Episode 10 The Housing Enforcers

There were flies everywhere.

Everyone deserves a safe place to live.

You've got a choice of the tomahawk or the bayonet.

But with rents rising and demand increasing,

it's getting harder and harder

to find a secure place to call home.

I'm a little bit concerned about what's happening here.

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

That worries me a bit there, look.

We've got the biggest stinging nettles in the world.

I'm on the front line with those fighting for the right

to decent housing...

The amount of money they owe, it's in excess of £100,000.

YELLING

..as local councils and housing associations

battle problem properties and slum conditions...

Hyde housing, is there anyone in there?

..as they deal with dodgy landlords...

He just said he was selling the house.

-When did they tell you that?

-A couple of weeks ago.

..nightmare neighbours...

-She doesn't like you.

-She hates me.

Would you want either side evicted?

-No.

-..and everything in between...

There was a shed here, look. There's the base for it.

..to help those in need of a happy and healthy home.

Doesn't leave you with a good feeling, though.

That's a tough job.

Today, in Peterborough, one tenant's passion for chips

is putting his neighbours in danger.

You don't like to go to the chip shop or is it cheaper?

-It's cheaper.

-It's cheaper?

Oh, right. Oven chips the way ahead?

Yeah.

-In London...

-It stinks.

..housing officers discover a property in a shocking condition.

He used to buzz all the other neighbours

until we let him in the first security door,

and then he used to kick his own door in.

In Wiltshire, the clock is ticking for this young mum-to-be

to get into a new home.

I want to try and give my baby, like, the best future I can

possibly try and give her.

And down in Southampton, tensions rise as we try to gain access to an

illegally sublet flat.

Is that evidence of the police battering ram?

Yeah, that would be to gain access.

So, yeah, there has definitely been some activity in there.

Finding a suitable place to call home

for you and your family has never been harder,

especially for those on a restricted budget.

But low rent shouldn't mean your house doesn't live up

to the same basic standards as everyone else's.

Fortunately, there is a group of men and women

who are out on the front line battling on your behalf

against bad and dangerous living conditions.

They are the Housing Enforcers.

We all know that one of the roles of a housing officer is to try and get

people off the streets, into a safe and secure home.

But another equally important part is to try and keep people in their

homes, too. And that's not always as easy as it sounds.

I'm in Peterborough with housing officers Jasmine Hammond

and Pauline Cusack.

We are off to check on a tenant whose behaviour

might be putting himself and his neighbours at risk.

Awesome.

Have I done this wrong?

I've done this wrong. What have I done?

-We can't take you anywhere.

-Look at this, it's all messed up, hold on.

'We are not getting off to a great start.'

Don't go on the motorway yet.

Now it's all twisted round. I've really messed it up.

Pauline, have you got any more legroom?

Oh, yeah, I've got loads.

That's because my kids are ten-foot tall. Unfortunately.

Hang on, now I've got to get... I've got to get out of this.

Hold on, that's less.

Right.

You're going to have to push it. She's too short.

Hang on.

HE LAUGHS

We haven't gone anywhere yet!

We haven't gone anywhere yet!

There we go, that's better.

-Thank you.

-Oh, my goodness me.

Thank you. I never knew Peterborough was going to be this exciting.

'I regained the feeling in my legs and we are on the move,

'back to business,

'to find the tenant who's been struggling

'to keep himself and his neighbours safe.'

Tell me about what's happening, what's the situation?

His name is Junior.

He's had two fires in his flat.

Fire Brigade informed us of the last one.

So we went out to have a look.

And he lives on chips.

-From a chip pan.

-He lives on chips?

Yeah, he loves chips.

-Right.

-We went out there and we noticed that...

..the cooker was grease was that thick.

-Yeah.

-You couldn't allow him to use it, you just couldn't.

-Right.

-So I got in touch with Hyde Plus to provide him

with a nice new cooker.

And we also went in and cleared up all the smoke damage.

So what's to stop him frying up his own chips now?

Well, I've told him, he's got to put them in the oven.

You've got to have oven chips.

Teaching residents how to cook chips might not sound like the sort of

thing housing officers usually get involved with,

but when it comes to the safety of their tenants, it seems no subjects

are off-limits.

