Hello, can you let me in? - DOG BARKS
0:00:03 > 0:00:06'The law says everyone has the right to a safe place to live.'
0:00:06 > 0:00:10I wouldn't keep my dog there, is the honest truth.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13'But, for thousands of people across the UK,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'the reality can be more hovel than home.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18The house is falling to bits, there's nothing I can do.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20'In the battle for decent housing...'
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We've got conditions that are just appalling.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I don't know how the people are coping, to be quite honest.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'..it's local housing officers who are on the front-line.'
0:00:28 > 0:00:29If somebody had died here,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32you'd have been standing in a coroner's court.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37'I'm Matt Allwright and I'm back with the housing enforcers.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- 15 people in this house? - 15 people in total living in here.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43'I'll be with them as they tackle problem properties
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'and slum conditions...'
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- It really does look shanty town. - Yeah, it's not up to standard.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'..as they deal with dodgy landlords, nightmare neighbours
0:00:52 > 0:00:54'and everything in between...'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Oh, my God. Straight away, there's the smell of dog muck.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59You never know what you're going to find.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02'..to help those in need of a happy and healthy home.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'Today, a family house converted into tiny flats
0:01:12 > 0:01:14'shocks council officers.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The rules should be followed, otherwise what you get
0:01:17 > 0:01:21- is tiny, effectively, hell holes, for people to live in.- Yeah.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25'Fire rips through a council flat, spreading fear for neighbours.'
0:01:25 > 0:01:27What can we do to help you?
0:01:27 > 0:01:29At the moment, I just feel like I want moved.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- All I can smell is smoke, I can't sleep at night.- Yeah.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34If that had happened in the night...
0:01:35 > 0:01:38'And a teenage mum and her baby push family overcrowding
0:01:38 > 0:01:40'to breaking point.'
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I get to the stage where...
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I want to make her homeless,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47which I don't want to throw her out and the baby.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58We might not always know it, but there are people
0:01:58 > 0:02:00from every local council
0:02:00 > 0:02:05whose job it is to make sure we have a safe roof over our heads.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08I'm working alongside the men and the women
0:02:08 > 0:02:12who use the law to make sure we don't live in slums,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17but in homes fit to raise a family, or enjoy our retirement.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21They can make sure that you have the facilities you need
0:02:21 > 0:02:22as you get older.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26They also have the power to start the process
0:02:26 > 0:02:29that can send a bad landlord to prison,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31or help evict a bad tenant.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34They are the Housing Enforcers.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44There's a huge demand for accommodation in London.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48From the highest paid City workers to the lowest paid manual workers,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51businesses need staffing.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53But, with so many people requiring housing,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55those with the lowest incomes
0:02:55 > 0:02:58are priced out of even the most average of properties.
0:02:58 > 0:02:59They have very little choice
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and there are plenty of unscrupulous landlords out there
0:03:02 > 0:03:03trying to exploit them.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09In the London Borough of Newham...
0:03:09 > 0:03:11they're cracking down on houses
0:03:11 > 0:03:14unlawfully converted into flats and bedsits.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15I'm on the way to one,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18with housing officers Christine Lyons and James Burton.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22They've heard that a family home has been converted into studio flats,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and they know that no planning permission has been granted
0:03:25 > 0:03:27for this address.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30So we've got six flats with what?
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Little kitchens, little toilets.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34The challenge today could be getting in.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38They could be resistant, because they could end up, you know,
0:03:38 > 0:03:39with a change of use back,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and then they could end up losing their homes.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44I mean, with all the work we do,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46from a planning and a housing point of view,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49there's always that endgame that somebody will lose
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- the house they're living in.- Yeah.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55But I think that just allowing a constant underclass of housing
0:03:55 > 0:03:58isn't a way to sort of resolve the housing problems that we've got.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The house we're visiting is a three-bedroomed terraced house
0:04:05 > 0:04:07in a quiet suburban street.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It would make a great family home.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13SHE KNOCKS REPEATEDLY
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It does take Christine quite a few knocks on the front door
0:04:16 > 0:04:17to get a response.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19SHE KNOCKS
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Oh, hi. Can I just come in? My name's Christine Lyons.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26I'm here from Newham Council Planning and we're interested
0:04:26 > 0:04:29in the conversion of the property into a number of flats.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Can we come and look in your flat, then?
0:04:32 > 0:04:33'As soon as we get into the hallway,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37'it's clear that a lot of conversion work has taken place.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:41These properties shouldn't have been converted as this.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43They should be family homes, really.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45It's quite clear, as soon as we've come in,
0:04:45 > 0:04:46that people are living in...
0:04:47 > 0:04:49..a flat? Bedsit? I suppose.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Er, and the way it's been converted is, at best...
0:04:55 > 0:04:56..shonky?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58There, there's like a plastic lean-to,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01which is joining the main house to the section
0:05:01 > 0:05:04where this gentleman is living.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06He's got a tiny little kitchen.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10He's got a tiny little bathroom
0:05:10 > 0:05:11and a bed.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16It's a really, very cramped space for tenant Najam Aziz.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18But he had little choice.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22How difficult was it to find this place?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Yeah, at the moment, very difficult.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26When you go in the housing office.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29So I'm just...
