Episode 7 The Housing Enforcers

That just doesn't quite feel safe.

'Everyone deserves a safe place to live.'

What's it like for you living here?

'But with rents rising and demand increasing,

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

Passers-by have used these as toilets.

Out she pops, brandishing a bottle above her head.

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

There are definitely fleas here. An infestation.

He was trying to make this into a home,

and then it just all went...horribly wrong.

'I'm on the front line with those fighting for the right to decent housing.'

You can actually see the floorboards.

'As local councils and housing associations battle

'problem properties and slum conditions.'

-You ready for this, are you?

-I don't know.

'As they deal with dodgy landlords...'

No, that's a dead rat.

What am I going to do?

'..nightmare neighbours...'

All hell broke loose and I could hear somebody screaming. In agony.

'..and everything in between...'

-I think that's referred to as a bong.

-A bong. Right, OK.

-A makeshift bong.

-Yeah, a makeshift bong.

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

If there's something strange in your neighbourhood,

who you gonna call?

'Today, I meet a family living in squalid conditions.'

The happiest residents of this property are the rats.

You might as well hang a sign on the door saying, "Welcome".

'An elderly couple struggling in a third-floor flat

'get a helping hand from a pretty awesome daughter-in-law.'

They think the world of you.

At the end of the day, it's what you do, isn't it?

-You're going to start me off.

-Not everybody does it.

You've done a great thing. You've done a superb thing.

'The writing's on the wall for one household.'

Clearly, they've went well out of their way to cause damage

-to the property.

-Yeah.

'And things get nasty between neighbouring tenants.'

It's a terrible situation,

because it doesn't take much for it all to go blow up.

Get rid of him!

See, now, this doesn't help. This doesn't help, Darren.

Making sure everyone's got the chance to find and keep a roof

over their heads is the job of housing officers across the UK.

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

to make sure we don't live in slums,

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

They can make sure you have the facilities you need

as you get older.

They also have the power to enforce a landlord to sort out

a dangerous property, or help evict a bad tenant.

It's definitely a challenging role.

Welcome to the role of the housing enforcers.

Here in London, affording a rental property

has become almost out of reach for those on a limited budget -

putting a squeeze on demand for the capital's social housing.

And the challenges of providing a safe and secure home here can become

even more complicated when a resident's changing circumstances

make their present living conditions unsuitable.

Today, I'm in Brent with housing officer Grace Briody,

to meet an elderly couple in need of some help.

-INTERCOM CRACKLES

-Hi, Mr Brown. It's Grace.

Mr and Mrs Brown live all the way up on the third floor.

The couple are both in their 80s and in poor health,

so climbing these stairs must be a challenge.

Obviously, something Mr and Mrs Brown will do, you know, daily.

So...

I'm a bit out of breath myself!

-Hello, Mr Brown.

-Hello, sir.

-How are you doing?

-Fairly well. Fairly well.

'It's clear this home has provided more than a few happy memories.'

Look at that.

You look fantastic!

-Oh, wow!

-Look at that.

That's when I finished my exams.

'Mr Brown suffers with Parkinson's disease,

'and more recently the illness has started to affect his mobility.'

Mr Brown, how long have you been in this property?

Well, I've been in this property 16 years.

So in that time, how has your health changed?

Well, my health has changed because I became much older now.

-When we came here, we were much younger.

-Yeah.

So putting us in the third floor,

you cannot blame the council for that, because we was younger then.

But we grew and grew, and got a bit older.

So which means that we...end up a bit weaker.

'Mr Brown's deteriorating health is also having an effect on his wife.'

Mr Brown was talking a little bit about how life

has been quite difficult.

Stairs. The stairs.

Because right now I'm a diabetic, as he is.

And I've got arthritis.

My arms and my shoulders are very weak.

I can't lift things much.

If you can't lift things,

-the idea of coming up the stairs with shopping, or...

-Oh, it is bad.

You know, you just have to make yourself do it.

It's like an assault on Everest! SHE LAUGHS

'It's clear that Mr and Mrs Brown are struggling,

'but fortunately Grace has been able to step in and organise a move

'to a new ground floor flat.'

Do you think the move is going to change things for you?

Yes, it will do. You know, everything is on one floor.

And that helps a mighty lot.

You just push the trolley in, and no stairs.

With local authority housing in huge demand,

securing a move to a new flat is no easy task.

But Grace was determined to find the Browns a more suitable place

to live, even enlisting the help of a family member.

