0:00:03 > 0:00:04I'm Michelle Ackerley.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08My parents both grew up on council estates and, as a family,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12we understand the difference social housing can make to people's lives.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17But across the UK, there's a chronic shortage
0:00:17 > 0:00:20of council and housing association homes.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I know so many friends and so many people that just literally
0:00:24 > 0:00:26don't have anywhere to live.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Adding to the crisis, some tenants are abusing the system,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33holding on to properties they no longer need or, even worse,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38unlawfully subletting them and coining in a small fortune.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Subletting social housing is wrong.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43It's wrong. It's illegal and it's wrong.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46So, every day, we'll be with the housing investigators
0:00:46 > 0:00:49as they crack down on those rogue tenants...
0:00:49 > 0:00:50County court bailiffs.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53..reclaim properties...
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- Anybody in?- ..and give them to families in genuine need.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00All of those keys are yours.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Oh! Don't, cos you'll start me off again.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06This is Council House Crackdown.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Our reporter, property expert Luke Doonan,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12also grew up on a council estate.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14And, for the last six months,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17he's been working alongside dedicated housing investigators
0:01:17 > 0:01:19who will stop at nothing
0:01:19 > 0:01:22to track down every single tenant who's abusing the system.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26Today...
0:01:26 > 0:01:30The long-standing tenant who turned out to be cheating the system,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34pocketing thousands whilst living on the other side of the world.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38I wouldn't cancel my cards or end all my accounts
0:01:38 > 0:01:40if I was intending to come back in about five months.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The flat in east London for rent on a holiday lets website,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48at four times its actual cost.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50It was advertised for either £80 a night,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53£500 a week or £1,600 a month.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Now, the social rent is only £400 a month.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00And how a reclaimed property finally means some space for one family
0:02:00 > 0:02:02who've been crammed into a one-bedroom flat.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07- Hello.- Hello. - I'm so happy to have my own bedroom.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Yes.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Rising property prices
0:02:16 > 0:02:20mean fewer people are buying and more are renting.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22The rise in demand for property to let
0:02:22 > 0:02:24is pushing up private rental costs.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30With private rentals now so expensive,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33the demand for social housing is huge,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36nowhere more so than here in London.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Here in the capital,
0:02:39 > 0:02:44the average private rental costs £1,350 per month.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Pressure on social housing has never been higher,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49and with waiting lists of up to 11 years,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52it's crucial that social housing stock
0:02:52 > 0:02:54is allocated to people who really need it.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Our first story concerns a woman
0:02:58 > 0:03:01who was not only subletting her housing association property
0:03:01 > 0:03:04but was making a small fortune from it
0:03:04 > 0:03:07while she had relocated to South America.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11This two-bed flat in Hackney, east London,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14should have been home to a social housing tenant
0:03:14 > 0:03:16for the last 20 years.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17But instead of Hackney,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20the tenant had actually gone back to live in her home country,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Colombia in South America.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27It was only when neighbours spotted another family coming and going
0:03:27 > 0:03:29that suspicions were raised.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32An anonymous tip-off
0:03:32 > 0:03:36that the official tenant's flat was being unlawfully sublet
0:03:36 > 0:03:38was followed up by a visit to the property,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41where housing officers expecting to find the tenant
0:03:41 > 0:03:45were greeted, instead, by a family from Spain.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Luke's meeting housing officer Emmanuel Akinde,
0:03:48 > 0:03:49who handled the case.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50Was there any evidence
0:03:50 > 0:03:53of your original tenant being there, then, at this point?
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I asked one of the neighbourhood managers to visit
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- and just do a quick knock.- Uh-huh.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00There was no-one present at that point in time,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02so they left their card asking for a call back.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07- Right.- What we then got was Miss - BLEEP- who rang in from Colombia.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Wow. How did you know she was calling from Colombia?
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Well, our customer care line operatives now log every single call
0:04:14 > 0:04:17that comes in to Family Mosaic and, on this occasion,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19the country code really showed that the call
0:04:19 > 0:04:21was coming in from Colombia,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and that's really when things started to pick up for us.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26OK. So it sounds like she's either on a very long holiday...