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- surviving.- Yeah.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- You have a child that sometimes comes here?- Yeah, my child.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- A boy and a girl. - So you have two children?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Two children. - They come to see you here?- Yeah.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44And how does that work when they come here? Because you've...
0:05:44 > 0:05:45Yeah, very small accommodation.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Yeah.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Very small.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51'This is small.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'But we are in London and property is at a premium.'
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Can I ask you how much you pay for...?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Asking council, they pay £200.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- A week?- £200 a week.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- So this is through housing benefit? - Yes.- I see.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08And they've got like a living room, bedroom here.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12This is a property that's being paid for through council,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14- through housing benefit.- Yeah.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17And we're looking at something that's really, really unsuitable.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20There's no way that we should be effectively funding
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- substandard accommodation through council tax.- No. Yeah, yeah.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And it is funded. I mean, it's no way to live.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30The rent is being paid through housing benefit by another
0:06:30 > 0:06:34London council who can't house Najam in their area.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37There's simply not enough affordable housing to go round.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40And, when a tenant moves into private housing,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44it's usually up to them to decide on its suitability before they move in.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Later, we discover even more bedsits in this converted house.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57But the places that they're actually living in, they can't function.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- Yeah.- They're far too small to function as a place to live.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09In the 12 months up to March 2015,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11the fire and rescue services in Great Britain
0:07:11 > 0:07:15attended over 150,000 fires.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19More than 31,000 of these happened in people's homes.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21In just a matter of minutes,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23a fire can destroy households and treasured possessions,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27but, for some, it's the long-term psychological effects
0:07:27 > 0:07:28that can cause the most damage,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31playing on victims' minds long after the bricks and mortar
0:07:31 > 0:07:32have been repaired.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38In Gloucestershire...
0:07:38 > 0:07:39housing officer Joe Phillips
0:07:39 > 0:07:43is on his way to visit a council-owned block of flats,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45that just days ago was hit by a major fire.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50The one flat where the fire originated was completely destroyed
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and there's hardly anything left in there at all.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57And it was... The heat was such that we're probably going to
0:07:57 > 0:08:00have to look at replacing some of the roof on the flat block.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Inspecting the property with Joe is repairs officer Colin Scott.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09He'll be assessing the damage before the team move in
0:08:09 > 0:08:12to begin the clean-up and make repairs.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Even from the outside of the building,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16it's clear just how serious the fire was.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Luckily, everyone in the block managed to escape unhurt.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22You can see, just up there,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26the blackened-out windows from the bathroom and kitchen.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Obviously, where the smoke's risen,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31- that's going to need... - COUGHING
0:08:31 > 0:08:35..a proper load of cleaning and probably a repainting as well.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38'The fire-damaged flat has been left in a dangerous condition,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41'so Joe and Colin need to put on protective clothing
0:08:41 > 0:08:42'before they go inside.'
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- What a mess, eh? - It sure is.- OK.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51'The fire has completely gutted the flat,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53'destroying everything in its path.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55'All that seems to be left are the charred ashes
0:08:55 > 0:08:57'of the owner's possessions.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:04So we're not 100% sure of where the fire started.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07The best guess from the fire service at the time
0:09:07 > 0:09:10was in the corner of the building over there, in the bedroom.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15This was where the tenant who was in here said that they woke up
0:09:15 > 0:09:18in their bedroom and saw the fire and ran out.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20There's also a lot of heat damage to the plaster in that room,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22which would indicate there was definitely
0:09:22 > 0:09:24a good blaze going on in there.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Thankfully, the tenant escaped the blaze unhurt,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29but, with a fire as serious as this,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31it could easily have resulted in tragedy.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39This is probably one of the more intense fire-damaged ones I've seen,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43cos it's the whole front of the building has gone, really.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47The kitchen, bathroom, ceilings, plastering, doors, door linings,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51electrical rewire, heating system, it's all gone, I'm afraid.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'It's been a lucky escape for the flat's tenant,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'but a fire is not only distressing for the person whose home is lost.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'It also affects the people who live around them.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02'Looking at the scale of the damage,
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'it's understandable that the other residents are in a state of shock.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09'Martin has lived in the flat across the hall
0:10:09 > 0:10:12'for the past 17 years.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15'The distress caused by having everything he owns just minutes
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'from complete destruction has left him feeling frightened
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'at the thought of spending another night in his home.'
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I had a phone call saying the flat next door was on fire,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28but mine was in a lot of danger.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31And I panicked and I rang my friend to give me a lift down
0:10:31 > 0:10:33and I got here as soon as possible.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36When I got here, it was just like a battlefield.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I've never known nothing like this.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40You never think it's going to happen.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Not that close to home.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45What can we do to help you?
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Well, I just... I just...
0:10:47 > 0:10:49At the moment, I just feel like I want moved.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52What I'd like to do, ideally, is keep you in your home,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- because this is your home.- Yeah.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- It doesn't feel like it at the moment.- No, and I know.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57It's been a major disruption.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- And all I can smell is smoke, I can't sleep at night.- Yeah.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02And I'm just...
0:11:02 > 0:11:06It's endangered life, to me, and I'm just...
0:11:06 > 0:11:09on edge all the time, that something's going to happen again.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- Yeah, no, I understand that.- And if that had happened in the night...
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- Well, it could have been drastic. - Yeah.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17'The fire has clearly shaken Martin
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'and, inside his flat, the physical damage reveals
0:11:20 > 0:11:23'just how close he was to losing everything.'