Do you remember, I came to you

and I said I was going to try and get you moved?

And I know the thing you were the most scared about was,

how were you going to move?

How were you going to get everything done?

-And that's why we arranged to meet with your daughter-in-law.

-Yeah.

And, obviously, as soon as I met Carol it was,

"Right, family's taking over."

Is Carol fixing the flat up to make sure it's right for you?

She don't want us to come in there.

-Until it's ready?

-Until it's ready. She slept over there last night.

Went in last week to find Carol in her pyjamas

-with a paintbrush in her hand.

-THEY LAUGH

Grace and Mr and Mrs Brown's daughter-in-law, Carol,

have joined up to help make this new move possible.

There's one area in particular that Mr Brown is looking forward to enjoying.

Can I just tell them the story of the shed?

Obviously, I'd said to them it's got a garden.

Wasn't sure how they'd feel about that, and they really like that.

So we went out and there's this really nice shed at the back.

And that was Mr Brown sold, as soon as he seen the shed.

Shed, every man needs a shed!

And I remember Mrs Brown said,

"Oh, this will be really good for putting odds and ends in."

Mr Brown's response was,

"No, I'll be putting a chair in here and this is where I come and sit in the summer!"

-Exactly!

-I'll just come out there.

-Right, lovely to meet you.

-I'll see you guys later.

You don't have to get up, we can see ourselves out.

Don't worry about that.

'Grace has worked hard to move Mr and Mrs Brown

'to more suitable accommodation.'

At least it's not so hard coming back down.

'But getting results is a struggle that housing officers

'across the country have to deal with everyday,

'because of high demand and increasingly limited funding.'

This is why I like doing this,

is because you meet a couple like that and straightaway you can see,

there's no way they should be there.

You engage with them, you find out their story.

You must just want to make their lives better, cos they're so lovely.

This is where the job gets difficult because, of course,

of course you want to.

That doesn't necessarily mean that it's straightforward

in order to do so.

'Grace's determination in helping her tenants is hugely impressive,

'but there someone else equally important who's making it possible.'

-We think Carol's in there, do we?

-Yeah, she is, yeah. I spoke to her.

'Carol is Mr and Mrs Brown's daughter-in-law.

'And just around the corner at the new flat,

'she's been busy preparing for their arrival.'

-Oh, wow.

-This is incredible.

-Tried our best.

So to set the scene,

when we came to view the property, there was obviously no flooring in,

because when they empty it, it's all taken up.

-And all the walls were just sort of magnolia, weren't they?

-Yeah.

-So you've had to literally come in and...

-I've gone off magnolia!

THEY LAUGH

Smoke-filled magnolia.

Carol's efforts in helping facilitate this move are all

the more remarkable, as despite having her own family to look after,

she's spent the past two weeks here

helping make this one-bedroom flat into a home.

This is fantastic, isn't it? You've got a bedroom here.

So you can wake up in the morning on a nice day like this,

open up your door, straight onto the garden.

Going to take great pride in...

It's going to help him a lot,

because at the end of the day, with the Parkinson's,

to give him...some sort of respite,

-the garden's there for him.

-Yeah.

And of course, let's not forget the most important part of the new flat.

Every man needs a shed.

Whoa, look at this!

HE KNOCKS Solid.

I'd actually, in some cases, I'd take this over the house.

I'd live in there, it's lovely.

'That's enough shed time.

'Now, some home truths for Carol.'

You know you're awesome, don't you?

-Pardon?

-You know you're awesome, don't you?

-Really?

They think the world of you.

You should know that. They probably will say that but, you know,

it's true. You're pretty awesome.

At the end of the day, it's just something you do, isn't it?

-You're going to start me off!

-Not everybody does it.

-Oh!

Don't! You've done a great thing.

You've done a superb thing. You really have.

They've done for the kids over the years,

so it's just something to give back, isn't it, really?

Yeah, but not everybody does it. So...

You all right?

I didn't mean to upset you!

'Right, deep breath, everyone.

'Time to leave Carol to finish off her preparations.

'Today's also a reminder, though,

'of how in places like London, where properties are at a premium,

'moves like this can be anything but straightforward.'

Looking at that situation,

the thing that strikes me is that it absolutely needed you,

the property to be available,

and Carol and the rest of the family to make any of that possible.

Without any one of those three elements,

the whole thing falls apart and they're looking at much darker,

-lonelier days, aren't they?