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- Exactly.- Lucky her. ..or she's actually not living in the UK.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Exactly.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Of course, it was possible the official tenant was just on holiday
0:04:35 > 0:04:37in Colombia and planned to come back.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39But when Emmanuel did more checks,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41he found that the official tenant and her husband
0:04:41 > 0:04:44had started to settle their outstanding loans
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and close down their UK bank accounts,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49which only added to Emmanuel's concern.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53We looked into his credit account and we looked into hers as well.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56It showed that approximately around 2010, 2011,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59they started to settle all their accounts.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- OK.- The utilities, so the gas and electricity.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- Let's have a look. - The last gas was ended around 2011.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07- Oh, wow.- Exactly.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10That's really detailed information, isn't it?
0:05:10 > 0:05:11Exactly. Really shows everything.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15You can see the credit card that they had, also settled.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18You can see accounts that they maintained previously.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Everything else was emptied. - Zero balance.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Yeah, I wouldn't cancel my cards or end all my accounts
0:05:23 > 0:05:25if I was intending to come back in about five months.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28With suspicions raised
0:05:28 > 0:05:31that the official tenant was no longer in the country,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34investigations focused on exactly who was living
0:05:34 > 0:05:35in her allocated flat.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39A door knock had found a Spanish family currently in residence,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41who claimed to have been living there
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and paying rent to the official tenant for two years.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47So investigators began credit checks
0:05:47 > 0:05:50which proved that the subtenants were telling the truth.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52You can see here,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56it lists when individuals move from one property to another.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- So you've got Mr- BLEEP. - Yeah. Previous address.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Exactly. Previous address in 2012.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- Uh-huh. - And when he moved from there in...
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- Or when he notified his bank that he was leaving...- Oh, wow.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13And when he started, he told them he was moving to our property.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15So that's also recorded.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Any conversation that you have with your financial institution,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- so banks, utility companies... - Yeah.- All recorded.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25And that showed that he moved...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27what day he moved from his property in Brixton,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and that's when he moved into ours in Wayland Avenue.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31This is absolutely watertight.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- It really shows when Mr- BLEEP - moved into the property.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36I guess no-one could argue with that.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- It's paper clear, isn't it?- No.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41The documents clearly showed that the subtenant
0:06:41 > 0:06:44had started living in the flat in 1995.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47And as Emmanuel dug deeper, he discovered that the subtenant
0:06:47 > 0:06:50had been using the official tenant's rent card
0:06:50 > 0:06:53to pay rent to the housing association.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Housing association Family Mosaic
0:06:57 > 0:07:00use personalised plastic swipe cards,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02which can be used to pay rent
0:07:02 > 0:07:05at any post office or council payment office.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07While the rent card does contain the name
0:07:07 > 0:07:10of the property's official tenant and the address,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12it doesn't have a photo ID.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16The use of the rent card suggested
0:07:16 > 0:07:19that the subtenants could have been colluding with the official tenant.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22With Emmanuel asking more and more searching questions,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24the subtenants decided to assist him.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27They handed over bank statements
0:07:27 > 0:07:29which showed several payments of rent
0:07:29 > 0:07:32directly to the official tenant in Colombia,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and other amounts directly to the housing association
0:07:36 > 0:07:37using the official rent card.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43So, this is the subtenant paying your tenant rent.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Exactly, making regular payments through his bank account...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49- OK. - ..into the Colombian bank account.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Oh, I see. So, not only are they paying...
0:07:53 > 0:07:54They're paying the rent...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Yeah. They were using the rent card to make some payments on behalf
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- of the- BLEEP- while they were out of the country.- Right.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Then the rest of the payment they were making directly to the- BLEEP.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08So the subtenants were paying the housing association's rent
0:08:08 > 0:08:12via the rent card and topping up payments directly into
0:08:12 > 0:08:15the bank accounts of the official tenant in South America.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19It was all Emmanuel needed to confront this tenancy cheat.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Later, we find out how the tenancy cheat and her partner reacted
0:08:25 > 0:08:29once they'd been confronted by the housing association.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33They tried to have the utilities in the property turned off.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36That's outrageous. So, he's got someone living in the property
0:08:36 > 0:08:38and he's trying to turn off the utilities
0:08:38 > 0:08:40so they have no gas, electricity...
