Episode 2 The Housing Enforcers

It's difficult to imagine calling this a home.

'Everyone deserves a safe place to live.'

So that's a dead rat. DOG BARKS

'But with rents rising and demand increasing,

'it's getting harder and harder to find a secure place to call home.'

You can actually see the floorboards of the bathroom there.

-Clear evidence...

-Clearly someone living down here.

-Yep.

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

Someone nicked your wheelchair?

'I'm on the front line with those fighting

'for the right to decent housing...'

The amount of mould is quite shocking.

The happiest residents of this property are the rats.

'..as local councils and housing associations

'battle problem properties in slum conditions...'

It's just a scene of Dickensian misery.

It absolutely pen-and-inks.

'..as they deal with dodgy landlords...'

-Whoa, whoa, whoa!

-Calm down!

'..nightmare neighbours...'

There's a good chance that people will be getting evicted.

'..and everything in between...'

It does feel like we are close to

the bottom of the housing ladder here.

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

If there's something strange in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call?

'Today - we discover a property in a truly appalling condition...'

As you can imagine, the smell in here is very strong.

As soon as we opened the door, there were flies everywhere.

'..there's a shock in store for the housing team in Stroud...'

Oh...

OK. OK...

'..and a neighbour dispute threatens to spiral out of control.'

You wouldn't want them evicted, would you?

Would you want either side evicted?

It used to be so straightforward.

You leave education, you get yourself a job

and then settle down, once you've found a house or flat.

And even though a "happily ever after" wasn't guaranteed,

you could usually depend on getting

an affordable and safe place to live.

Well, it's no secret that thanks to the housing crisis,

today, things are a bit more complicated.

But there are men and women across the UK

whose job it is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity

to enjoy a safe roof over their heads.

Every day, they're out fighting for your rights.

They are... the housing enforcers.

The role of a housing officer isn't all about bricks and mortar.

Often the challenge is to help deal with the more human side of housing,

where a tenant might need some extra assistance to enjoy their home.

Here in Surrey,

Hyde Housing Association officer Laura Bond

has been working with a tenant

who's been struggling

to come to terms with a destructive problem.

It's threatening not just to damage HIS home,

but those of his neighbours too.

So what is the problem with this property?

It's just absolutely full of stuff, and rubbish.

General belongings, rubbish, he can't cook in the property...

so it's a concern for his general welfare, his mental health,

and also his safety.

Laura's been engaged in a long-running dialogue

with the tenant, but today, she seems confident

there's been a major breakthrough.

I tried to get in touch with the resident, and he's initially said, "No, I'm not going to let you in",

and was quite strong about that.

Eventually let us in, got there, and he was actually really nice,

really nice gentleman, but obviously had got himself in a situation

where he didn't know what to do about it.

-But then you guys can step in and offer some help?

-Yes.

You really have to admire how hard Laura's worked

to get to this point with the tenant.

I'm hoping we're going to get the result we need today.

What do you think when you go into a house...?

Obviously, you've got your professional head on about how to

resolve the problem, but it's actually not

just a practical problem, is it?

You're dealing with somebody's...erm...

..kind of image of themselves.

-Yeah.

-How do you approach that?

You just have to be considerate, really,

sort of take everything into account, how you're going to talk about things to the resident,

what the condition of the property is like...

You're thinking about everything when you go and do a visit.

It sounds like with this chap, though, he's...

You're a bit of a step ahead,

-because he appreciates that there is a problem.

-Yes.

The property's only small, but as soon as we arrive,

the scale of the problem becomes clear.

With what looks like years of refuse piled high, almost to the roof,

I can barely even squeeze through the door.

So we've got a...

I think a one-bedroom flat.

Bathroom here...

uh, we've got a living room there,

and it might even be...

a bedsit. I think that might be living room and a bedroom there.

The living room is absolutely chock-a-block...

Have a look at that.

We're right up, almost to the ceiling.

As you can imagine, the smell in here is very strong.

As soon as we opened the door, there were flies everywhere.

This is...

This is, erm...pretty extreme.

It's hard to believe someone is still able to live in here.

I also have to wonder what it must be like

for the neighbouring residents -

Laura has a responsibility for their wellbeing too,

but I'm not sure where she's going to start.

There's no floor space here at all.

They're just full of...

Well, stuff, clothes and...

bottles, cans. Everything.