0:11:23 > 0:11:26OK, if we have a look down here, he was quite happy to show me this.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29If you look on here, this looks like a normal carpet colour,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- but then you remove that...- Yeah.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34..and you see that it's just so set in, it looks like
0:11:34 > 0:11:36- it's a completely different carpet. - I'm finding it everywhere.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- I just feel so down.- Yeah.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I know and, hopefully, that feeling will pass in time.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44- It's been a big event in your life. - Mm.- And...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46you know, fingers crossed, touch wood and everything
0:11:46 > 0:11:48it's not going to happen again.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53'As the block is owned by the council,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56it's their responsibility to make the necessary repairs
0:11:56 > 0:11:57'to the burnt-out flat.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02'Fixing the property will be a simple enough job,
0:12:02 > 0:12:07'but it's going to take a lot longer for Martin to get over the shock.'
0:12:07 > 0:12:09You never think it's going to happen.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12But if this place had gone up, pff!
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I'd have been totally...
0:12:14 > 0:12:16down and...
0:12:16 > 0:12:18But you've just got to get on with it
0:12:18 > 0:12:20and, hopefully, everything will turn out OK.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I think, mostly, people are quite satisfied
0:12:25 > 0:12:26with what we've been doing so far.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Obviously some frustrations.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30I think we're doing everything we feel we can,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and certainly people feel good about being communicated to,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36which is really what we want.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39These are our tenants, they rent our properties,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42they want to get involved with the community and everything like that,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45so we need to make sure that we're giving them a good home
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and that's the thing - their homes and lives have been
0:12:47 > 0:12:50so disrupted by this, it's the least we can do to just pop round
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and say hello and see how things are going.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Later on, the clean-up team find more than they were bargaining for
0:12:59 > 0:13:01in the burnt-out flat.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05So far we've come up with 692 - I think it is - needles.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17I'm with housing officers Christine Lyons and James Burton
0:13:17 > 0:13:19in Newham, south London.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20We're visiting a house that they suspect
0:13:20 > 0:13:23has been unlawfully converted into flats.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24A lot of flats.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28On the ground floor, tenant Najam Aziz is paying £800 per month
0:13:28 > 0:13:30for a poorly converted and tiny space.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- So you have two children? - Two children.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36- They come to see you here?- Yeah.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- Thank you so much for talking to us. - Thank you.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42From the back garden, it's easy to see how the house has been carved up
0:13:42 > 0:13:44to squeeze in as many flats as possible
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and maximise the landlord's rental income.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The property's been extended and you can see there's an extension,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52a flat-roof extension, over both properties.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54And it would seem... Actually...
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- No, this is the same property, yeah. - This is the same property?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00This is the same property, yeah. And they've split the garden in two.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02So the extension's come out.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03There's another...
0:14:03 > 0:14:04That one's got evidence
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- that there's a child living in there.- Child, yeah.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10There's obviously a baby in there, cos you've got a high chair and...
0:14:10 > 0:14:11SHE SIGHS
0:14:11 > 0:14:12And that will be living in the same
0:14:12 > 0:14:14type of accommodations we've got here.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18What we're looking at here is an example of where the rules
0:14:18 > 0:14:21should be followed, otherwise you get individuals,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- like this gentleman, living in these circumstances.- Yeah.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26And what you get is tiny,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- effectively, hell holes, for people to live in.- Yeah.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31That's why Christine's here today -
0:14:31 > 0:14:33to stamp out on poor conversions,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36which means public money is being spent housing tenants
0:14:36 > 0:14:39in totally unsuitable spaces.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41You know, there's a lot of discussion about the way
0:14:41 > 0:14:43public money is spent and rightly so. You know...
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We shouldn't be throwing money out to anybody for any reason.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50But it doesn't feel as though that question's being asked -
0:14:50 > 0:14:53why are we paying £800 a month
0:14:53 > 0:14:58to help somebody live in accommodation like that?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00To fund that way of living?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Erm, I don't understand that.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05It feels like a question we should be asking.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11What's most worrying is that poorly converted houses
0:15:11 > 0:15:13can be a death trap.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16They weren't designed to cater for high numbers of occupants
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and this building has no fire detectors.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- I don't think anyone would choose to live here.- No.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I mean, you would choose it because you had no other choice.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31You know, because anything less than this is going to be, you know,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- very temporary or homelessness, effectively.- Yeah, yeah.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36But the places that they're actually living in,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- they can't function.- Yeah.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- They're far too small to function as a place to live.- Yeah.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45A fire in here can rip through very quickly, and, you know,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49you've got lots of families that could lose their lives.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I'm still in that kind of planning mode, where you're thinking about
0:15:52 > 0:15:54the use of this place.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56And I hadn't even started to look at the way
0:15:56 > 0:15:59it's just been thrown together.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01If this staircase is on fire,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- then these signs aren't going to help you.- No.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06But the electrics are the things that are more likely to go up,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09because, when you look at the overload on the systems,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11the overload is massive, because you've got lots of...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- Washing machines, tumble dryers, kettles.- Yeah, yeah.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17These properties aren't... They are old properties.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19They've got old Victorian sewers,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21so you think of the sewage going through.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23You think of the problems with that. You know, there's...