-That's the thing.

If you just literally take Carol out of that equation,

they would still be sat in that flat and there's no way for them to have been moved.

They're not going to be able to do that themselves, so yeah,

it does take a very joint effort,

and not everyone has access to all of those resources.

So, yeah, realistically,

there's probably more situations that aren't resolved than that are.

Later, I'll be joining Mr and Mrs Brown

as they settle into their new home.

Next, we're in the great city of Liverpool.

Although not anywhere near as pricey as in London,

the North West is also struggling with a housing crisis all its own,

with an estimated 10,000 families struggling to keep

a roof over their heads.

But what happens when that struggle becomes too much,

and threatens to land families out on the street?

Well, those difficult cases can end up on the desk here,

the headquarters of Shelter Merseyside.

Sharon and Jo work on the charity's front line services

and today they've been tipped off

about a particularly challenging case.

What are the conditions, the situation for this tenant?

Is this... Is this private rented accommodation?

This is a private rented accommodation.

The referral has come through from the primary school.

There's a boy who's part of the family,

-and it's the school that have made the referral.

-Really?

The information they've given us is that there's disrepair.

Rats in the house.

Toilet not flushing.

People think, "Oh, I should be able to manage,"

or, "I don't want to bother people."

I mean, sometimes they just don't know that there is help.

The property is home to a father,

his 17-year-old son and his young grandson.

But it's the 17-year-old who's taken on the responsibility

of supporting the family.

Morning.

'They've asked us to conceal their identity,

'partly out of fear of upsetting their landlord,

'and perhaps worse, I suspect, also out of embarrassment.

'It's the teenage son who gives us a guided tour of the problems,

'starting with rat holes in the kitchen.'

-OK. So over here, right, when you step in there.

-OK.

-So there is quite a few.

-Is that where you think the rats are coming?

Yeah. And then there's more in the bathroom.

-There are more rat holes.

-OK. Are you OK for us to have a look?

-Yeah.

They don't need a lot of room to get through, rodents.

This is the biggest one.

Have you seen them running around?

My dog caught one, like, literally right there.

-OK.

-So it was quite big.

And then you could hear them jumping from the top to down,

climbing in the walls.

Especially here.

OK.

'A kitchen riddled with vermin doesn't provide much

'in the way of comfort.

'And it's not the only thing that would prevent you from

'safely preparing a meal here.'

-Have you got any light in here at all?

-No.

-You've got no lighting here?

-There is no light?

You've got no smoke detectors in here, nothing of that sort?

And you've got a wire sticking out the wall there.

So you've no cooker in here, have you?

So you've no sort of proper cooking facilities either, have you?

So, now, at the moment, your cooking arrangements are...

It's all in here. It's all in here.

This is where we keep everything.

-It's like camping in your front room.

-It's really embarrassing.

I'm very embarrassed for myself.

-No, you shouldn't be. That's not...

-But there's no other way.

'It doesn't end there.

'Outside, the badly maintained drains were causing raw sewage

'to flood the garden - another significant health hazard.

'Although the landlord has addressed the worst of it,

'it doesn't make me feel much safer.'

This is a... This is a pretty shocking property.

Um...

It's bereft of basically most of the things that you need

to be able to...to live.

The kitchen is unusable because, clearly, rats have been getting in.

So you wouldn't want to cook anything in there,

if there was a way to cook.

There is no cooker. There's no oven, there's no hob.

Erm...

You can just about wash dishes.

I suppose.

But the happiest residents of this property are the rats.

Because they've got a free run of the place.

You might as well hang a sign on the door saying, "Welcome."

All the drains from the back garden are uncovered.

Then there are holes throughout the back wall

where they can happily come in.

And, you know, nice, warm, supply of food.

All the things they like.

'It's clear no family should be living in conditions like this,

'especially with a young child.'

'And as we head upstairs, it gets even worse.'

-Oh, my God!

-There's no bedroom door.

So this is the son's bedroom,

and as soon as we come in, there's the combi boiler,

which we know has not been working properly.

-No.

-It's in the bedroom.

Flashing away there.

No carbon monoxide detectors, which, because it's in a bedroom...

-It's only two bedrooms here, aren't there?

-Yeah.

So the eight-year-old has either got to be in there, or in here.

-So they are actually overcrowded.

-They're overcrowded.

-Yeah.

'This is definitely not how a teenager's bedroom should look.