From a life that just...

accumulated, obviously over some time.

Everywhere there is evidence of someone

trying to lead some kind of life here,

but I can't get my head around the day-to-day reality

of what it must be like.

It's difficult to imagine calling this a home,

coming back to this place.

I mean, there's no space here...

I can't see a space to sleep.

I think there's possibly a bed over the other side

of this hill of debris,

maybe a space to sleep there.

I know the first time that you come into a place like this,

it's really staggering, upsetting, disturbing, and, you know,

it just makes you think, there ARE people...

like the tenant here, who are living this way, full-time,

who maybe we don't know about, whose homes are going to stay like this.

I think we have to...

Later, I get the chance to hear first-hand from the tenant

how things got this bad.

I'm absolutely disgusted with myself for the way it's in.

But it got to the stage whereby there was too much there

for me to cope with.

If Laura hadn't been so persistent, nobody would've known, even now.

Meanwhile, in Stroud,

council housing offices Elaine and Zoe

are heading to a recently vacated property

on the outskirts of town.

The tenant has downsized to one of our new builds,

so we're going there to take a look,

to see what work needs doing before we can re-let it.

Elaine and Zoe are being joined by contractor Mark

to evaluate the property, as they are aware

it may be in need of a little sprucing up

before it's handed over to a new family.

-Is this a three-bed property?

-Three-bed property.

-We'll have a look when we get inside.

-Yep.

The previous tenants had refused the council's attempts to modernise

the house in the past, so they're not expecting it

to be in pristine condition.

Ooh... OK.

But they weren't expecting this.

Yeah, the walls are in a bit of a...

Probably the damp.

That's not wallpapered, that wall, is it?

That's like a lining.

You do wonder how the tenants managed to live like this.

That would be the only form of heating for the front room,

apart from the radiator.

This is what causes all this mould.

-I think it's...

-No, that's the old...

oilcloth. The old oilcloth flooring.

-It's in a quite bad state of repair.

-Yeah.

It could do with, obviously, modernisation.

Ooh... Wow.

Wow-wow.

It's a coal bunker!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Old coal bunker, yeah.

It's unusual for us to find a tenanted property in this condition.

It is a rarity.

There's a number of factors as to

why it's been allowed to get to this...

Sometimes, when you get properties in a bad state,

I think they're more embarrassed to let the council in.

Yeah. It's just embarrassment of allowing people

through the front door.

The team can only guess at why the previous tenants

wouldn't allow the council to help improve these conditions.

-Just watch the carpet here.

-OK.

But it must have been difficult to wake up to this scene, upstairs,

where the mould has run riot.

I would suggest looking at it.

You scrape back any loose paint and then fine-fill this wall.

Yeah, definitely fine-fill.

Obviously you're getting mould through here -

you treat all this, kill all the mould off,

and then fine-fill the walls.

Wow.

The next room, while not used as a bedroom,

would certainly not have been much fun to spend time in either.

This is ply,

-and as you can see, there's been damage, but...

-No insulation.

-..there's no insulation.

Yeah, No insulation at all, which is creating the cold spot,

-and this is what is actually causing...

-Yep.

And then you get... The condensation you can see

-has been running all down the wall.

-OK.

The damp has spread from floor to ceiling.

This one's the worst that I've seen.

Definitely. The amount of mould is quite shocking, actually.

This makes the other bedroom look OK, doesn't it?

-In comparison.

-Probably the lady was embarrassed

to have anybody come into the room to do any work in here.

Not from the point of the council not wanting to do the work,

it's just that they're not allowed to get into these properties to DO the work.

And the work needed is an easy fix, really.

-Yes, it is.

-It's an easy fix.

The problems with the damp continue in the bathroom.

Obviously the ceiling has been papered, which is not good,

and the bathroom... There's no extractor fan,

so you've got the condensation going up into the ceiling.

-Complete new suite?

-Yeah, put a new bathroom suite in.

The council have a huge job on their hands

if they're going to get this property into a liveable condition for the new tenants.

Some properties you can spend 5,000. Some are just decoration,

some are just a coat of paint,

because they're that good and they've had improvements over time,

that it's just a coat of paint.

But others, you might need to spend...

20,000 to get it up to a lettable standard.

I would say, looking at this property now,

it's going to be around about the £15,000 mark.

But despite the challenge ahead, Elaine is staying positive.