-Hello there.

-Hello, Junior.

-How are you doing?

-How are you, are you all right?

-You all right?

Are you all right to let us in? I'm with Jasmine, in there,

-is that all right?

-Yeah, come in.

-Cheers.

Junior lives here alone in the flat, which is why Jasmine and Pauline are

so keen to keep an eye on him.

-Have you used your new cooker yet?

-Yeah, I've used it a couple of times.

What about that chip pan?

-No.

-Let me have a look. Is it still there?

-Yeah, it's still there.

-Is it?

You're not cooking chips in it any more cos there's not enough oil.

It seems that Junior is keeping to his side of the bargain,

although evidence of his past mistakes is clearly visible.

-So this is where... We can see, can't we?

-Yeah.

This is the fire.

And all through the lounge as well.

It was very badly smoke-damaged.

So what's happened here was an accident, but, you know,

it was cos of what, the way Junior was cooking?

It was, it was his love of chips.

And then what we've got is the smoke damage still,

but then is it up to him to then redecorate if that's what he wants?

-Yes.

-Right. OK.

-Yeah.

It seemed like you're thinking this is progress

-from when you last saw him.

-This is a lot of progress.

Because before there was a hoarding issue.

So we did serve him with an acceptable behaviour contract.

He's done very, very well.

He's come a long way.

An acceptable behaviour contract, or ABC,

is often issued to residents who are breaking their tenancy agreements.

It's a way to ask them to change their ways

or end up facing action,

and it seems to have worked for Junior.

Tell me a bit about yourself.

Well, I've grown up in Peterborough.

I've been here all my life.

-I've been in prison a couple of times.

-Yeah.

That's about it, really.

Yeah. So your life has been a bit of a roller-coaster, has it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, a few good things, a few bad things.

And whereabouts are you? How are you feeling these days?

Because I know you had a couple of fires, have you, in the kitchen?

-Yeah, that's right, yeah.

-So, how did that come about?

I just went out one day and forgot I'd turned it on.

Turned the cooker on and left it on.

Yeah. Does that happen sometimes?

-It just caught fire.

-Do you forget things?

-Or get absent-minded?

-That's what happens.

When I'm on medication, that's what it does,

it makes me forget things sometimes.

You don't like to go to the chip shop? Or is it cheaper?

-It's cheaper.

-It's cheaper? Oh, right. OK, that makes sense.

That makes a lot of sense.

Junior's health issues are clearly a contributing factor to his behaviour

which is why I'm guessing having such a supporting housing team

around him is so vital.

How important is this flat for you?

-Very important.

-Is it?

If I lose this flat, I would have nowhere to live.

Yeah.

Cos that's the danger, isn't it, with the fire and things like that?

You must be thinking... Did that worry you?

Yeah, yeah, I thought I was going to lose it.

Was it a pretty stressful situation?

-At that time?

-Yeah, it was a bit stressful, yeah.

Yeah.

-You're all right now.

-Yeah.

Oven chips the way ahead.

I'm really hoping Junior's adventures in the kitchen

are less dramatic in the future.

We won't stop for chips, OK?

OK.

We don't want any more accidents.

Incidences like this highlight how Pauline and Jasmine's role

has become incredibly varied and challenging.

And when dealing with tenants like Junior, really quite complicated.

This is the bit I don't really get about your job, is where it stops.

Because it seems, you know,

if you talk to most people about what a housing officer does,

they assume they give away houses and then they...

-Throw them out at the end.

-And they maybe evict them if they are doing

things wrong, but there seems to be so much more than that.

No, it's in the title, housing officer,

it's keeping people in houses and finding all the ways in which we can

assist them to remain there.

Talking to Junior, it was absolutely clear

that having this place for him is absolutely crucial.

-He knows it.

-Well, it is.

-You know it as well.

-And they get frightened, you know.

You don't want to be sending nasty letters and say,

"Clear the place up,"

you want to come and see them in person

and let them understand that we just need them to live

in a better condition for their own health.

So, me, I just keep going until somebody gives in, really.

THEY LAUGH

You're like a terrier.

-Yeah.

-Is that it?

-Yes.

-You just keep nipping their ankles?