0:08:40 > 0:08:41And there's a happy ending
0:08:41 > 0:08:44for one man waiting on Hackney's housing list.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It's big, it's spacious, nice area.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Yeah. Lived in Hackney my whole life. I'm pretty happy.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01Local authorities all over the UK are losing money to tenancy cheats.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's estimated that housing tenancy fraud,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05including illegally subletting
0:09:05 > 0:09:07and not using a property as a main address,
0:09:07 > 0:09:13costs the public purse £1.8 billion every single year.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16That's five times the annual loss from housing benefit fraud.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22The system nationwide is hugely stretched.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Yeah, people aren't being provided the service that they need.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28The governments for the last 30 years
0:09:28 > 0:09:31haven't spent any money on building social housing.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34They seem to think it's a bad thing, and it's a good thing.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Both Labour and Conservative governments.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40It's basically a landlord's market right now,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and making sure that there's enough housing available
0:09:44 > 0:09:47at affordable prices is what's going to be crucial.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52A shortage of affordable housing in London
0:09:52 > 0:09:55means that many public sector employers
0:09:55 > 0:09:58are struggling to recruit key workers on moderate incomes,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00such as nurses and teachers.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Several councils and housing associations
0:10:04 > 0:10:08operate key worker schemes, which offer new-build homes to rent
0:10:08 > 0:10:11at 80% or less of the typical market value.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16But these schemes are in high demand and often have long waiting lists,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18making affording somewhere to live in the city
0:10:18 > 0:10:21a desperate struggle for many of those
0:10:21 > 0:10:25working in schools, hospitals and other vital services.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33In this next case, we hear how one unscrupulous council tenant
0:10:33 > 0:10:36sublet her flat to an unknowing NHS employee,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39who then found herself unwittingly caught up
0:10:39 > 0:10:41in a tenancy fraud investigation.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48In 2001, Elizabeth Agboola moved into this one-bedroom flat
0:10:48 > 0:10:51in the historic area of Woolwich, south-east London.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54But it wasn't until 11 years later
0:10:54 > 0:10:57that alarm bells started ringing over the tenancy,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00when the local council did some research on their tenants.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Nigel Brown, anti-fraud manager at the Royal Borough of Greenwich,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07has been investigating the case.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15In April 2012, the council undertook a proactive exercise
0:11:15 > 0:11:21whereby we searched our tenants' names against credit profiles.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Basically, what this means
0:11:22 > 0:11:25is that we see and identify whether our tenants
0:11:25 > 0:11:29are still currently actively resident at their council tenancies.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Miss Agboola's name came up because it appeared that she had no credit
0:11:32 > 0:11:38held at the council tenancy but that she had, since at least 2006,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41a lot of financial links to an address in Dagenham,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43including a mortgage.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46It turned out Elizabeth Agboola, along with her husband,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49had owned the house in Dagenham since 2006
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and had a joint mortgage against the property.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Both were registered to pay council tax there,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and all Miss Agboola's financial accounts
0:11:59 > 0:12:01were also linked to the address.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06It didn't look like the official tenant was living at her allocated
0:12:06 > 0:12:08social housing flat in Woolwich which, if true,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12would be a breach of her tenancy agreement at the very least.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16And if Miss Agboola was living in Dagenham, who, if anyone,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20was living in her council flat back in Woolwich?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It was time to make an unannounced visit.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25We surprised the lady, but when she opened the door,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27she told us she was the tenant there
0:12:27 > 0:12:29but that Miss Agboola was her landlord -
0:12:29 > 0:12:33openly said that she'd been living there for the last eight months.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36When asked how she came about the property, to get it for rent,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38she indicated that she'd gone to a local newsagent,
0:12:38 > 0:12:43seen a card in the window, and had seen it advertised for £550 a month.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47The woman who answered the door was an NHS employee
0:12:47 > 0:12:51and had been completely unaware that the flat was a council property.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55So, being an NHS worker, as this tenant is,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58she thought that would be ideal for London, be ideal to commute,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and she took up the tenancy and met Miss Agboola at the property,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05paid her a deposit and then took on the tenancy from there from her,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09not knowing at all that the property was actually belonging to us
0:13:09 > 0:13:10and not to Miss Agboola.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Housing officers quickly realised
0:13:13 > 0:13:17the subtenant was an unwitting participant in a tenancy fraud.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19The lady was very shocked.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21I think she was more concerned about the fact
0:13:21 > 0:13:24she's now got to go on the hunt for another property.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26But she realised that now must happen.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29She knew that, now that it was a council property,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31she would have to give that back and move away.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It was a very clear case of subletting,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36you know, for quite a long period of time.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Further checks on Miss Agboola's tenancy
0:13:38 > 0:13:42revealed that she'd run up rent arrears of more than £4,000.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Not only was she charging the nurse over the odds to rent the house -
0:13:48 > 0:13:51£550 instead of the £358 council rent -
0:13:51 > 0:13:55but she wasn't even keeping up rental payments to the council.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Another department of Greenwich Council
0:13:59 > 0:14:02were already pursuing Miss Agboola for the rent arrears.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04We found that Miss Agboola hadn't actually paid her own rent