We've got the golden opportunity here, because it's empty,

to do it once. And so we don't want it to be tenanted

and then we come in and put in a new heating system in,

put a new bathroom...

Less disruption to the tenants, the better, so...

Yeah. If you can do it at this stage, it's better. One-stop shop.

We'll work our magic, and it will be a lovely family home

or somebody. It's like a forever home.

We'll find out later if Elaine and the team

have managed to turn the property around.

Nice, eh?

Earlier, in Surrey, I visited a housing association flat

that was rammed to the rafters with rubbish.

As you can imagine, the smell in here is very strong.

As soon as we opened the door, there were flies everywhere.

This is...

I can't see a space to sleep.

I was left wondering how the tenant

was able to function on a daily basis

with his place in this condition.

Although he's asked not to be identified,

he has agreed to talk to me about his situation,

and his relationship with the housing association

that's been trying to offer a way out.

Tell me a bit about how you came to be in this part of the world.

Right, erm...

I used to work on an estate.

-As a maintenance worker?

-Yeah.

And I had an accident which damaged my shoulder.

The person I worked for basically said, you know...

"If you're not working for me, you can't live here any more"

and then when that stopped, I had a bit of scrabbling around,

trying to find somewhere to live,

-and I just fell into a total depression.

-Yeah.

This flat came up, eventually had the operation on my shoulder,

at which point I couldn't lift anything for two or three months,

and that's really when it started to get into that state.

There are people there that could have helped you.

-I know.

-The housing association...

-I know, I didn't...

Too embarrassed to ask them.

Yeah. Is there a degree of fear there?

Yeah. A degree of fear, of...

the housing association finding out about it.

If Laura hadn't been so persistent, nobody would have known, even now.

I'm absolutely disgusted with myself at the way it's in,

but it got to the stage whereby it was...

just too much there for me to cope with.

It's a sobering illustration of just how quickly a person's life

CAN spiral out of control,

but in some ways, this tenant has been lucky.

Laura, Hyde's housing officer, wasn't prepared to give up on him -

no matter how difficult life became.

How do things work in the flat? Because I was trying to...

Yeah. I just literally go in, crash on the bed.

So I've got the telly round there, and...

computer and everything in there, so...

-So as I walk in, it goes up into a kind of a hill...

-Yeah.

..and the other side of that...

-No, round the corner is my bed and the telly and that.

-Yeah.

-So...

-And that's gradually built up over time?

-Yep.

And how long a process has it been, would you say, since...?

Er...

-eight years.

-Eight years?

-Yeah.

-So that build-up is eight years of life all around you?

-Yep.

Eight years is certainly a long time to remain lost in your own flat.

Especially while the world around you is collapsing.

When you were working, er...

what did the work give you?

Obviously you get a wage, but there's a lot more to your work than that.

It gave me self-respect,

the ability to look people in the eye...

What's it like when that's gone, then?

How do you find a place... You know, how do you fill the gap where work was?

INTERVIEWEE SIGHS

It's a void. If it weren't for a couple of good close friends,

I'd probably just be sat indoors all day, just drinking.

Cos I can see it would be so easy to slip into that.

-Yeah.

-But that's the final step that I won't let myself take.

-So, it's a circle that's gone on and on.

-Yeah.

Erm... Now it's been broken.

-Do you feel that this is the point...

-Yes. Yeah.

..that you CAN do something about it?

Yes, this is the point where we can start to get it sorted.

I'm really happy that there's a point now

where things can change for you. And er...

you know, I hope it works out.

Now the tenant has acknowledged there IS a problem

and is willing to let Laura and the team from Hyde help,

there's a really good chance of getting him and the property back on track.

So our gentleman there was very honest and open with us,

and it seems that it was just a series of unlucky things

that happened in his life that led to this point.

Yeah, I think with most people

that have got themselves into a situation where they need our help,

there's often going to be a catalyst, whether that's

losing a job, going through a bereavement, losing a loved one,

or an illness that's put them on the downward slope.

We are working closely with him,

I'm speaking to him on a weekly basis if not more,

and we will reach a resolution in the upcoming weeks.

Well, later on there IS a resolution,

and one that knocks Laura for six.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-How are you?

Amazing.

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

of housing officers right across the UK.

-You can smell that rubbish still, can't you?

-Yep.

-From here.

It's like a red rag to a bull, isn't it, doing something like that.