Yeah, I keep bringing up the issue, you know, at any opportunity,

and then, you know, I wear them down, I think.

And then I hopefully get there.

But to have a success story and see them getting the progress they are

taking, it might be small to the outside, but it's a lot to them.

-And it's good.

-I think I might...

-Thank you.

-Just, well done.

-Good stuff. Brilliant, come on then.

-OK.

I'm happy to report that after signing

his acceptable behaviour agreement,

Junior has continued to keep his side of the bargain

and there have been no further call-outs

for any chip-related incidents.

Across the UK, the one issue that residents complain about the most is

noisy neighbours,

with nearly half a million complaints made to councils

in one nine-month period.

It is often housing officers who are on the front line,

confronting anti-social behaviour

that's making life a misery for other tenants.

In the London Borough of Havering,

wardens Nadeem and Claire are on their way to inspect a flat

where the tenant has been causing a major headache

for neighbours for some time.

The next property we are going to is the one that we've been dealing with

for about eight months.

After months of warnings over his unacceptable behaviour,

late night parties and noisy visitors,

the council finally had to resort to the courts.

When he was there, he'd forget his keys all the time

and then he'd knock on people's doors or buzz on the intercom,

people climbing on the pipes,

all sorts of allegations over there.

We applied to court for eviction and it's been appealed, etc.

But he surrendered his keys.

But that wasn't the end of the story.

Since then, neighbours have complained that other people

have been using the flat.

We feel there's people living in the property, so we need to meet

the ASB officer to go and have a look to find out

if there's anyone living in the property

and what sort of state the property is.

Yeah, well, the times that we've visited and we've knocked and other

people have opened the door and said they were friends and they were just

-visiting...

-Exactly, we know

some others were living in there, don't we?

I mean, the tenants have always said there's other people going there,

living there, so what they're doing, just don't know.

Well, let's go see.

Because the team have no idea what they might find inside and there is

safety in numbers, the wardens are being joined

by Antisocial Behaviour officer Joyner.

But they've had information that today at least

the flat is empty, giving them a chance to reclaim it

for the council.

-Nice.

-Even for seasoned professionals,

the state this flat's been left in is a shock.

This visit is to establish if someone's living here,

because that's the information that we have from neighbours.

The tendency has been surrendered and we are just here to establish

the condition of the property

and the void works that needs to be written,

so the works could be carried out.

We're going to inspect every room and see the state of play.

Neighbours complained about the tenant

having lots of noisy visitors,

and indeed, the condition suggests that more than one person

has been living here.

It stinks.

It's quite unusual to have a fridge in the bedroom.

Yeah, when there was plenty of room in the kitchen.

Crusher underneath the table there for his cannabis.

It's an all right flat.

It stinks in here.

These housing officers aren't wet behind the ears.

But knowing how hard it is to get social housing in the first place,

it's hard to believe anyone would treat their home like this.

The complainants have been telling us that the visitors to the tenant

were knocking on other people's doors, early morning, late night.

Lots of parties.

Shouting, screaming.

And this tenant also used to lose his keys, very frequently.

So he used to buzz all the other neighbours to be let in the first

security door, and then when he's here,

he used to kick his own door in,

and we must have done about six or seven lock change,

on recharge of course,

to allow him back in the property.

We had frequent police visits to this property, cos residents

think that when they hear the banging noise,

that someone is breaking in.

Getting the flat back to normal will be no easy task, but at least now

the team can make sure the troublesome tenant

and his delightful guests won't cause any more trouble

for the neighbours here.

Now, what is going to happen is we are going to hand the property

back to our empty homes team.

They will come in and clear out the property and

it's going to get advertised on our

lettings brochure for the residents to bid on.

This one we will do sensitive let,

given what the residents have been through,

where we would look at the background of the tenant coming in

and try and avoid certain characteristics...

..that we had in the past.

A sensitive let is where a council can deviate from their normal policy

of housing the next person on the waiting list

and instead choose somebody

else who might be less likely to cause issues for the neighbours.

That seems only fair given what the other residents here have had to

endure.

The kitchen unit seems to be in reasonable conditions.

The bathroom,

the bathtub, the sink, the basin,

seems to be in pretty good conditions.

-So it's basically cosmetic.