'Instead of posters on the wall, there's a boiler.

'The whole scene feels desperate.'

-The place is clearly being plagued by rats.

-Yeah.

Raw sewage in the back garden!

Kitchen's completely unworkable.

-It's just apparent that this is not an OK environment...

-No.

-..for anyone to live in, but we've got an eight-year-old child.

-Yeah.

'To top it all off, the recent death of the mother in the family

'has left them struggling to pay the rent -

'even on a property as terrible as this.

'It's left the eldest son shouldering

'the main financial responsibility.'

It seems that things were going pretty well in this family

until they lost the mum.

-And then the loss of income and benefits...

-Yeah.

..from her side has just given them almost no choice about properties,

-accommodation.

-No.

You know, you do have to let the benefit agencies know

to have another assessment on what you're entitled to.

But if you are grieving,

-it's not necessarily the first thing that you think to do.

-No.

You know, you're looking after your dad, who's probably in seven shades

-of trauma.

-Exactly. That's it. You're not going to be thinking,

"Do you know what I need to do? Get a benefit check."

He's working 74 hours a week, he's 17.

He should be playing football in the park with his mates.

-He should be out.

-He should have a part-time job and...

he shouldn't have all this responsibility on him.

Later on, we find out that despite his best efforts,

the teenage boy's actions have potentially made the situation worse.

He hired private bailiffs to get us out.

Why would he choose to evict you?

-Because I've been refusing to pay him.

-OK.

The work of a housing officer is about much more

than dealing with dodgy landlords and leaking roofs.

Sometimes they're faced with disputes between the tenants themselves -

all of which need to be dealt with carefully.

In Suffolk, community housing officer Andrew Weavers

is well used to playing peacekeeper.

I've had a phone call from a lady who's...

..a bit worried about her neighbour, who's reported her to the police

about various different things.

So I'm really going out there to do a bit of a fact-finding mission

and see what's going on, and see if we can pour some cold water over it.

Otherwise, it gets out of hand

and then the problems then sort of get bigger.

Getting on with your neighbours is an important part of being a good tenant.

And if disputes get out of control,

they can lead to eviction proceedings.

Hi, boss. How are you? Just checking up on you, really.

'Laura lives here with her daughter,

'and says the trouble began when her short relationship with Ben,

'who lives in the flat above, came to an end.

'That's when her friend and next-door neighbour, Darren, got involved.'

-Now, your problem at the minute now is with Ben upstairs.

-Mm-hm.

-Now, something must have happened, because everyone was friends.

-Mmm.

So what happened?

He's come down, "Rah, rah, rah," in Laura's face.

So I've told him straight up, straight to the point,

"You move, she wants you out your house, leave."

-But he wouldn't.

-OK. So he was here?

-Yeah.

-And you've asked him to leave?

-Yeah.

-And he didn't like that?

-No.

-And what he did then was what?

Couple of days later, at half-past two, police knocking at my door.

The call came from his phone.

He's still denying it now.

And then to make matters worse,

following day, I had a call from social services.

-So you think he's rung social services?

-Mm-hmm.

-And sort of made an allegation. Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, OK.

Apart from that, he hasn't physically done anything, he's just gone.

He's just... He's just... Got a bit...

-Got upset with you.

-Yeah.

-And he's made these phone calls.

With allegations being made and emotions running high,

Andrew has to tread carefully.

Plus, he needs to consider the impact of the dispute

on the other tenants.

Hopefully, a little diplomacy will do the trick.

What I want to do is, I want to make sure everything...

Like I normally do when I come and see everyone,

try to make everything calm and...

-I can go and have a word...

-Yeah.

-..with Ben, and talk to him.

But if you've got any... If there's any safety issues, any problems,

-you must let the police know.

-Yeah.

It's a situation that could easily spiral out of control -

not least because Andrew's been called out previously

to talk to Darren about his behaviour.

Over the last few months, I have been here, haven't I?

Dealing with various different problems.

And you, yourself, didn't you,

you had an issue and a temper and we've calmed you down, haven't we?

And you're still calm. Aren't you?

As calm as what I can be,

given the circumstances and the situation with...

-Yeah, but that's changed since I've been here, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

Because everyone was friendly when I was last here.

So what would you like me to do?

As your housing officer?

Do you want me to go and have a word with Ben

and tell him to try and stay away?

Obviously, I want everyone to live happily ever after,

but that ain't going to happen, is it?

I don't suppose he's in, is he, at the minute?