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

There's a window open there, as well.

That's not so bad. Seen worse.

'Hitting the streets, finding out what's happening on the front line...'

The smell round here is... is really strong.

'..as we make sure

'a house is a fit place to call a home.'

-Oh, so you've got a choice.

-Yeah. A tomahawk of some sort.

The tomahawk...or the bayonet.

So that's a parting shot, basically, is it, from the tenant?

Anti-social behaviour -

three little words that CAN mean

a whole lot of trouble for both tenants and housing officers.

For tenants, it's no fun living next door to noisy neighbours,

overgrown gardens, or having a collection of refuse

dumped unceremoniously on your doorstep.

And for the housing officer, well,

tackling anti-social behaviour can mean having to play the role

of policeman, diplomat and counsellor all rolled into one.

And today, in Suffolk,

the role of peacekeeper and enforcer lands in the hopefully capable hands

of Andrew Weavers.

He's on the way to a property that,

despite its picturesque surroundings,

is causing some dark clouds for its neighbours.

The plan for today is that I'm going to go and have a chat to a family

about anti-social behaviour.

Because there's so many complainants,

I've more or less formalised it by sending out a tenancy warning.

And now I'm just going to go and have a little chat

about the behaviour of the whole family.

It's only fair that we go and give them a chance

to tell us what's going on themselves.

So we want sort of a clear balance.

Andrew believes the problems are severe enough to warrant

sending out a warning letter to Alison and her family,

who live at the property in question.

This means the council are taking the allegations very seriously,

and could mean they end up facing eviction.

The main complaints against Alison have come from the next-door property.

-Hey.

-Hi, you all right?

-Yeah, you?

-Yeah, not bad.

Neighbour dispute. We've got a few...

That neighbour doesn't like me.

-She doesn't like you.

-She hates me.

-OK. Why does she hate you?

-I don't know.

-I do like her...

-Yeah.

-..but she don't like me.

The thing is, that the allegations that have been made could be seen as serious.

So this is your chance to tell me what is really happening.

But you haven't got anything to worry about from me

-if you're not doing anything wrong.

-No.

-So I just want to reassure you.

-Well, I can't lose my house.

-Yeah.

Cos I've got my kids here, and... Oh, I can't be doing with that.

-You obviously like living here, do you?

-I love it.

Alison might enjoy being part of this peaceful community

but at the moment, that feeling isn't shared by her neighbours -

especially after the most recent incident of anti-social behaviour.

There was an arrest here,

and the police told me that there was so many police vehicles out,

and there was a bit of fighting in the street.

There was a lot of drunken behaviour...

-I don't know, cos I sat in here, I kept out of it.

-You didn't see it all?

Alison says it's visitors to her property, and not the residents,

that are causing the problems, but, as part of her tenancy agreement,

that doesn't let her off the hook.

The thing is with this, you're responsible

for anyone living in your property, or visiting.

Do you have any loud music playing out here?

-Used to, but I've stopped the music.

-Not any more? Good.

So, as long as there's no-one drunk or being aggressive.

I've stopped all of them drinking in here as well.

You've stopped them drinking? Excellent.

No drink in this house.

So I'm going to tie that in with mini motorbikes...

-They're all gone.

-Have they? Oh!

-The quads are gone.

The quads are gone, the mini motors are gone.

-You've made my day, you've made my day.

-They're gone.

Along with the anti-social complaints,

there's also been allegations Alison has made changes to the property

without permission from the council.

-So this is one shed, yeah?

-Yeah.

And obviously this one at the bottom here.

I can't see any problem. I think you'll get permission.

It's just nice for you to have it in writing that you've got it.

Andrew might be satisfied with the sheds,

but he's less happy about the new edition of the gate.

To me, that would be a way for the mini motorbikes to get in and out.

-Yeah, it was.

-It was? I thought so. You can't get much past me!

Andrew's given strict instructions for the fence to be reinstated,

and for Alison to build on her new rules for friends and family.

Seems to me it's your visitors are causing the problems,

and that will impact on you

because you'll be the one that is responsible for their behaviour.

-I can't lose my house.

-No.

-I've told 'em.

But what we've got to do is we've got to stop the complaints.

Alison appears to be making an effort to address the problems,

which hopefully will come as a relief to neighbour Mrs Stannard,

who's had to endure the worst of it.