-It's a case of the rubbish, isn't it?

But the living room, there is extensive wall damage, etc,

that will need to be fixed.

And apart from that...

..just gas and electric safety checks, really.

Some of the tenant's belongings are still present,

but they won't be here for much longer.

Everything found in here will be thrown away.

He is aware of that as well.

The tenant has signed a disclaimer

to say anything left in the property...

-Will get dumped.

-..would be disposed of.

Because of his behaviour and the treatment of the flat,

it's unlikely that this tenant will ever secure

another council property in this area.

But finding a new resident, well, that won't be a problem.

Three, four weeks, hopefully, we should have a new tenant.

As you can imagine, there are a scarcity of properties

and the demand is quite huge on social stocks.

It is only when they lose it that they appreciate what they had.

I mean, there is always thousands of people on waiting lists.

And something like this is very sought after.

You can see it is a nice area, a nice quiet low rise.

It's quite a desirable area, I would say.

Later on, we'll be returning to the flat to see

how the council's cleaning and restoration team

have worked their magic.

With around 1.2 million people on the waiting list

for social housing in England alone,

the challenge of finding safe and secure homes for those in need

is still one that's clearly proving tough to crack.

To try and help bring this number down,

often when developers build new private housing estates,

there is a planning requirement for an element of social housing to be

built alongside.

On a new development in Wiltshire,

White Horse Housing Association have just taken possession of a brand-new

home which will be added to their much-needed stock of social housing.

And it's down to housing officer Belinda Eastland

to find the right tenant to fill it.

Today, we are off to interview Harriet,

a young housing applicant.

She's been put forward by Homes for Wiltshire.

I'm a little bit wary because she's quite young.

She's never lived on her own before and she's expecting a baby.

But part of the processes for me now is to go out and visit,

assess her circumstances.

Check what support network she will have in place as well and whether I

think she can manage the tenancy.

You know, it's not easy if you've never lived on your own before,

you've got to manage a budget,

you've got to keep the house nice... And hopefully then I'll be able to

consider her for a two-bed property that we've got coming up.

We always say to people at the point of arranging a home visit that there

is no guarantees, you know, don't get your hopes up.

So that's what we're doing today.

Not quite sure what I'm going to find.

I never know what I'm going to find until I get there, really.

You know, all I've done is read the file at this point in time.

So we shall see.

Harriet is at home, anxiously awaiting Belinda's arrival.

At the minute, I'm 18 and I'm living at home with my mum.

I'm trying to find a place of my own for myself and my baby.

Harriet not only shares a house with her mum,

but the property is also home to her mother's childminding business,

meaning that space is very much at a premium.

I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant.

As well as going to college three days a week

and working three days a week as well as that.

At the minute, I'm very nervous about everything.

With so much on her plate, it's little surprise

the uncertainty around

where she and her new baby will live is only adding to the pressure.

Good morning, are you Harry?

I'm Belinda from White Horse Housing.

The assessment Belinda carries out today is make or break.

Harriet needs to be in her own home by the time the baby arrives.

First of all,

it would be good if I could get a general idea about your housing

situation, about where you've lived up until now,

and why you need to be rehoused.

I've lived here since I was born.

Mm-hm.

Due to having the baby,

I can't stay here cos there isn't a lot of room.

OK. And it's just you and the baby, is it, or?

-Yeah, it is.

-OK.

What about the father, is he on the scene at all?

Will he be coming to live with you in any property that you're offered?

He won't be coming to live, but he will be around.

OK. When you move into the property and you find yourself on your own

with the baby,

are you going to have supportive relatives around you, you know,

popping in to see you, making sure all is well,

helping you out with things?

Yeah. I do, I have a very supportive family.

My sister's very supportive.

She's just had a baby.

And my mum, with her job, she's very supportive as well.

-OK.

-And so are my nan and grandad.

-Yeah.

-So, they will be around.

That's good. So, when you're living independently in the home,

you will be a student.

Will you be working at all?

I will. I will be.

OK, where do you work?

At the minute, I work in the chip shop and as a marshal.

So, you're six weeks off having your baby, but you're still doing...

..work for the paintballing company, the chip shop,

and you're also childminding?

-Yeah.