0:14:04 > 0:14:07to the Royal Borough of Greenwich for her council flat,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09and she was now in some serious arrears.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So the council, aside of what we were doing
0:14:12 > 0:14:14in relation to the subletting issue,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19was already running the court, the county court, for rent arrears.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25The Royal Borough of Greenwich was granted a possession order,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27ended the tenancy and reclaimed the flat.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Unfortunately, that meant the NHS worker had to move out.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34It wasn't too long after
0:14:34 > 0:14:37that the subletter found herself to be evicted anyway,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40because the rent hadn't been paid by Miss Agboola.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Luckily, she's now found accommodation.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Even though they now had the flat back
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and were preparing to allocate it to someone off the waiting list,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52housing officers were determined
0:14:52 > 0:14:55not to let Miss Agboola get away with tenancy fraud.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58We visited the address in Dagenham,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01to see if we could speak with Miss Agboola,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04to discuss her tenancy in the Greenwich area.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07However, several visits were undertaken - there was no response.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10The only way forward now was to interview Miss Agboola in the office
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and put these matters to her,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and the evidence we had that she'd been subletting.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17We sent a letter to interview Miss Agboola
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and we asked her to come to the office.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Despite several requests to come in for an interview,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24she failed to attend, so based on the evidence alone,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28we got a summons and the matter went to court.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33She was summoned to appear before Bexley magistrates,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36where she pleaded guilty to charges under the Fraud Act
0:15:36 > 0:15:39of no longer living in the property as her principal home
0:15:39 > 0:15:40and subletting it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The magistrate basically said the matter was so serious
0:15:43 > 0:15:45that he would pass it over to the crown court for sentencing,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47and that's where it went.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Miss Agboola was sentenced to a 12-month suspended prison sentence
0:15:51 > 0:15:55and ordered to carry out 100 hours' work in the community.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00She was also ordered to pay a total of £44,000
0:16:00 > 0:16:03in costs and compensation.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Miss Agboola was also ordered by the judge to repay the full losses
0:16:06 > 0:16:09of just over 44,000 to the Royal Borough of Greenwich
0:16:09 > 0:16:11within the next 12 months.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15The 12 months has now lapsed, but we are making every effort we can
0:16:15 > 0:16:18to retrieve this money from Miss Agboola in a civil court.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21However, given that she has got a substantial equity
0:16:21 > 0:16:24in her Dagenham property, which she purchased some years ago,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26we are now seeking to recover that money
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and put a charge on her property in Dagenham.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33So, ultimately, that means either she pays us the money voluntarily
0:16:33 > 0:16:34or when the property is sold,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37we would then seek the recovery of our money from her equity.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42While the council's fight for financial compensation
0:16:42 > 0:16:44looks set to continue,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47the good news is that this one-bedroom flat has been recovered
0:16:47 > 0:16:51and has now been allocated to someone off the housing list.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Well, the best punishment, for me personally,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I think it would be take them... take the house away from them
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and give it to the actual people that actually need it.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06And, as well, fine them...
0:17:06 > 0:17:08I'm not saying an obscene amount of money,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11but a good amount so that they will know,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14and the next person will know, not to do it.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Well, I think the penalty should fit the crime and should fit
0:17:17 > 0:17:21what they're capable of paying back in terms of society.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24So, you know, I'd hate to see something
0:17:24 > 0:17:27that was over and above, out of sync,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30or out of step with what they were trying to achieve,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33cos I don't think there's one size fits all.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34I think you'll have people doing it
0:17:34 > 0:17:36for a whole load of different reasons
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and, therefore, your...
0:17:39 > 0:17:40You know, your reaction to that
0:17:40 > 0:17:44should be appropriate to what caused them to do it in the first place.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47For people who have profited from, you know, subletting...
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I'm an accountant - I understand money.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51The only thing that hurts people is money.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Technically, the only way you can get people is if it costs them.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56No other way.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Gone are the days when a council house was for life.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08Nowadays, local authorities are scrutinising each and every property
0:18:08 > 0:18:11to make sure they're in the hands of those in need.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19Next, a couple who tried to pass their housing association home
0:18:19 > 0:18:22on to their son, while pretending to still live in the property.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27The tenants moved into this two-bedroomed maisonette
0:18:27 > 0:18:30in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in 2013.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32All was fine until two years later,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35when the tenants contacted the housing association
0:18:35 > 0:18:38to ask if they could move their 31-year-old son into the property
0:18:38 > 0:18:40while they moved away.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Lee Mariconda is a housing officer at Paradigm Housing Association,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and the issue was brought to his attention.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53So the initial call came in on 1st October
0:18:53 > 0:18:56from one of the joint tenants, stating that they...