KNOCK AT DOOR

-Hello.

-Hello, Andrew.

-All right? Can I come in?

-Yes.

Give you an update? Thank you.

What we've done is we've written to your neighbour.

More or less like a tenancy warning.

Now, I'm hoping the visit I've done will help quieten things down.

Now, she tells me she's going to have a word with

any youngsters that visit.

There's a no-drinking policy in the house at the moment.

-There's no more mini motorbikes, they're gone.

-Yeah. Oh, that's good.

Right? So I think we've dealt with it.

Yeah. You sound as if you have.

With the battle of anti-social behaviour in hand,

Andrew's now hoping he can help build a lasting peace.

The first thing that strikes me is the lady next door,

she feels it's a shame that you can't talk.

I ain't stopped talking to her!

-No.

-I just ain't seen her.

-Well, maybe...

-But I'm not having her round here.

-No?

-I mean, I'll tell you right straight.

Well, no. But it would be nice to be able to talk, wouldn't it?

I never have stopped talking.

We can do something called shuttle mediation.

Which is when someone independent, someone really nice,

-that deals...specifically deals with these sort of things...

-Yeah.

-..if you want it.

-No, I don't want that.

There are clearly a few more bridges left to build,

but at least Mrs Stannard CAN now look forward

to some well-deserved peace.

If it's all still quiet in about three or four weeks' time,

I'll just file that away for the time being and see what happens.

If you need to ring me, you're more than welcome,

if you can catch hold of me.

I know. When you get somebody else to answer that phone

-and they say, "He's not here"...

-That's right. I do that.

Yeah, I know! I say, "You tell him to ring me.

"I'm going to ring him again," and I do.

I ain't going to let you rest, Andrew.

I can't hide, can I?

OK. I'm going to leave you to it.

-All right, Andrew.

-All right?

Cool beans. Lovely job.

Andrew has demonstrated all the diplomatic skills required

for the role of a housing officer.

The neighbour's taken on board what we've said,

and I'm hoping that it'll all go quiet now.

So er...hopefully Mrs Stannard will be pleased.

But who am I to judge, you know?

I've been to places where

they've kicked off after about half an hour after I've been out there

so...I've got everything crossed it'll work quite well.

Later on, I catch up with Andrew,

and suffice to say, things have changed

and yet somehow remained the same.

-You didn't call the police, did you?

-No, Mrs Stannard...

-Mrs Stannard did. Yeah?

You wouldn't want them evicted, would you?

Would you want either side evicting?

Back in Stroud, a recently vacated council property

contained a few unwelcome surprises for housing officers Elaine and Zoe.

Wow.

This one's the worst that I've seen.

Definitely. The amount of mould is quite shocking, actually.

The tenants have now been re-homed,

but they refused to allow the council the opportunity

to modernise the place while they were still here.

That's left Elaine and Zoe the rather large challenge

of bringing the house up to standard for the next tenant.

It wasn't long before the builders got to work.

We don't actually see, you know, the prospective tenant coming in,

but we always try and do the work

as we'd want it done in our own homes.

And the guys take a lot of pride in what they do.

And, after plenty of elbow grease, with just the carpets to be fitted,

Elaine and Zoe are back to see the finished product.

Wow.

Their first inspection revealed a lounge that was outdated and damp.

A lot lighter in here.

It's pretty amazing, really, isn't it?

And there's one period feature the new tenants won't be faced with.

So if you remember from our first visit

there was a coal bunker here full of coal,

even though there wasn't an open fire in the property.

So we've removed that, plastered throughout,

put the boiler out here because it's a better location, floored it,

lovely area for...whatever, using it as a boot room...

Upstairs, the damp and mould is gone.

And this...

It's better with these on.

With the bedrooms all now fit for purpose...

The mould was along there, all the way up there, on the roof...

It's actually made the room look bigger.

Mmm. It does look bigger.

..there's a fresh new family bathroom too.

That's better. That's really good.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't taken long for the property to be snapped up.

It's been let to a young family who are signing up this afternoon,

so they'll be getting the keys, who are over the moon with the property.

They've been in, had a look round with the lettings officer,

they've measured up for curtains and carpets and things like that.

So they'll be getting the keys this afternoon

and I believe they're having carpets fitted on Monday

so they'll be moved in by next week.

And there's just one thing missing from the brand-new modern kitchen...