-Probably.

-Is he?

-Yeah, he is up there.

Do you... Do you want me to go and have a word?

-You can have a chat with him.

-Yeah?

OK, I'll go and have a quick word with Ben. He's upstairs, isn't he?

-So, fingers crossed, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Brilliant. Lovely job.

Well done. And you keep things as they are, keep cool, yeah?

-I will do.

-Well done. See you later.

-See you later. Thank you.

-Bye. Thank you.

Well, it seems to have quietened down a little bit,

but it's obviously a bit of a fallout, just as I expected.

Alcohol's been involved, they were good friends, they've fallen out.

And, um...

the gentleman upstairs probably hasn't, erm,

liked the fact that he's been asked to leave the flat.

So there's been a bust-up due to alcohol,

but that's one side of the story.

It's a terrible situation,

because it doesn't take much for it all to go blow up.

So it's managing it quite gently, really, is the trick.

Later on, Andrew discovers that managing it gently

is harder than it appears.

-Get rid of him!

-No, don't... You see, no.

-You see...

-Because he wants to move, but the only reason us...

Laura wants to move and Carla wants to move is because...

Darren. Darren. Darren. See, now, this doesn't help.

This doesn't help, Darren.

Defending our right to a safe place to live

is the job of housing officers right across the UK.

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

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

There's a window open there as well.

Oh, it's not so bad. I've seen worse.

'Hitting the streets,

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

The smell round here 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. Tomahawk of some sort.

Choice of the tomahawk...

or the bayonet!

It absolutely pen and inks under there.

Back in the North West, in Liverpool,

and I'm with housing support workers Sharon Cotterall and Jo Lamb.

They're from Shelter Merseyside,

the charity that confronts homelessness

in all its shapes and forms.

They're often referred cases that are so desperate

that councils and other housing organisations struggle to help.

And they don't come much more desperate than this property.

Is that where you think the rats are coming?

This is the biggest one.

A quick and depressing tour of the premises

revealed a whole host of issues.

Even worse, after losing his mother,

the responsibility of keeping a roof over the heads of the family

has fallen onto the shoulders of the 17-year-old son.

A young child also shares these awful conditions,

and that's led to conflict with the landlord.

He hired private bailiffs to get us out.

Why would he choose to evict you?

Because I'd been refusing to pay him.

It's not an uncommon reaction.

If you feel your landlord isn't helping you out,

why pay for the privilege?

But in this case,

the landlord could also claim that he's refusing to carry out

the much-needed repairs because he's not getting rent.

Whether you accept that is one thing, but refusing to pay rent

leaves a tenant in a very precarious position.

The issue you've got with that at the moment, which is a concern,

is that if you're more than...

either eight weeks or more than eight weeks in arrears,

then a landlord can take you to court to evict you

on grounds that you're not paying your rent, and that's a worry.

We would always say, even if the repairs are outstanding,

to continue to pay.

What you don't want is to be evicted quite quickly

on grounds of rent arrears,

even though we can see clearly this isn't a clean-cut situation.

I completely understand your reluctance to pay him

when you are in this situation,

but sometimes, it's the best thing for you.

If the rent's not paid for more than two months,

the landlord has legal grounds to evict at short notice

before the end of the tenancy agreement.

Jo and Sharon are here to try and stop that from happening,

but looking through the recent paperwork from the landlord,

things might be further along than they feared.

OK, he has served a section eight.

And it said the tenant has unpaid rent arrears,

and they're saying, of £1,275.

He has withheld payments

because the landlord refuses to carry out repairs.

So he's put in writing that he's refusing to carry out repairs.

What we need to do, as a matter of urgency, is get this to our legal.

'The family is now at real risk of eviction.

'Despite the eldest son's best efforts,

'withholding rent has given the landlord more power

'and this now means the whole family could end up on the streets.

'Time for Sharon to get them all together and come up with a plan.'

So, Sharon, will you be asking him to just deal with Shelter, with you,

from now on?

What I'd like to do is give him a call and tell him that

I'm going to be supporting you with your housing situation,

that we're looking to resolve the situation

and that if he wants to contact you regarding rent,

repairs or anything, that he should direct all of that to myself

-and not contact you direct. Is that OK?

-That's completely fine.

'This is a truly desperate case.

'Hopefully Sharon and Jo can ease the burden

'this teenager is shouldering.

'But you can only feel sympathy for his predicament.'