0:18:56 > 0:18:59can we call them back regarding their tenancy?
0:18:59 > 0:19:01They were thinking of moving out of the property,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03but worried about what her 31-year-old son would do.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06And she asked whether or not they could take over the tenancy.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09We were very clear with her that that she couldn't leave the property
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and leave the son there.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Two weeks later, and it seemed Lee's official tenants had ignored him.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19A neighbour made a complaint about noise coming from the property.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23The neighbour also claimed the official tenants had moved out
0:19:23 > 0:19:28but that their son was still living there, and he'd moved a friend in.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Lee decided to check up on the property.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35He visited twice but, each time, he found no-one at home.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39On the first two visits, unannounced, there was no answer.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Lee received another complaint from a neighbour,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44this time saying that a third man
0:19:44 > 0:19:46appeared to have moved into the property,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48the noise levels had increased,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and motorbikes had appeared in the garden.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54The neighbours had contacted us simply because there was reports
0:19:54 > 0:19:57of antisocial behaviour, and also the fact that they were aware
0:19:57 > 0:20:01that the tenants had moved out and wanted to inform us of that.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04After two failed attempts to find someone at home,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Lee went to the house again.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08On the third visit, this was sort of our breakthrough
0:20:08 > 0:20:10because, obviously, the allegations we had
0:20:10 > 0:20:12that the son was living there
0:20:12 > 0:20:15was actually the person who answered the door on that occasion.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18We got pictures of him off of a social networking site,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21so I had a picture of what he looked like.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23So, obviously, when we went to the property
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and found that it was actually him, I knew it was him anyway.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28He didn't let me into the property at the time.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31And he said at the time the only reason he answered the door,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34was cos he thought I was actually from a broadband company.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39And when I asked if I could see... speak to one of the tenants,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41he said that the mum was at work.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Lee needed to know more, so he drafted in
0:20:46 > 0:20:49the local authority's fraud manager, Garym Lambert,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53to track down the whereabouts of the official tenants.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55With social housing contacts throughout the borough,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Garym put the word out to his network
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and discovered that they were living with their daughter at her house
0:21:01 > 0:21:03in a nearby village.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07It's a condition of their tenancy that they live in the property.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10And it was clear that they had parted with possession.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14But to ensure that we get, you know, a result on this,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17we need to establish where else they may be living.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Garym paid several visits to the daughter's property,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24where he hoped to find Lee's official tenants.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27On his second early morning call, he found the woman at home.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32She not only answered the door but held her hands up,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34admitting she'd allowed her son
0:21:34 > 0:21:36to live at their housing association home
0:21:36 > 0:21:39while she and her husband had gone to live with their daughter.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41She signed a notice to quit.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45The termination date is now up and we're going to be getting that property back,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and we're now going to be able to give it to a family that are waiting.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51But though the official tenants
0:21:51 > 0:21:54have cooperated with the housing association,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56it still remains to be seen whether their son
0:21:56 > 0:21:58will be quite so willing to give up his bachelor pad.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Now Lee and Garym have an appointment at the house
0:22:02 > 0:22:06to try and collect the keys and, hopefully, get the property back.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10You never know what type of situation you're going to get into,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13so you've got to remember that you're collecting a key
0:22:13 > 0:22:17from somebody who, although has given us back the keys voluntarily,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21they have actually been found out that they've been subletting
0:22:21 > 0:22:25so, obviously, they could be quite hostile, they could be quite upset.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29So you've got to be prepared when you get there
0:22:29 > 0:22:31about how they're going to react.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33It could just go as smoothly as possible -
0:22:33 > 0:22:35hand the keys over and that's it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37But other times, they could have a bit of a...
0:22:37 > 0:22:40They could sort of show their frustration at us.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42So we have to be prepared for that.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- OK? Shall we go and get some keys? - Yep. Go for it.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Lee and Garym have asked the crew to stay back,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05as they're not sure what they'll find at the house.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Later, we find out the situation that awaited them.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13We were met with quite a hostile situation, wasn't it?
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- Yes. Yeah.- Not so much from the mum. It was more from the son.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23If it's your own property then you can do what you like.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29But if it's by a housing association or a council, you know, it's...