-How are you finding that?

That seems a lot for you to be doing.

Sometimes, it's hard, and then other weeks, it's easy.

It depends on, like...

-..how busy it is.

-OK. And...

..why are you doing that? What's, like, your longer-term goal?

To be able to get the money to support my baby,

because I want to try and give my baby the best future

I can possibly try and give her.

With the formal interview complete,

Belinda can now show Harriet the house she's being considered for.

Now, the property that you've been put forward for,

it's on a small development of new homes.

So, we have seven other homes, which will be privately owned,

and then we have two affordable rented homes.

So, the house, as you can see, has got a garden.

So, downstairs, you've got a living room, kitchen, WC.

Upstairs, you've got two bedrooms and the main family bathroom.

Do you have any questions about the property?

Not that I can think of.

No, but you're happy to be considered for it?

-Yes, please.

-So, what will happen after today,

I need to put a report in,

and then I'll be in touch with you on Tuesday to let you know whether

you've been successful or not.

Thank you.

All right, bye-bye.

The meeting with Harriet today was quite a surprise for me.

I was actually quite relieved and impressed with the way that she's

managing. She's currently got three or four jobs that she told us about,

and she's also trying to hold down this college course.

Unbelievable. I do feel like I want to help her,

because I know that we have a hard-working person here

who's trying to do her best.

She doesn't fit the stereotype that you hear about an

18-year-old single mother.

You know, she's a real trier.

And she has no hope of affording a house herself,

or even renting privately in Wiltshire, you know,

with rents and house prices being so hard.

So, I hope we can help her.

So, it's clear - Belinda's keen to help.

Now she needs to convince her boss.

The process now is that I will need to file a report,

put a recommendation in to my manager.

So, I don't know how it's going to go.

Later on, we'll find out if Belinda manages to make the case

and if Harriet gets to make the move into a new home.

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

of housing officers right across the UK.

Fire Service turned up, didn't they?

There was no need for them!

-There was a fire.

-There was not.

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

This one's the worst I've seen.

The amount of mould is quite shocking, actually.

..hitting the streets...

-Hello.

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

Warrants have been issued, and they can be enforced.

..as we make sure a house is a fit place to call a home.

Is that one there? Oh...

-Look at that.

-There's another one.

The fact that I now have got somewhere I can call home,

-and it's permanent.

-That's got to be a good thing.

Tenancy fraud is a major problem for local authorities,

estimated to cost the public purse almost £2 billion every year.

One aspect of this problem is that legitimate tenants of social housing

sometimes choose to illegally sublet their property on the open market,

often making a good profit on the deal.

As well as the huge financial burden on the council, on a human level,

it means fewer properties are available for people

who truly need them. In Southampton,

housing officer Clare Caullay is investigating

a suspected case of illegal subletting.

Clare knows that the legal tenant of this property is away in

hospital, but believes that someone else is currently living there.

So, what do we need to find out, then?

What's the purpose of the visit?

How long have they been in there?

How they know the actual legal tenant.

All their identities.

How they were let the property.

And what they thought they were getting,

whether they thought they were going to stay in there long-term,

or whether they thought it was just a short-term let.

There's a possibility, of course,

they don't know that they shouldn't be there,

that they've been let this property in good faith,

or they've taken it in good faith,

and that they just have to be informed

they're going to have to leave.

That is true. We have a housing options service,

which I can offer them.

If they let us in, they talk to us and say,

"Yeah, that's true - we didn't know anything about it.

"As far as we were concerned, it was all legal."

Then our housing options service will go out and speak to them

and see what they can do to help them.

Have you had any contact with them so far?

Have you tried to make contact with them?

I have. I've knocked on the door twice already.

One time, she appeared at the stairs and ran away.

-OK.

-And the other time she didn't let me in.

OK. How do we know about this sort of thing?

Because presumably, if they just go in and out of the door

without causing any sort of upset or harm to anybody,

then they could carry on like that for a long time.

They could, but it's other neighbours that tell us.

And there's some anti-social behaviour around this at the moment

that they're causing, and the other neighbours have told us about this.

And people coming and going from the address at all hours, parties,

so that sort of thing.

That's when you find out, when you start annoying the neighbours,

-suddenly, yes.