When I was 17, I was just thinking about exams and girls, guitars...

That was it.

It feels like, at the moment, you have to look after your dad,

you've got this crazy hours job, you know.

-The house to pay.

-You've got the house to pay.

-Repairs.

I'm feeling like a 40-year-old man.

In a way, it's feeling too much,

but it's also feeling like it's a normal thing now.

-Yeah.

-Like, "Gee, I just have to get over it."

There's so much that needs to be fixed here, you know,

but there are people that can help you.

-I just want you to know that.

-Thank you.

They're going to be looking out for you

and they're going to be trying to fix this as much as can be fixed.

I appreciate you guys coming out.

At the end of the day,

I'm really embarrassed about this is where I live.

Don't be embarrassed, OK?

Because you're doing phenomenally well with what you've got.

You know, you're looking after your dad. It's a big ask, so, respect.

-Thank you very much.

-All right, then.

If you put yourself in the shoes of our tenant there,

he's lost his mum,

has ended up in a property with a landlord who says he's going to fix things, but doesn't.

He's working a 74-hour week, at 17, for under minimum wage,

to try and keep things together,

and it really feels like he's just got far too much on his plate.

And hopefully, Shelter, the guys,

are going to be able to provide some of what he needs,

and some of that responsibility can be taken off his shoulders,

because he's too young for it.

Unfortunately, we've been unable to reach the landlord

to ask him about the condition of that property,

but the good news is that thanks to the intervention of Shelter,

the family has now managed to move to a brand-new home -

one that's a lot more comfortable and safer.

And after enduring such a tough time,

it's also great to report the family is both happy and relaxed.

We wish them well.

Yes, as you may have worked out, we're in the North East of England.

That's the Angel of the North.

So what does that mean in terms of housing?

Well, the little bit I've found out is that compared to other parts of

the country, here, there is slightly more social housing on offer

than you may find elsewhere that we visited.

Does that mean that there are now no housing problems

in the North East of England?

I think we should find out.

And helping me with that question is housing officer Liam Hill.

Where are we headed today, what are you thinking?

We are heading to the east end of Hexham,

and the former tenant

was evicted for rent arrears.

So I'm not expecting it to be in the best of condition.

So, rent arrears, with that, then, comes what?

A degree of disengagement, is that the right term?

Maybe they've stopped playing ball,

or caring about the state of the flat?

Yeah. Yeah, that's typically the case.

So we'd expect possibly some repairs to do.

So what would the timescale be, usually, then?

What would you be looking to do with a place to get it out

as quickly as possible?

It varies, depending on what work's involved.

So the longest would be 28 days.

'After hearing Liam's description,

'I'm not expecting the place to look like a palace.'

'But even given our low expectations, I'm pretty shocked.'

Right.

This is pretty bad.

There's a bit of classic graffiti there.

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

Yeah, in an eviction, you would expect, you know,

-furniture and some possessions to be left, but...

-Yeah.

Clearly, they've went well out of their way

-to cause damage to the property.

-Yeah.

And vandalise it.

It's interesting, because it looks like they've done their own artwork

on the walls at some point as well.

And it's not bad!

Before the graffiti,

it seems like there was quite a bit of artistry going on in this place.

So the kitchen, again, just full of trash.

That's the strange thing about this place, is there's actually

quite a lot of work has gone into making it look really nice.

But, obviously, circumstances have changed at some point.

And...the rent's not been paid.

And it's been... it's been abandoned.

Shall we have a look upstairs?

That explains a lot,

because there's quite a strong smell of cats in here.

I'm guessing this isn't an attempt at a modern art installation.

So, it's sort of... It's bizarre, isn't it?

You come in somewhere like this,

and you can see someone who's effectively just left their life,

you know, and everything that went with it, a lot of, you know...

would have been valuable stuff that they just seem to have dropped.

Yeah, yeah. Of course.

You wonder where they went to, as well, when they've left all,

-you know, the furniture and possessions behind.

-Yeah.

So looking around the place, what do you make of it?

I mean, I suppose your main concern is, structurally, how it is?

Yeah. Structurally, it's fine.

What we need to do, though, is still carry out a survey on it.

But with the amount of stuff that's in here, you can't do it.

So we'll take some photographs,

arrange to get it cleared by the end of the week.

We'll come back when it's in a bit of a better condition,

we'll carry out the survey.

OK, so the things in here that might be of value,

-how do you deal with that?