OK, so what we leave the tenants when they come in is a welcome pack

and in it is just basics. So a kitchen roll, toilet roll...

..cleaner, biscuits to have a cup of tea,

a mug...

with tea and coffee in there as well

so that, you know, if they haven't got anything,

have managed to go to the shops, at least they can get a cup of tea or something.

The tenants that are moving in deserve this property.

It's a young family...

Ideal for them, they're going to be happy here, I think.

Thanks to Elaine, Zoe and the team,

the house is back to its best and ready for the next tenants.

Earlier, I met a tenant in desperate need of some help.

After problems in his personal life spiralled out of control,

so did the condition of his flat.

It's difficult to imagine calling this a home,

coming back to this place.

I mean, there isn't... There's no space here.

I can't see a space to sleep.

I think there's possibly a bed over the other side,

over this hill of debris.

There may be a space to sleep there.

The tenant was clearly struggling,

but housing officer Laura wasn't about to give up on him.

Although initially hesitant about accepting help,

Laura's worked with the tenant to find a solution

to finally improve the property for both himself and his neighbours.

We're going back to the resident,

to see what the progress has been since we were last there.

We booked the clearance to take place.

They had skips delivered to the site,

and then worked for two full days,

and then went back on a third day to just do a few bits of finishing up,

and the clean is currently under way.

I'm looking forward to seeing the property today.

Over the past few days,

contract cleaners have been hard at work

clearing the flat of all its debris.

Now the skips have been filled,

it's time for it to receive a VERY deep clean.

And the tenant can't wait to show Laura his new home.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-All right.

-Good.

Wow, look at this.

-Amazing.

-Yeah.

No wonder Laura's so surprised.

The last time we were here, the hallway was so cluttered

it was difficult to even open the front door.

But now, thanks to the hard work of the contract cleaners,

you can walk inside and actually see the rooms ahead of you.

It's almost like looking at a totally different property.

In the kitchen, where it looked impossible to prepare

even the most basic of meals,

the transformation is nothing short of amazing.

The worktops and floors are completely cleared

and now ready for action.

The bathroom was also inaccessible, covered with grime and debris.

And now - well, the change is clear for everyone to see.

It's an amazing achievement for both the cleaners

and the housing association to bring about such a change.

But perhaps the biggest transformation is in the main room,

which also served as the tenant's bedroom.

Previously there was barely enough space to sleep

amongst the mountains of rubbish.

And you'd dread to think the effect it could have been having on his health.

Now, the room is completely clear.

Specialist contractor Jay has been in charge of this incredible transformation.

But even for a seasoned professional,

wiping away eight years of grime is no easy task.

Can go in places, and it's a quick wipe down,

quick wipe here and there...

but this is everywhere.

You know, all in the door frames,

skirting boards...

Plug sockets, light sockets. Everywhere.

Yesterday, I was in the kitchen. That was half a day,

sort of four and a half hours or so,

and then sort of three, three and a half hours in the bathroom.

I've got this room here that we're in,

probably another couple of hours.

Then into the hallway,

and a final go over on the floors.

For Laura, the new-look flat represents much more

than just a deep clean.

It's a demonstration of what can be achieved

by working alongside a tenant in need.

-It's such a difference, isn't it?

-Yeah, absolutely.

Just...blown away by it.

Yeah, it won't be long and then you'll be back to being home again,

you'll be able to come back here and relax.

-Yeah.

-I think it'll make a lot of difference for you.

-Yeah, it has already.

-Good.

-Just having a sanctuary, isn't it?

-Well, yeah.

Just go back, feel safe and not have to worry about

going in and doing the cleaning...

Last weekend was the first time I've been able to relax here in ages.

That's really nice to hear,

I'm glad that we could get to this point.

Yeah. I'm really grateful.

No, we were pleased to help, so...

yeah, I think it's a good outcome.

Yes. Yeah.

And we're not just going to stop,

we're going to be there for anything you need.

No. And I've actually learnt that erm...

housing officers aren't just there to chase you for the bad things.

No, absolutely not. No, we don't want anyone to lose their tenancy,

and if there's things that we can do to help you, then...

-Yeah, I've found that out.

-..then we'll do them, so... yeah, I'm really pleased.

And for the tenant himself,

the changes present an opportunity to break free

from the prison of the past. It's a fresh start.

So how are you feeling about the property now,

and everything surrounding it?