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Especially if you're getting it on the council, you know,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34you should be living in there yourself,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36and you should only be there if you really need it.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38I do think social housing's important.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40People do need somewhere to live,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and if they can't afford to buy, where do they go?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I mean, if you believe in any sort of welfare state,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49social housing must surely be part of it.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57It's not only social housing tenants who can get prosecuted
0:23:57 > 0:24:00for illegally subletting their properties.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02If they're found to be colluding with the subtenant,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05that subtenant could be prosecuted for fraud.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07One woman in Stevenage
0:24:07 > 0:24:10was found guilty of fraud by misrepresentation
0:24:10 > 0:24:14after subletting a one-bedroom council flat from her cousin.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Earlier, Luke was in Hackney, in east London,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31on the trail of a tenant
0:24:31 > 0:24:33who illegally sublet her flat for two years
0:24:33 > 0:24:36whilst living halfway around the world, in Colombia.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41The evidence proved she was out of the country.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43On this occasion, the country code
0:24:43 > 0:24:45showed that the call was coming in from Colombia,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48and that's really when things started to pick up for us.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50And further evidence showed
0:24:50 > 0:24:53a Spanish family was living at her allocated flat.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55This is absolutely watertight.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59I guess no-one could argue with that. It's paper clear, isn't it?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Housing officer Emmanuel Akinde
0:25:01 > 0:25:04decided to call time on his tenancy cheat.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06A notice to quit was served on the flat,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09but once his official tenant knew she'd been rumbled,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11her partner took it out on the subtenants.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Luke's heading over to the property to find out more.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19So tell me what happened when the actual official tenant
0:25:19 > 0:25:21found out that you were investigating.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Well, they were not happy, as you'd expect.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27They tried to force the subtenant out as soon as possible.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30The relationship broke down absolutely between the two of them,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- and the- BLEEP- tried to have
0:25:33 > 0:25:36the utilities in the property turned off,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38which, obviously, did not go down too well.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41That's outrageous. So he's got someone living in the property
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and he's trying to turn off the utilities so they have no gas, electricity...
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I guess he really wanted them to move out as soon as possible
0:25:46 > 0:25:49so that we would not know exactly what's transpired.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- That's outrageous behaviour. - It is terrible.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Emmanuel's legal case against the tenant was looking rock solid.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Shortly before the court hearing,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01the official tenant finally agreed to hand back the keys
0:26:01 > 0:26:05and repay the housing association £7,000.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11That money went straight to the association's tenant welfare fund,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13set up to help families in hardship.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19But that's not the only good news, as the flat has been reallocated.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24Soon, Joe Paraskeva will be able to come off Hackney's waiting list
0:26:24 > 0:26:25and move into a new home.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29So how long have you been on the housing list, waiting for a home?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- About a year and a half.- OK.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35So you must be really happy to have your own place, your own keys,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37your own front door and your own privacy.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Yeah. It's big, it's spacious, nice area.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Yeah. Lived in Hackney my whole life.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45I'm pretty happy, yeah.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48This flat was actually being illegally sublet
0:26:48 > 0:26:49for a really long time,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and then the housing association did an investigation,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57so they worked hard and did everything to get the property back,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59which means you get a home.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00If the people hadn't been found out,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03illegally subletting, you wouldn't have got this flat.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Yeah, I'd still be on the waiting list, looking for a place to live.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Yeah, this is a really nice place. Lucky it came up.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- Yeah.- Wish you all the best with it. - Yeah, Cheers, man. Thanks.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15- Nice to meet you. - Thank you very much. Yeah. You, too.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It's been really great to meet Joe, today -
0:27:17 > 0:27:20a young man who genuinely needs social housing.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23He can now put roots down here and start a new life,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27all thanks to the determination and hard work of housing officers.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Social housing, I think, needs to be kept for people now.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40If you go abroad, you have to come back and find your accommodation again.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I don't even understand how it's possible to move abroad
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and still keep hold of a council property.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48You're not living there any more, it's not your residence.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49Someone else should be living in it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53In terms of going abroad, I think that's completely wrong
0:27:53 > 0:27:54because, again, it boils down
0:27:54 > 0:27:57to denying someone else the opportunity.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00You could have... You know, you could have an empty property.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02You could have someone living on the street.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Is that fair? No, not really.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11The lengths that some people will go to
0:28:11 > 0:28:14to obtain social housing is astonishing.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16In Cornwall, a 50-year-old man
0:28:16 > 0:28:19applied for a council house as a homeless person,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22despite owning a property in Leicestershire.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23As his story unravelled,
0:28:23 > 0:28:28it was also revealed he rented out the house he owned.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31He was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and ordered to pay back costs of £1,200 to the council.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Earlier, in Banbury, in Oxfordshire,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46housing officer Lee Mariconda and fraud manager Garym Lambert
0:28:46 > 0:28:47were about to take back the keys
0:28:47 > 0:28:50to one of their properties that had been misused.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54The tenant had tried to pass on her social housing flat to her son,
0:28:54 > 0:28:55who had moved in some friends.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01- OK? Shall we go and get some keys? - Yep. Go for it.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06As they didn't know what they would face in the house,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10the crew was asked to stand back while Lee and Garym went inside.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15It was quite tense.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18As soon as we even stepped foot on the pathway,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21we were met with quite a hostile situation, wasn't it?