-Everything just goes to the tip.

-Does it?

-Yeah.

-So it just has to be trashed and start again.

-Yeah.

And then, some weird things in here.

-What is that for?

-I just noticed that, yeah.

It looks like somebody's had a drip,

and there's even a thing to support it

as if that's like a long-term thing.

You do sort of start to put together the story of what...

-the life that people might have had here.

-Yeah.

And try and make sense of it, don't you?

'Despite the mess, this house is in pretty good shape

'and should be providing a family in the North East

'with a safe and secure home.'

But I suspect Liam's going to have his work cut out getting it turned

around, especially after we take a look in the garden.

This is the bit that upsets me a little bit,

because he's clearly a biker and so we've got bike jumble parts here.

Bits of exhaust, tyres.

Bits of tools, even. You know, he's left his tool box.

That can't be right. You don't think there's a motorcycle in there

-somewhere, do you?

-I think there could be.

I get the feeling that that lawn mower is not going to cut it any more - quite literally!

It's not going to work its way through this. So what's the arrangement?

Along with the clearance, we'll arrange for this to be cut back

and we'll maintain it until the new tenant moves in.

Does the tenant then have the responsibility to look after

this stuff? Because, obviously, you're not on them the whole time,

you're not checking, doing regular inspections necessary, are you, with the tenant?

No, they do have a responsibility to maintain their gardens

and take care of the property.

And then with this tenant whose rent arrears have built up,

would you chase them for that, or is that...

is that the end of the story, really?

Yeah, well, it depends where they've moved to,

but that recharge would stay on the system.

So if they wanted to be rehoused with you guys,

they'd have the sort this out first before they'd ever get a chance to do that?

Basically, they'd have to pay off those recharges.

It's kind of slamming the door behind you a bit, isn't it,

in terms of housing options,

if you leave a place like this, you actually...

-You guys have a lot of properties.

-Yeah.

-How many have you got across the area?

-About 14,000.

Like you say, you're severely restricting your options, aren't you?

-Should have used the mower a bit more.

-Should have, yeah.

'If Liam can track down the tenant,

'there's a chance of getting them to pay up for the damage they caused.

'But it's a slim chance, and it's more likely the cost will be borne

'by the housing association.'

What's the process, then, what happens next?

Get this cleared as soon as possible, get it surveyed,

arrange for any remedial work to be carried out to bring it back up

to the lettable standard so it's in good condition for the new tenant.

And despite there being more social housing available in the North East

than the national average,

cases like this prove that the struggle to provide safe,

secure and affordable homes still remains.

Meanwhile, back in Suffolk,

housing officer Andrew Weavers was doing his best

to keep the peace with a set of former friends and neighbours.

Your problem at the minute now is with Ben upstairs.

Now, something must have happened, because everyone was friends.

So what's happened?

He's had too much to drink, because he's locked himself away,

he's come down, "Rah, rah, rah," in Laura's face.

After hearing allegations against Ben, the tenant upstairs,

Andrew's gone to investigate.

It's Andrew, Ben.

Hello, Ben. What's going on?

I've had a chat with them downstairs

and I can tell there's been an issue, right?

And I think they've asked you to...

I think at one point they've asked you to leave the flat.

And there's been, allegedly, that you've sort of sent some...

You've rung the police about them.

-Well, yeah.

-Yeah. What happened, where did it all go wrong?

Well, we just finished, really.

-And then...

-So you were in a relationship? Or sort of.

-For about a month and a half.

-Yeah.

But what happened was, was we finished and then there was a little bit,

the following day, she got with one of the other neighbours.

Cut a long story short with all that,

-there was a complaint to social services.

-Right.

-And they believe it's come from me, but it hasn't.

-No.

-So that's what's really escalated.

-OK.

What I don't want to do is, I don't want it to all kick off.

Ben says he's worried that things could turn nasty

and end up in a physical altercation.

-If anything does kick off, let me know.

-Yeah, I will do.

Because that will put everyone else's tenancy at risk.

If they do anything to you, not only they'll be arrested,

that'll be a criminal offence and their tenancy will be at risk,

because that could be that I serve a notice on them.

If their row becomes physical, it could result in eviction.

So Andrew needs to lay down the law.

Darren, there must not be any violence at all here.

-That's the whole reason why nothing's happened yet.

-Good.

I don't want her losing her place,

because I can't keep a lid on my emotions.

At the minute, do you think...

-You know what I think you should do?