0:16:23 > 0:16:25And also the quality of this conversion.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28You're looking at the way it's been thrown together.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29You can't imagine that the electrics
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- are going to be that much better. - No. No.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'Christine thinks that there are too many people living in this house
0:16:35 > 0:16:37'and we haven't even ventured upstairs.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39'On the first floor, we find a young mum,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41'who was placed here by a different council.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44'She's agreed to talk to us, as long as we don't show her face,
0:16:44 > 0:16:49'but she has allowed us to show you her new baby son.'
0:16:49 > 0:16:51How did you go about trying to find somewhere to live?
0:16:59 > 0:17:00And that's what I do.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02So you're here because the council has
0:17:02 > 0:17:05put you here, but whereabouts were you living previously?
0:17:09 > 0:17:13So you've been placed here by a council outside Newham?
0:17:13 > 0:17:14They've put you here...?
0:17:17 > 0:17:18- That means you're miles away... - Yeah.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21..from your aunt's, from your family.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Why didn't they put you closer to your aunt?
0:17:27 > 0:17:30So how much does it cost the council?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- How much?- 256.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Right. So this is...over £1,000 a month?
0:17:36 > 0:17:40'It's outrageous that anyone could charge £1,000 a month
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'for what is little more than a box room. It's totally inadequate.'
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Tell me about the practicalities of living up here.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51Yeah.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58That means you have to leave him, at some point,
0:17:58 > 0:17:59- to be able to do this.- Yeah.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02What's your plan? What do you want to happen next?
0:18:07 > 0:18:08Yeah.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16'This woman's support network is miles away in a different borough
0:18:16 > 0:18:18'and she's only just managing to make this space work
0:18:18 > 0:18:20'for her and her child.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23'To make matters worse, the flat's been converted
0:18:23 > 0:18:26'without planning permission so it could be unsafe.'
0:18:26 > 0:18:30That council are paying £1,000 a month for that room.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33And it's taxpayers' money, it's council tax
0:18:33 > 0:18:35that's going towards paying for that.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Downstairs, the guy said £800
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- was coming out of the council for where he was.- Yep.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43If we then take all of the other rooms, we're looking at between,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- I think, £4,000 and £5,000, as a ball-park figure.- I would...
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I'd go more to 5,000, I think, yeah.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53For that property to be getting close to £5,000 a month in rent,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55there's no way you can justify that amount of money
0:18:55 > 0:18:58for that property. It's just, it's crazy.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01This is not appropriate, it's not a good place for anybody to be living.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Public money being spent on that accommodation really...
0:19:04 > 0:19:08- infur...it annoys me.- Yeah. - It makes me angry.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- Never has the term "false economy" been more appropriate.- Yeah.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14'Sadly, the economic issue
0:19:14 > 0:19:17'isn't something that can be solved quickly.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20'And what's worse - the officers suspect the house may have been
0:19:20 > 0:19:23'converted more than four years ago, which means that,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27'under planning laws, it's considered to be lawful by default.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29'But the house does pose a fire risk,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32'so, on that count the landlord is facing further investigation
0:19:32 > 0:19:35'and, possibly, legal action.'
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Newham say there's very little they can do about the way the building's
0:19:44 > 0:19:48been converted, as it happened more than four years ago.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51But they have alerted the landlord licensing team
0:19:51 > 0:19:53about the terrible conditions in the property.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Let's hope things improve there soon.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Back in Gloucestershire...
0:20:03 > 0:20:05housing officers Joe Phillips and Colin Scott
0:20:05 > 0:20:08have been helping residents deal with the damage
0:20:08 > 0:20:12left behind by a major fire in a council-owned block of flats.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15This is probably one of the...
0:20:15 > 0:20:19the more intense fire-damaged ones I've seen, cos it's the whole fabric
0:20:19 > 0:20:21of the building has gone, really.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24It's been two weeks since the blaze and repairs officer Colin
0:20:24 > 0:20:28has come to the flat to see how the clean-up operation is progressing.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33The entrance hall is looking a lot better than it was.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35And in here is where the fire...
0:20:35 > 0:20:38erm, we think, started.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40And, as you can see,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44there is an extensive amount of roof damage.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45It's all gone, I'm afraid,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48so it's all got to be stripped off and renewed.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53If we go through here, you can see the damage to the rest of the flat.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56You can tell how intense the heat was in here to melt that...
0:20:58 > 0:20:59..like that.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Again...
0:21:03 > 0:21:05extensive smoke damage in here.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10So all the plastering will again have to come off the walls,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14ceilings down, new doors, new windows.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15A massive amount of work.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20But that's not the only thing to concern the council.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23As the clean-up progresses, the team discover that not everything
0:21:23 > 0:21:24in the flat has been destroyed.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30So far, we've come up with 692 -
0:21:30 > 0:21:32I think it is - needles.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35The problem with a burnt-out property like this is
0:21:35 > 0:21:37it does tend to melt a lot of the needles.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Or not the needles themselves, but the syringes,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42so you have to be more careful ripping up carpets
0:21:42 > 0:21:43and things like that.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The worry is that the needles could be contaminated,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48putting the team's health in danger.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50So extra care is needed.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53This means it could take another week to clear the flat.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57But there is some good news for neighbour Martin.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Martin's roof has some damage,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01but it's quite minimal,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05it's just on the edge here, where the flames managed to get through
0:22:05 > 0:22:09underneath the tiles there, into the rafters, so it's quite minimal.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10It's been two weeks
0:22:10 > 0:22:13since the shock of almost losing his flat to the fire
0:22:13 > 0:22:15left Martin wanting to move out.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Today, housing officer Joe is paying him a visit
0:22:20 > 0:22:22to see if things have got any better
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and whether he's now happy to stay in his home.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29So how's it all going, Martin?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Well, it's not too bad, it's better than it was in the beginning.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- Yeah?- Yeah. - Good.- I'm not so stressed now.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- There was a question I wanted to ask.- Yeah, sure.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41When are they doing the roof?