Great. It's time to go forward now.

-It's going to make a big life change, isn't it?

-It is, absolutely.

-Obviously you were worried about us coming and knocking on the door.

-Well, yeah...

When I came in after that first day that the clearance was going on,

I stood in the hallway there, it was six foot deep,

-and I just couldn't believe it.

-Mm.

I just couldn't believe I'd let it get to that stage.

-We've just got to this point today...

-Yeah.

-..so it's an adjustment.

I'm over the moon about it.

-Just... Overwhelmed, actually, that it's been done.

-Yeah.

Mm.

Just...never, ever get to that stage ever again.

You've got my trust. You know, I really do trust you.

-Good.

-I appreciate what you've done.

Yeah, no, that's really nice.

After eight years living in what must have been

an extremely unpleasant environment,

too afraid to ask for assistance,

the changes that Laura's helped to put in place

will hopefully have a lasting impact for this tenant.

It's a real sense of relief that we've got to the stage

that we have been able to clear the property,

get the property cleaned and put it back to a normal state for the resident.

I'm really happy that we've managed to sort it for him,

and his personal circumstances.

Now that he's got that place that he can go back to,

and we can carry on working with him and supporting him as well,

making sure that he's getting the necessary help

to make sure we don't go back to that.

In this particular case, in the resident's own words,

I was persistent with gaining access to the property

but it was obvious that there was an issue.

Initially it was a breach of tenancy, because they're not maintaining their property

or maintaining their garden, or whatever. But we can't just leave it

where there's obviously a vulnerability as well.

There's normally a reason

that people are shutting themselves away from us,

there's normally something they don't want us to see.

And we have to prove that we're there to help,

we're not just there to come along and...kick them out.

But we just need people to engage with us and know that ARE there to support them.

I'm really proud of what me and the team at Hyde have done

for this resident. I genuinely didn't think that we would get to this point,

and if we did, that it would take considerably longer than it's taken.

We've given him a fresh slate to start with -

we will continue to support him,

and we've built up a really good relationship

and he's said that he trusts us now to help him,

to the point that he's said "If anyone else was in this situation

"I'd urge them to contact their landlord

"and ask for help, if they HAVE got themselves into that position."

Back in Suffolk,

and housing officer Andrew Weavers has had his hands full

dealing with anti-social behaviour that's got personal.

-That neighbour doesn't like me.

-She doesn't like you?

-She hates me.

-I'm not having her round here.

-No?

-I mean, I'll tell you right straight.

-OK.

I'm here to catch up with Andrew,

to see whether his attempts to keep the peace have held up.

-Hey, Andrew.

-Hello, mate.

-How are you? Good to see you, all right?

-Not bad.

So, there was a good sort of healthy or unhealthy neighbourhood dispute

-brewing between two sides of the fence.

-Yes.

Has anything happened in the meantime?

Well, things had gone fairly quiet, until the weekend.

On the other side of Mrs Stannard's property is a relative

of the family that we dealt with before.

ad a barbecue, which got a little bit out of hand,

and unfortunately resulted in some barbecued food

being thrown over the fence.

So this time, it's not the usual suspects

that's the source of the sausages.

Now it's the other neighbouring property -

another council house - that's causing a headache for Mrs Stannard.

It's occupied by the brother-in-law of Alison on the other side,

whose property was the cause of the anti-social behaviour in the first place.

Do you know what kind of food it was?

Barbecued sausages and burgers, I would imagine.

Sausages, possibly burgers, flying over her garden...

-Yeah.

-..to the other side.

-Yeah.

It sounds funny, but obviously Mrs Stannard's quite distressed, isn't she, at the moment anyway

so she's not finding this funny at all.

She's not finding it funny. She's surrounded by it.

She's not used to this type of behaviour.

'It's back to the drawing board for our intrepid housing officer.'

What your great skill is, Andrew, is calming people down and making them see sense.

Not too convinced about that at the moment!

-If anyone can do it, you can.

-Yeah - well, we'll do our best, won't we?

-Shall we go?

-Yeah, let's.

Yes, we're returning to sunny Stowmarket,

and to pay a visit to Mrs Stannard's other neighbour, Leon Jones.

-Hey!

-Hiya.

-How are you, all right?

-I'm all right, yeah. How are you?

-Just going to pop and see you.