-Go on.

-Get rid of him.

No, don't, you see... Now you see, what, what...

Because he wants to move, but the only reason these two,

Laura wants to move and Carla wants to move is because...

Darren. Darren, see, now, this doesn't help.

This doesn't help, Darren, when you shout up,

because he obviously can hear that, can't he?

He can. That does not help.

-It's all right when he's shouting in his flat, though.

-Yeah, but he's...

Until three, four o'clock in the morning.

But I've actually said to him that what you want to do is just keep out of the way.

Don't do anything to cause a complaint.

-He said that last time.

-Yeah?

-And look what's happened.

But do you know what I'm saying is you mustn't react to him.

None of you must.

But when you say things, like, that loud,

that stirs people up and that's what... Do you know what I mean?

That causes a problem.

So what we've got to do is we've got to keep calm, right?

Things like that stir people up.

All right?

-All right, mate.

-Yeah?

Andrew has made his position crystal clear.

All he can do now is wait and see what happens.

I'm sort of nervous about leaving this situation as it is,

but I've got to, because it can only go so far

and I can only do something when something happens.

So I'm sort of nervously going to edge out and move on,

because what we don't want to do is people losing tenancies.

Because at the minute, I'd say all those three tenancies are at risk.

Well, the good news is since Andrew's visit, things

have calmed down with the former friends and no-one's been evicted,

which just goes to show that when you're a housing officer,

a bit of sensitivity and tact can work wonders.

I'm back with housing officer Grace Briody in North London.

We're on the way to catch up with Mr and Mrs Brown.

When we last saw them, they were stuck high on the third floor,

which was causing huge problems as they were both suffering from ill health.

But today, thanks to Grace and daughter-in-law Carol,

they're now safe and secure in their new ground level flat.

-This is different.

-It is, isn't it?

-This is very different from last time.

-It's full of life.

-My goodness. Hello, Mr Brown, good to see you again.

-Nice to see you.

-Please, sit down.

-Thank you very much.

So, tell us how it's been, Mr Brown.

How are things working out for you here?

How are things different for you here? Because before...

Much different, because at least we don't have to climb those dreadful stairs.

You know, because he couldn't go up the stairs now.

Mrs Brown, your health was not very good either, was it, with your...

You struggle with your walking, with your knees.

Yes, my joints aren't that good, but at the same time I forget all about

that because I've now got to do things.

-That's good going.

-Yeah, it's good going.

Are you going to celebrate?

-Even bake a cake!

-Yeah!

So, for you, being on the ground floor makes a big difference.

Does it mean that you can shop and you can do those things?

Oh, yes, because the shop is just around the corner here.

It doesn't take five minutes to walk up.

In terms of your health,

what difference do you think this will make to you?

I've got...

diabetes, I've got arthritis.

I've got my eye problems.

-And you've got me!

-And I've got him!

THEY LAUGH

I thought she wasn't going to mention me!

So it makes a lot of difference, you know?

Really and truly is.

Feel more settled in mind, in yourself.

Does this feel like home for you yet?

Yes, it does, really and truly.

-Do you think you'll be happy?

-I will be, definitely.

Especially for him's sake.

Have you used the shed yet?

He's not in the shed yet!

How about Carol's contribution here?

I think she's marvellous, quite frankly.

She and Grace...

Same mentality.

Same kind of mentality.

They like to see things get done.

So that's why we're here now.

It makes all the difference in the world.

'It's fantastic to see Mr and Mrs Brown looking relaxed and happy

'in their new home.'

-Really lovely to meet you.

-You're lovely people.

Thank you so much. Thanks for having us.

'And it's clear the move will make a real difference

'to their quality of life.'

-That's a great result there.

-Yeah, fantastic.

-They look really happy.

It's clear Carol's contribution there was key, isn't it?

Getting that place ready for them, that was phenomenal.

But they I think also regard you as an extra family member now, Grace.

Oh, bless her!

Do you know what, I think in this job you don't realise

how important of a role you play sometimes.

I think it's very easy for us to forget that.

I'm just doing my job as far as I'm concerned,

but actually, I have made an impact on their lives

and in amongst some of the sort of negative stuff that we have to do working in housing,

it's really nice to have something else to come out

and reflect on in a positive way.

Mr and Mrs Brown think the world of Grace, and you can see why.

Yet again, it demonstrates the lengths that housing officers

up and down the country will go to to help tenants in need.

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,

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