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- When are they doing the roof?- Yeah.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46They're still doing the clearance from the flat at the moment.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Once everything's cleared from that flat,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50that's when they're going to be able to start doing the roof.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52There shouldn't be much damage to your roof.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57Most of the fire was concentrated over the other gentleman's bedroom,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59which was definitely over his side
0:22:59 > 0:23:01and, of course, you've got the communal hallway in between.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05So any timbers that need replacing should be on his side.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07- There is another question.- Yep.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- It's about the carpet.- Yes.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I think... Am I having a new carpet?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- Yes.- But when?
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It will be when we've...
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Probably be a minimum of when we've finished the cleaning
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- of the property.- That's what I thought.- Cos when we're getting all
0:23:22 > 0:23:24the soot out, it may cause some more
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- to blow through. - That's what I thought.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28I'll decorate the hallway and, once I've decorated the hallway,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- we can go ahead with the carpet, whatever.- Yeah, great.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The council have to make the repairs to the communal hallway,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and they've also agreed to replace Martin's smoke-damaged carpet
0:23:37 > 0:23:39and help him and other residents with cleaning.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44What's making me happy about you saying this, Martin,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47is you're thinking of staying here, when you're saying it.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- What we've been through the last four or five weeks...- Yep.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- ..has totally changed now.- Yeah.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56It's the way you've been living and we've been living.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Things will get better, obviously.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02But, just at the moment, I'm on edge all the time.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Give it a few more weeks, or maybe a month,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07and it'll be brand-new
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and you won't even recognise it, hopefully.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- I know it all takes time, I know. - Yeah.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14But, hopefully, in the end,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- it'll all be put right and back to normal.- Great, good.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19The fire has clearly affected Martin,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22but, with the clean-up and repair work underway,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24at least the physical reminders of the blaze
0:24:24 > 0:24:26will soon be a thing of the past.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32It's really easy to see the physical damage and, you know,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34the blacked-out windows and everything,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37but you don't really ever get to see what happens to people afterwards.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40You think about the victim of the fire being the person
0:24:40 > 0:24:42who had the fire in their property, not the people who live
0:24:42 > 0:24:45around the area and are now panicking in their sleep thinking,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46"Was that a fire alarm I just heard?"
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It's not just about the bricks and mortar in this situation,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51it's about the people who live in this area
0:24:51 > 0:24:53and the homes that they've created.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Defending our right to a safe place to live
0:24:57 > 0:25:02is the job of housing officers right across the UK.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04This is not really an acceptable way
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- of leaving the property behind. - Do you think?!
0:25:06 > 0:25:10I'm working alongside the men and women that do exactly that.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11- Top marks.- Yes!
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I'm hitting the streets...
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Hello, can you open up?
0:25:15 > 0:25:18There's definitely someone inside, cos we've seen movement.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21..finding out what's happening on the front-line.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24The cistern's in the bath. I don't know how they flush it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28And learning what it takes to make sure a house
0:25:28 > 0:25:30is a fit place to call a home.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I'm very shocked. This is ridiculous.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35You shouldn't have people living in here.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42There's no escaping the fact there's a housing shortage in the UK,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45and nowhere is the pinch being felt more than here...
0:25:45 > 0:25:46in London.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50With a lack of suitable, affordable homes comes a rise in rents
0:25:50 > 0:25:53and, sometimes, a drop in living conditions.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Here in Newham, I'm with housing officers
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Holly Ripp and Stephen Pavett.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Their job is to protect tenants from landlords
0:26:00 > 0:26:04who might be looking to unlawfully profit from the housing crisis.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07In this area of east London, it's not uncommon for landlords
0:26:07 > 0:26:10to carve up a family home into bedsits,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12without applying for the correct permissions.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16It's a dangerous practice, no matter how pleasant the postcode.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19So we're going to a conservation area in Newham.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20Ooh, that sounds nice.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It's got some really beautiful houses.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- Some are looked after better than others.- Right.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So, what are the rules, within the conservation area?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Are they any different for people that might be buying there,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31or wanting to change them around?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The conservation area, it controls more the look of the houses.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37So the area itself just really is...
0:26:37 > 0:26:39sort of a cosmetic thing, more than anything,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42so they all look uniform and nice and pretty.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Actually, behind the front doors,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- the same rules as anywhere else in Newham?- Exactly, yeah.- Right.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52The property in question is supposed to be a much-needed family home.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55And it's undoubtedly a handsome house,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57definitely fit for a conservation area,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59but the last time the council visited,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03it was full to the brim with individual rent-paying tenants.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06The landlord was served an enforcement notice in 2013,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09telling him he has to turn it back.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12The housing team are here to find out whether he's complied.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Hello? - KNOCKING ON DOOR
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Well, there's a load of guys in the front room,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18who clearly saw us coming in, but, erm...