0:29:21 > 0:29:26- Yes. Yeah.- Not so much from the mum. It was more from the son.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Screaming, shouting, swearing...
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Sort of aggressive. Not in your face or anything but, you know,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35I think there was one comment he said was like, "Don't worry, Mum.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37"You don't have to stand in front of me. I'm not going to hit him."
0:29:37 > 0:29:40So... I mean, as a housing officer,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42you're quite used to that type of behaviour but, obviously,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45you don't ever want to be in the situation, do you?
0:29:45 > 0:29:46- No, definitely not.- Yeah.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Lee and Garym have given the tenants an hour to vacate the property.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Unfortunately, there are instances where people are...
0:29:53 > 0:29:57you know, where we've sought possession of the property
0:29:57 > 0:30:01and they've vented their feelings out on the property.
0:30:01 > 0:30:07I've had instances where the floor's been ripped up, holes put in walls,
0:30:07 > 0:30:11light sockets and plugs have been vandalised
0:30:11 > 0:30:16and, generally, they've vented their feelings on the property
0:30:16 > 0:30:20and it's taken weeks for remedial action to be taken
0:30:20 > 0:30:24to actually make it habitable for somebody else.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29We're hoping this isn't the case, but that is the worst-case scenario.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Now they're going back into the house to take full possession.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34OK, well, they've left some stuff behind.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36So this, again, could be some of the problems
0:30:36 > 0:30:39that you're going to experience when, obviously, a property's left.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41They'll leave stuff behind which, obviously,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44we're going to have to clear, and they'll be recharged for that.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46So...
0:30:47 > 0:30:49OK, kitchen's not in a bad condition.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52It'll probably just need a few adjustments,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55and overhauls to doors and stuff.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58They'll do the regular electric checks anyway,
0:30:58 > 0:30:59just to make sure everything's safe.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- So...- Small bedroom. - Small bedroom, yeah.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08- And...- Not my choice of colours, but hey-ho.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11- Each to their own. - Other than that, it looks fine.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Yeah, it's a good standard.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Looking at the size of this bedroom,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18this could probably be used for one adult,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21one teenage child, I suppose, and...
0:31:21 > 0:31:25- Or maybe two small children.- Yeah, no, it's very pleasing. It's good.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29As Lee said, it looks like there's very limited work
0:31:29 > 0:31:32other than, you know, a bit of tidying up, more or less.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35And, as you say, decoration is down to personal taste.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37So, no matter what you could do,
0:31:37 > 0:31:39the next tenants coming in mightn't like it.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42So, as Lee said, give them the opportunity
0:31:42 > 0:31:46to put their stamp on it, have actual ownership of the flat.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48And, you know, size-wise,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51it looks quite a nice little two-bed property.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56And, you know, reasonably good condition.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03Just ten days later, a new family is already lined up to move in.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07- Hello.- Hello. - Nice to see you again.- Hello.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- Hi, how are you? - Yeah, I'm good, thanks.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13This family had been living in a cramped
0:32:13 > 0:32:15one-bedroom flat for over a year.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20The property's ready to be re-let to you. So today's...
0:32:20 > 0:32:23We've already done some of the paperwork, so we just need to do the sign-up today.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25And then you get your keys and everything.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29So you need to sign there.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Normal procedure would be for the flat to be redecorated,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34but the family have asked to move in straightaway.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40So this is going to be your room, is it?
0:32:40 > 0:32:42- I think so. - It's going to have to be!
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Can you imagine Mum and Dad sleeping in here, and then you've got that big room to yourself?