-Yes, they tell us all about it.

It's not only the housing association that's interested

in what's going on at this address.

Due to the nature of the anti-social behaviour

complaints, the police also want to talk to the current occupier.

Clare and I joined by two police community support officers for what

could be a potentially difficult visit.

It's, um, very interesting to look at this front door.

Is that evidence of the police battering ram?

-Is that what it was?

-I think so. Am I right, is that the battering ram?

Yes, that would be to gain access to the property.

-So...

-So, yes, there's definitely been some activity in there.

-And you can see the door's been shaken, as well.

-Yeah.

OK. That's not the approach today, though.

No. No. Definitely not.

Not taking any chances, before knocking on the door,

Clare registers her location with an electronic security system.

SHE RINGS BELL

Now it's just a case of wait and see.

-There's no-one in.

-Nothing?

Nothing at all, unfortunately.

To be honest, I'm a little bit disappointed

and a little bit relieved that they didn't answer the door.

With their teams on the front lines every day,

the safety of officers is something that housing associations take very

seriously. A visit which doesn't really yield us very much.

But one thing I did notice, Clare,

is just before we knocked on the door,

you spoke into your name badge.

-My Identicom, yes.

-How does that work?

This is the alert in case anything happens to me.

I press that button at the back to say something's happened to me,

and it automatically sends a signal to our call centre,

the Identicom call centre, and they will send somebody out, the police,

depending on how bad it is.

But when I go somewhere, I press these two buttons to say I'm there,

-so I'm safe.

-So they are contacted directly, are they, using this?

So they know where you are and who you are and what you're doing?

Yes, Identicom know exactly who we are and where I am.

-That's great.

-Yes, very safe.

You're working by yourself, and you know,

these aren't always easy calls to make, are they?

-Easy visits.

-Yes.

Especially like today.

I wear flats so I can run.

I've got my Identicom. But other than that, if we need to,

we will do two visits together,

so another housing officer will come out with me.

Or I'll ask the police like I did earlier, and they'll come along.

They are always very happy, and we work well together, I think.

So, no joy today, but later on...

-That's her! That's her.

-OK.

..Clare and I come face to face

with the suspected illegal subletter.

Excuse me, are you not living here any more?

But I saw you in there the other day, and you said you did.

Earlier, we saw a London flat that had been severely mistreated by its

previous tenant.

Oh, it stinks.

It's quite unusual to have a fridge in the bedroom.

Oh, it stinks in there.

What this tenant used to do is kick his own door in.

Today, community wardens Liam and Barry are off to see

if the flat's now ready to become someone's new home.

So, we are just going to go here and check the property.

Yes, just see what they've done.

Make sure it's all fit and ready for purpose.

Seeing the state of the property just a couple of weeks ago,

fixing this place was never going to be easy,

but with a new tenant waiting in the wings,

have they got it ready in time?

A temporary high security door has been fitted to the flat

to ensure none of the former residents can return.

But even though he knows the code, Liam is still struggling to get in.

-Just needs the magic touch.

-The magic touch.

And that's why he brings Barry with him.

Nice smell of new paint.

After a week and a half of intensive work by the council

and a repair bill of several thousand pounds,

the flat has been transformed.

I don't know how they punctured the holes in the walls,

but they definitely went at it with something.

It looks a lot better than what it did.

Oh, yes, 100 times better.

Yes.

And it's ready to be moved into.

It looks like a new bath.

-Good little place for somebody.

-This would be a lovely little place.

I wouldn't mind it.

The team's done a great job restoring the flat

to a liveable standard,

but sadly, the bill for all of this has to be met by the council,

meaning less money for them to spend on vital public services.

The kitchen's all been really done up.

This kitchen was an absolute wreck.

It was really bad. So they've had to refurbish it because he left in such

a bad standard. Usually, we would just tidy it up, you know,

and let it again, but with this one, they've had to do the kitchen,

do the bathroom, they had to fix the walls, paint it all,

because he actually...they drew all over the walls,

stuck holes in the walls, ripped out sockets, and...

It's lucky they didn't set the place on fire, because the lights,

wires were hanging out of the ceiling,

and the electric was still running.

So you could have done, you know, set the place on fire.