0:27:18 > 0:27:22even though we're knocking, aren't coming to the door.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Hello? The door's open so we're going to come in.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28We're from the Planning Department from the council.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30We need to have a look around the property today.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32'It doesn't look too promising.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34'There are several men at the property,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36'all of a similar age, which would suggest
0:27:36 > 0:27:38'they're not part of the same family.'
0:27:38 > 0:27:40So who's sleeping down here?
0:27:40 > 0:27:43'They're not too keen to appear on camera.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45'And I might know why.'
0:27:45 > 0:27:48After initially not wanting to let us in, drawing the curtains,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51the front door's wide open. and pulling the door,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- they've left us here...- Yeah.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56..in what's clearly being occupied by...
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- At least three people. - At least three guys.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01We've got three wardrobes.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04There should be a living area, a living room.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07It's clearly used as a large bedroom for people, at this stage.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- It's a really lovely house.- Yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Isn't it? I mean, you look at the size of the room here,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15- this is a huge living room that we've got.- Yeah.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19And it's got... You've got room, actually, for sofas, chairs, a table
0:28:19 > 0:28:23- and they've put three single beds in here, as well.- Yeah, yeah.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25What we were hoping to see in this property
0:28:25 > 0:28:30is the fact that this is used as a single living area for a family.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Here, they're trying to use every room, every bit of space
0:28:33 > 0:28:35as a bedroom to cram as many people.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38It's not the sort of accommodation we want to see in the borough.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42'I can understand Stephen's frustration.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45'Family homes are in great demand in Newham.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49'But landlords can receive more rent by filling rooms like this
0:28:49 > 0:28:52'with individuals desperate for a home.'
0:28:52 > 0:28:54This is a really big property
0:28:54 > 0:28:55and you could look at it and think,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58well, maybe this would be better as two flats?
0:28:58 > 0:29:00You might even get four.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02But that's not what we've got,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05because that would require quite a lot of work, expensive work,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07to put it into that stage, so what we've got instead
0:29:07 > 0:29:09is we've just got a lot of people,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11spread through these very large rooms
0:29:11 > 0:29:15which then become dormitories, in effect.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18I mean, dormitories, really. Everything is taking place here.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Food, sleep, recreation.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25'Further evidence the landlord has ignored the enforcement notice
0:29:25 > 0:29:28'turns up in the kitchen.'
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Not one, not two, not three...
0:29:32 > 0:29:34..but four fridge/freezers,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37which I think is, even for Newham, a record.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40We think there's about ten guys living here.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41But they're young guys, 21.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45After school, came straight here to work as builders from Bulgaria,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47because there's no work, or the work that's there
0:29:47 > 0:29:49doesn't pay well enough.
0:29:49 > 0:29:50So here they are.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Half of them are doing day shifts, half of them working at night.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55I think the weekends must get pretty hectic.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59'And worse, the landlord's lack of care and attention
0:29:59 > 0:30:02'has left these guys in real danger.'
0:30:02 > 0:30:04There's no fire detection at all.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08There's no way of getting advanced warning
0:30:08 > 0:30:11if something goes wrong in this kitchen, if a fire starts.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13That's why you need the paperwork.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18That's why you need planning permission for a house of this size.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21In the back garden, the result of cramming too many people into
0:30:21 > 0:30:24too small a space is clear.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Outside, you can see that not a great deal of care has been taken
0:30:28 > 0:30:30with regards to outdoor space.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33There are beer cans everywhere.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37You've got bags of rubbish everywhere. Old bed bases.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Also looking at this extension that has gone on here
0:30:40 > 0:30:44and, you know, in a conservation area, you would usually be looking
0:30:44 > 0:30:46for some kind of sympathetic development.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48But here's a nice old brick house
0:30:48 > 0:30:55and then on it is this kind of butter coloured abomination.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Look at the way it has not been finished at all.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01It has almost been stapled together on the top there.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Our building control department would delight in seeing
0:31:04 > 0:31:07work of this substandard on the property, especially here.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Ideally, this should be a sloping, a pitch roof and we can see
0:31:11 > 0:31:14evidence of a previous pitch roof going up by the windows there.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18It should be tiled, it should be nice, the brick should be matching.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Let's not forget, this is also supposed to be a conservation area.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24If, as the housing team suspect,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27this extension doesn't have the correct planning permission,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31the council have a window of four years in which to take action.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34After that, the extension becomes lawful by default.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38But if, like this one, the building is tucked away from sight,
0:31:38 > 0:31:39it can get missed.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44This is not a good example of what we would like to see
0:31:44 > 0:31:47as an extension on a conservation property.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51It's probably been here longer than we've been able to take action for.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Later, we discover we may have underestimated
0:31:54 > 0:31:56just how crowded this house is.