I've been dealing with the problems that your sister-in-law

has been dealing with.

But then suddenly a barbecue happens here, that gets out of hand.

-Two or three lads just turned up, not invited...

-Yeah.

..and they came drunk.

And...they just started to kick off.

-You didn't call the police, did you?

-No, Mrs Stannard...

-Yeah.

Because you're our tenant, anything that happens at your property,

-you're going to be responsible for.

-Yes.

We can cope with one-off incidents like this because it's not persistent,

-but because Mrs Stannard's a bit sensitive at the minute...

-Yeah, she is.

..I just think we need to sort of get things all nice and calm

and get people sort of... sort of getting on all right.

-Yeah. I go round her nearly every day to check on her still...

-Do you?

-..and make sure she's all right.

-And you'll continue to do that?

-Yeah, that's right. I always do.

It seems to be another situation that's spun out of control

due to visitors to the property, rather than the residents.

But it's still another episode of anti-social behaviour,

and it's Leon's responsibility.

That means he's been given a written tenancy warning too.

How important is this house to you?

Very important, because I suffer with heart problems

and blackouts, and that. So I need to be on ground level.

What's going through your mind, then, when you get that letter?

What are you worried about?

That that could go against me, losing my bungalow...

I'd be on the streets, with my wife and three sons.

-Yeah. That would be harsh.

-Yeah.

It's a sobering thought that something as simple as a barbecue

could spiral out of control,

to the point where your home is potentially at risk.

But Andrew has a responsibility to all his tenants,

and needs to make sure people like Mrs Stannard

can enjoy a safe and secure place to live.

-Come in.

-Hello, mate. I've got my friend with me,

-is that all right?

-Yes.

-Hello, Mrs Stannard. My name's Matt...

'I'm hoping she's not going to be too scarred

'reliving the Battle of the Barbecue.'

So what did you see happening?

All the burgers and the sausages lying down.

And because they were coming from that side

and supposed to go over to that house - but they didn't,

they landed in the middle.

They haven't got a big enough throw, to get them over!

Fortunately she seems to be OK,

after being caught in culinary crossfire.

They won't be getting any Olympic medals, then, will they?

-No, they won't.

-For sausage throwing.

-You know, that barbecue that they've had is a separate complaint...

-Yeah.

..and we have dealt with it.

-To be fair, he was sorry it happened.

-Great.

-He was.

You wouldn't want them evicted, would you?

Would you want either side evicted?

No, I wouldn't. I think it's terrible to be homeless.

I wouldn't say that.

I think, as a complaint about certain things that are happening,

I think we're duty-bound to say we've dealt with it.

Oh, yes, Andrew. You've done well.

Yeah? And So I'm going to close it.

I've changed my telephone number, and I work somewhere else now.

-Oh... He wouldn't dare!

-CHUCKLING

'Neighbourly disputes like these can get very messy

'and difficult to unpick.'

Lovely to meet you.

'Being able to have a giggle and smooth things over with Mrs Stannard

'is a great result for Andrew.'

I love the cheek. I love it.

She was upset to start with,

and then you just gradually work through all the problems

until they've all gone and disappeared.

-And then you have a right laugh with her.

-Yeah.

You know. And it is... I know it's a really simple thing to do,

but it's actually really difficult because these neighbourly disputes,

they become complex and tangled and messy, don't they?

They do. They do, yeah.

-And you just seem to unpick them very, very easily. Well, skilfully.

-Some of them.

Doesn't obviously always work in every case,

cos you have to let people have their say, I think.

This is a lovely little road,

we don't have a lot of problems here.

Alison, she's happy here, she loves it here.

and everything I've asked her to do, she's done, she's complied with.

I think what Mrs Stannard has got to realise, she just can't keep looking back,

she's now got to look forward a bit, I think.

-Well, let' see if she can do that.

-Shall we?

A beautiful sunny Suffolk street, it really is very peaceful here.

And behind me, three homes that have to keep it that way,

they're inextricably linked.

Alison on one side, Leon on the other -

they KNOW they have to get on with Mrs Stannard.

Not just because it's the right thing to do,

but also because their tenancies could be at risk if they don't.

That's why it's important.

And hopefully, for the moment it seems, Mrs Stannard is now happy.

Let's hope it stays that way.

No more flying sausages.

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 a safe place to call home.

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

where I'll be back on the front line with the housing enforcers.