I like the smell of cleaning.

Yes, this room's very nice.

Very clean. Oh, they've actually painted this door, look at that.

It was needed. Got a stopper.

-Excellent. This is the bedroom.

-This is the bedroom.

That's the front room, yeah. This was the room which I said,

they had a bed in here, and then a bed in there.

That's why I think there was other people living here.

And they had a fridge freezer in here.

In that corner there was a fridge freezer,

and there was letters in this room for a girl and a boy,

which wasn't the residents' names,

so that's how I know that this room was being used by someone else.

-He was letting someone else live here.

-Good result.

No, it's good, yeah.

Fully inspected and approved,

the wardens can now plan for the flat's next occupant.

So, that one's ready.

Very nice job.

And hopefully that's this afternoon we've got a tenant.

Should be let and keys should be handed over this afternoon

to the tenant,

and someone should be probably moving in this weekend.

It's a positive result for the council.

This flat will soon be in the safe hands of a new tenant,

and there will be one less family on the housing waiting list.

Earlier, Clare and I teamed up with the local police in Southampton to

call on a suspected illegal subletter.

Is that evidence of a police battering ram?

Yes, there's definitely been some activity in there.

With no-one at home, we were unable to confirm her suspicions,

but we haven't given up.

So, we've returned to the property,

and while we're doing our best to get inside,

a chance encounter offers up another potential clue.

-That's her! That's her.

-OK.

Clare's spotted the woman she saw at the address on her first visit,

and who she suspects may be an illegal subletter.

But now she's seen Clare,

she doesn't seem to be going inside the building.

Excuse me. Are you not living here any more?

But I saw you in there the other day, and you said you did.

Cos I'm from Hyde, and we own the block.

I asked her whether or not she still lived there.

OK, I'm sorry.

So... That was interesting.

As we were standing here,

a woman came past that you identified

-as the person living in that property.

-Yes, yes.

And you asked her very simply...

Was she living there any more?

And she got quite aggressive about it,

and really not very happy that I even asked her.

Including her friend as well, who was also quite aggressive...

..and walked on.

She said she wasn't living in there.

-She did.

-Any more.

Which tells me she was living there in the first place.

Yes. So she's not living there any more.

So that's given us a bit of information.

It hasn't really helped us a great deal,

but it does illustrate that sometimes for a housing officer,

investigations are a marathon, not a sprint.

The plot is very gradually thickening.

-Yes.

-But it doesn't really tell us who is in there now, if anybody.

No. That's the problem.

And the windows are now closed,

so someone's definitely been in there today.

Someone's been in there today.

-You can see, yeah.

-We know somebody's in the flat.

It's just frustrating we can't seem to get any answers.

So if those are the subletters, slightly aggressive subletters,

what happens to them, then?

-What's the approach with them?

-Well,

we try to visit them three times and see if we can contact them and find

out who they are and everything like that.

If they are still living there,

then we would put on the bottom of the notice to the tenant and all

unauthorised occupants,

and that would mean that they would have to be evicted as well.

So that would cover everybody.

It's like saying, "Well, you know,

"your responsibility for this place is now over.

-"We're taking it back."

-We will have to take it back, yeah, yeah.

With a long waiting list for social housing,

councils and housing associations have to do all they can to make sure

properties like this are put into the hands

of those who need them most.

So Clare's refusing to give up.

And the next day, we're back...again.

No surprise when there's no answer when we knock.

But it's not the front door that provides evidence there's something

definitely amiss with this flat.

Window's open again.

Was it completely shut yesterday?

-Yeah.

-Was it? You're much more observant than me, Clare.

So the window's now open.

-Yes.

-Which means that somebody must've been in there.

-Absolutely.

-There's definitely someone living there,

but proving it is going to be one thing,

fixing the problem, quite another.

Flippin' 'eck, this is a long job, isn't it?

You've got to get them coming out of the flat,

but the chances of doing that are minimal, aren't they?

In the meantime, you've got people, potentially,

illegally subletting that place

for as long as they can get away with it.

Yeah. We'll do our checks, and then we'll serve the notice.

So unfortunately, that will be that for them,

but we need to get that flat back.

We don't have any choice. They're causing unsociable behaviour.