0:31:56 > 0:32:0010, 12, 13, 14.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Which is complete overcrowding.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11In Faversham in Kent, housing officer Sue Davies
0:32:11 > 0:32:14is off to visit a house that is seriously overcrowded,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17where a young mum desperately wants to move out.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19But with social housing in short supply,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22she's feeling increasingly trapped.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I'm off to see Elise, a young girl I am working with,
0:32:27 > 0:32:31who is just 17 with a newborn baby. She lives at home with Mum.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34There is major overcrowding in this accommodation.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36It's only a two bedroom and there is Mum and Dad
0:32:36 > 0:32:39and two little brothers and Elise and baby.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44Six people living in two bedrooms is a very tight squeeze.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Together with her newborn daughter, Evelyn, Elise Watts
0:32:48 > 0:32:52shares her home with her mum, stepdad and two younger brothers.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Three generations finding life together
0:32:55 > 0:32:57a little too close for comfort.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59This is where I sleep.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Evelyn should be sleeping in here.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04At the moment, her Moses basket has got too big for her
0:33:04 > 0:33:07and we have no room to put her cot up. She sleeps just like this.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11In her little corner.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14She's all right but it's not ideal.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17The health visitor has told me, "No, you can't do that."
0:33:17 > 0:33:19I said, "I've got no other choice."
0:33:19 > 0:33:22My nine-year-old brother, Freddie, sleeps in his bed
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and my other little brother should be sleeping underneath
0:33:25 > 0:33:32but as there's no room, he sleeps in the room with my mum still.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36He sleeps in there but he's too big for his bed.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39My mum sleeps in here.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42My stepdad sleeps downstairs.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46But it's not just the sleeping arrangements that are driving
0:33:46 > 0:33:47this family crazy.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Elise's mum, Colleen, has had enough of the tight squeeze, too.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56It can get very stressful. There's only one toilet, one bathroom.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Kids need their own space in their own bedroom.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01I feel like I'm in my mum's way.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05I'm not wanted, that I can't give her what she needs.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07I can't even give her a bed at the moment.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12I get to the stage where I want to make her homeless,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15which I don't want to throw her out and the baby.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16I love my daughter to pieces.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18I just wish I had the room,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22we all had our own rooms that we can go to and shut the door.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Colleen thinks by getting her daughter to move out with her baby,
0:34:27 > 0:34:30it will force the hand of Swale Council
0:34:30 > 0:34:32because Elise will be classified as homeless
0:34:32 > 0:34:36and they will be under pressure to find her emergency accommodation.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39- Hello.- Hello, come in.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42But Sue has to explain that won't help secure
0:34:42 > 0:34:44the social housing they so desperately want.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48There simply aren't enough homes to go round so, like many others,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Elise would find herself in emergency temporary accommodation,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54probably a B&B.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56The worst-case scenario
0:34:56 > 0:34:59and it comes to the point where you cannot stay here any more
0:34:59 > 0:35:02and you know that obviously as you have a baby, you're classed
0:35:02 > 0:35:06as priority, therefore we would have to provide emergency accommodation.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08If there's absolutely nowhere in the world for you to stay,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10friends, families.
0:35:10 > 0:35:11Where would I be?
0:35:11 > 0:35:14It could be anywhere. It literally changes day to day.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16We try to keep people as local as we can within our borough.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20But this is temporary accommodation on a daily basis.
0:35:20 > 0:35:21That's a problem.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Elise really wants to stay close to family and friends for support.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26There is a bigger issue here too.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29The days when young mums could automatically get a council house
0:35:29 > 0:35:31are gone.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34There is a massive shortage of social housing.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38The alternative is a private let but Elise is nervous of that route
0:35:38 > 0:35:41because of the financial commitment involved.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Private rents can be expensive and housing benefit doesn't
0:35:44 > 0:35:48always cover the full cost, leaving the tenant to top it up.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Social housing, the kind Elise wants,
0:35:52 > 0:35:56offers a more secure tenancy and you have to break rules or not pay rent
0:35:56 > 0:35:58to be evicted.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01With private lets, you are at the whim of the landlord.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Elise could struggle even getting a privately rented property
0:36:05 > 0:36:06because of her age.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08She's still only 17.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Most landlords only want to let to over-18s.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15But for Elise, the biggest concern is money.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17She thinks the private rent option
0:36:17 > 0:36:19would be too expensive for her boyfriend.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24He wouldn't be able to afford it.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25Physically, he wouldn't be able to,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29he wouldn't have the money to put down a deposit or anything like that
0:36:29 > 0:36:31and he wouldn't have the money to pay the rent,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33water, gas, electric every month.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Part of that as well is because you want this particular area,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39this area is higher in rental charge as well.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43But it's still a route you need to be looking at.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Sue is encouraging the privately rented route
0:36:45 > 0:36:49because she knows just how long it can take to get a council house.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Elise has to bid on individual properties that she might be
0:36:53 > 0:36:57eligible for but she is competing against lots of others
0:36:57 > 0:37:00so while the council are taking the overcrowding at her current
0:37:00 > 0:37:04home seriously, they've not classed her situation as critical.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09As such, she keeps losing her bids to others whose need is more urgent.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12The constant rejection is taking its toll.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18In an ideal world, a property would come up through the bidding
0:37:18 > 0:37:20so you've got a secure tenancy in the right area
0:37:20 > 0:37:22close to Mum, so you've got support.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26At the end of the day, Elise, you've just turned 17 with a newborn baby.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28It's hard being 16 or 17 anyway,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32- without the responsibility of being a mum as well.- Yeah.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35I know you want to stay near Mum and I know Mum wants you close by.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38So, that's what we're aiming for, OK?
0:37:38 > 0:37:40I just don't want to be here.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42I know, but we're going to get there.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Getting a council house is far tougher these days,
0:37:45 > 0:37:47demand often outstripping supply.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50That's hard for those who are patiently waiting for one.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52See you later!
0:37:52 > 0:37:56I had high expectations but that's just
0:37:56 > 0:38:00because I wanted to give her the best I possibly could.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03If we were to get ourselves a private rent and then not
0:38:03 > 0:38:05be able to pay the rent that month and then get ourselves
0:38:05 > 0:38:11in debt and owe loads of money out, that's not the way we want to live.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13That's not the way I want to start in life.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15It's not an example I want to set to her.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Elise feels her situation is more critical than anyone's,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21which I understand, everyone does. It's their personal situation.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Some people have set their sights on,
0:38:23 > 0:38:28they only want social housing, which I understand, but it isn't reality.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31It isn't the answer and it sometimes is quicker and you get the area
0:38:31 > 0:38:34you want if you go down the private rental sector but I appreciate it's
0:38:34 > 0:38:36more expensive with less security
0:38:36 > 0:38:38but these are choices you have to make.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43Because we don't have social housing for everybody. It is not possible.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Sue is doing her best for Elise, but for now,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48she'll continue to live with her mum and brothers.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Hopefully, it won't be for much longer
0:38:50 > 0:38:53that three generations have to share a two-bedroom house.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03I'm back in the London Borough of Newham.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07With housing officers Holly Ripp and Stephen Pavett,
0:39:07 > 0:39:11we're uncovering evidence that this family home is being used unlawfully
0:39:11 > 0:39:13to house more people than is allowed.
0:39:13 > 0:39:19Not one, not two, not three but four fridge/freezers,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23which I think, even for Newham, is a record.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Upstairs, we find more clues of overcrowding.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Another bedroom housing three more people.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Just like downstairs, there's a worrying lack of safety measures.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41So, there's no real working fire detection in this house at all.
0:39:41 > 0:39:48Within that, we've got guys who are smoking shisha pipes and smoking.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51That's something we would like to alert our housing department to,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54so they can come and make some checks as well.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Because you're right, not having any working smoke alarms
0:39:56 > 0:39:59on this floor or heat detectors, is a bit of an issue.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03The lack of fire detection, both upstairs and downstairs,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05is even more worrying when we discover
0:40:05 > 0:40:07even more bedrooms in the property.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11It looks like there's at least one bed in there.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17- Is it two rooms?- No, it's just the one room that way.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20If we're adding these ones up, they're all sizeable rooms,
0:40:20 > 0:40:21- aren't they?- Yes.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24We know this is double fronted so that the front door is there
0:40:24 > 0:40:27so you've got a big space on this side and big space there.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29If they're putting three beds in there,
0:40:29 > 0:40:31say just an average of two in the others.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36We're up to eight when we were in there.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40- Nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. - Yeah.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43There's no getting away from the fact, that's too many people
0:40:43 > 0:40:48in a property with just one kitchen and limited washing facilities.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51It's important to remember, the tenants forced to live like this
0:40:51 > 0:40:53aren't the ones to blame.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57They're clearly doing their best in a bad set of circumstances.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59As it goes, these guys are doing a pretty good job.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Within reason, this is a fairly clean place,
0:41:02 > 0:41:08considering there are up to 10 or 12 guys in their 20s all working hard.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10They're keeping the place clean and tidy.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14But that's not the point.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16We're talking about planning
0:41:16 > 0:41:19and this house shouldn't be used in this way...
0:41:20 > 0:41:25..even though it's providing a home for these guys to go out
0:41:25 > 0:41:26and do their work.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30In fact, it's not what it should be used for at all.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32The real tragedy of this situation
0:41:32 > 0:41:36is that, even though it's the landlord who has acted unlawfully,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39while enjoying extra rental income, it's the tenants
0:41:39 > 0:41:42who will, more than likely, end up having to look for new homes.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45We'll have to look now at taking further action against the owner,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48unfortunately, to get this property back into being
0:41:48 > 0:41:49used as it should be.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Actually, if things went wrong in that house,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55they could go wrong very quickly and it could end up hurting those guys.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Regardless of how young they are and able and all the rest of it,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00we're looking at smoke detection particularly,
0:42:00 > 0:42:02it's just not there at all.
0:42:02 > 0:42:03No, definitely not.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06With regards to it, although they may be OK in the property,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09we have to think about the neighbouring properties as well
0:42:09 > 0:42:12and the impact that all those young people living in that one house
0:42:12 > 0:42:14as individuals is having on the neighbouring property
0:42:14 > 0:42:16and the area as well.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19So the next action for that one is what? Because the enforcement
0:42:19 > 0:42:23order has already gone in and hasn't really achieved what it needed to.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25No, their compliant state has long since passed for this
0:42:25 > 0:42:28to go back to a house, as a single family house.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31It hasn't occurred so we will have to look carefully now
0:42:31 > 0:42:33at progressing it through to the courts.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41The owner of the house later contacted the council and
0:42:41 > 0:42:45blamed his agent for not complying with the enforcement notice.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Shortly after that, the agent invited the council to come
0:42:47 > 0:42:51and check the property again but at that time, the house was vacant.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Council officers are planning another inspection
0:42:54 > 0:42:56within the next few months.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00That's it for today.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05Join me next time back on the road with The Housing Enforcers.