They're causing problems for other residents. That's not fair.

-Yeah.

-Living there illegally.

Well, that was quite the adventure for Clare,

and it's not quite over yet.

The eviction process for this property is still ongoing.

But the housing association hope to have the property back very soon,

so it can be re-let to someone in real housing need.

Good morning. Are you Harry? I'm Belinda from White Horse Housing.

Earlier, housing officer Belinda Eastland

was assessing new mum-to-be

Harriet for a brand-new house which has just been built near Pewsey in

-Wiltshire.

-I want to try and give my baby, like,

the best future I can possibly try and give her.

I do feel like I want to help her,

because I know that we have a hard-working person here

who's trying to do her best. So I hope we can help her.

Well, Belinda presented the case to her boss and got a decision.

Today, Harry,

who I visited a few weeks ago, is getting the keys to this brand-new

property. It's a lovely two-bed house,

which will be perfect for her and her baby.

She has seen the property.

She's absolutely delighted with it.

She's already paid up a month's rent,

so she doesn't have to worry about that today.

And as soon as she gets the keys today, she's welcome to move in.

Hi, Harry. Nice to see you.

-And you.

-Big day for you today.

Come and have a look at your lovely home.

It's a big step for Harriet.

While it's an exciting day,

moving into your first house can be a daunting prospect.

And the nerves are certainly beginning to show.

It's good, but then also scary at the same time.

Belinda is here to offer a reassuring hand.

You've got a washing line in the garden, and a shed.

I mean, you're pretty well fixed up with most things.

I think it'll be very good for the baby,

cos it's got room outside to play.

And then it's got quite a bit...

Well, loads of room inside.

I'll probably put the cot here, underneath the window.

And then have its drawers along the side.

I can't wait now.

It might seem obvious to some of us,

but this is Harriet's first home of her own,

so Belinda will make sure she takes her carefully through every step.

Water and electric, council tax,

so you've got a lot to think about over the coming week,

cos you need to get yourself up and running and registered with all

these different utilities, and with the council for the council tax.

If you need any help, let us know.

-We'll help you.

-OK, thank you.

I've got all the furniture now, just waiting to move in.

Harriet's clearly pleased with her brand-new home,

even the wardrobe's a hit.

What did you think about that when you saw it on Monday?

I really liked them!

-Yeah.

-The beauty of a brand-new home is that, technologically,

it's bang up-to-date.

Do you see that thing going round on there?

-Yeah.

-That's showing you how the solar panels are heating the water

already. So that's just amazing.

So you should find that a lot cheaper.

Thank you.

With her inspection complete,

it's time for Harriet to sign on the dotted line and get the keys to her

-new home.

-And over here, the keys to the property.

We've got front door there, patio door, you have several sets of keys.

Tomorrow, Harriet will be moving in her furniture and belongings

with the help of some of her friends.

I hope you'll be really happy here.

And that everything goes well with the baby,

and just contact us if you need to talk to us about anything.

-OK?

-Thank you.

Good.

It's time for Belinda to leave

and let an excited Harriet get on with it.

She can't wait to get the house ready for her family.

It can be very daunting,

particularly with someone as young as Harriet taking on a property

for the first time. So she needs to know how everything works.

You know, we might need to check on her, make sure she's OK,

offer her help from time to time until she's up and running,

but I have every confidence that she's going to make

a really good go of this tendency.

A home is the foundation of your life, and whoever you are,

however much you earn, wherever you come from,

shouldn't you have that right?

Sounds right to me, Belinda.

And it's a great result,

to see a hard-working young mum-to-be set up in her own home.

I'm very excited.

Now all I've got to do is move all my stuff in,

and it'll feel like home.

I'm pleased to report that Harriet

has settled in well at her new house.

And it wasn't long before an additional member of the family

arrived to make it into a home.

Felicity Olivia Jean was born on 10th of December,

weighing 7 lbs 12 oz. A great way to start the new year.

Well, as we've just seen,

being a housing officer means a daily dose of tough choices

and difficult decisions, but it's all in a day's work

for the men and women fighting to ensure

we can enjoy safe place to call home.

That's it for today, but join me again next time

when I'll be back on the front line with the Housing Enforcers.