0:32:46 > 0:32:51And for 11-year-old son Adam, their new home is especially exciting
0:32:51 > 0:32:53as he'll have his own space.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58I'm so happy to have my own bedroom.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03- Yeah? Are you happy? - Yeah.- Yeah, we are very happy.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11I have family members that are waiting for social housing at the moment,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14and it's been over a year and a half with...
0:33:14 > 0:33:17She's a single mother with two children.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21My parents, when they fell pregnant with me, you know, a long time ago,
0:33:21 > 0:33:24you know, they had to find social housing really quickly,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26and then they moved to their house
0:33:26 > 0:33:29once I was old enough to be able to be moved into there.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32And I think, looking back on my experiences growing up,
0:33:32 > 0:33:33it was, you know, a real fond one.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36I think if we hadn't had that and I found myself in a situation
0:33:36 > 0:33:38where there wasn't available social housing,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40my life could have been completely different.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43I've got a son who's been on the housing list for nine years
0:33:43 > 0:33:44in Hertfordshire,
0:33:44 > 0:33:50and he's nowhere near the top of the list to get a council house.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Why that is, I do not know.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56He's got a young daughter, a two-bedroom, dampness in the flat,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58and he's still not classed as a priority.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Me and my family did actually go into council housing.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05It was a time where it helped, where we were needing to be helped.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15Housing fraud can be a money-spinner, until you get caught.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17In Hackney, east London,
0:34:17 > 0:34:21a 73-old-pensioner was found subletting to her daughter
0:34:21 > 0:34:24while she'd moved in with her new husband.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27After a tip-off from a neighbour, the daughter and her family
0:34:27 > 0:34:29were evicted from the three-bedroomed house,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33and the mother was ordered to pay back £30,000.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42The next case involves a woman who was given a social housing flat
0:34:42 > 0:34:45in the East End of London, who then took a job in Florida.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Nothing wrong with that, of course,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51but instead of giving the keys back, she gave them to a friend.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55This is a story of unlawful subletting,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57with the official tenant overseas
0:34:57 > 0:35:00and a friend masterminding a holiday lets business
0:35:00 > 0:35:03from her housing association apartment,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and making a 300% profit.
0:35:10 > 0:35:11Poplar, east London.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15The glass towers of London's regenerated Canary Wharf
0:35:15 > 0:35:17are just a mile away to the south.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20A one-bedroom private apartment in Canary Wharf
0:35:20 > 0:35:23can set you back as much as £2,000 a week.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28And even just up the road, in much less fashionable Poplar,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31the equivalent flat can fetch up to £500 a week,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35so social housing is much sought-after.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Poplar Harca housing association manage 9,000 properties here,
0:35:39 > 0:35:40including this apartment block.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43And in one of the flats here,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46neighbours had noticed an awful lot of comings and goings.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Avril Drummond, counter fraud investigator from Poplar Harca,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52picks up the story with Luke.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56We were alerted that they had a lot of different people coming and going
0:35:56 > 0:35:59from the property, and staying there for a short term,
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- so we then thought we had to investigate it.- OK.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05So Avril went to visit the property to see what was going on.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08When we knocked on the door, early morning,
0:36:08 > 0:36:12had a fairly young couple answer the door.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15They were quite surprised to see us there.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18They said they'd answered an advertisement
0:36:18 > 0:36:21on a short let holiday website.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Unbeknownst to them, it was, obviously...
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Well, it was our property. They were quite open and honest.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30We went into the property. They showed us their identification.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34They showed us the actual advertisement they'd answered,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37and they were very open, they were quite shocked.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40They were quite upset they'd been duped in this way.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44The property had been advertised on a holiday lettings website.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48As it happened, the occupants had a copy of the advert at the flat.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Luckily, I printed it out before it was actually taken off the site,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53but that is the actual advertisement.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56One-bedroom flat, kitchen, internet...
0:36:56 > 0:36:58TV, central heating...
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Yeah. I mean, it was advertised as a short let.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05So, it was advertised for either £80 a night,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08£500 a week or £1,600 a month.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10Now, the social rent is only £400 a month.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12If it was let on a weekly basis,
0:37:12 > 0:37:16- they'd be making over £1,600 a month profit.- Yeah.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18- That's shocking, isn't it? - It is shocking.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21So Avril started investigating.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23The official tenant, a single woman,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27had moved in in 1994, but was nowhere to be seen.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31In fact, the neighbours said they hadn't seen her for two years.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33When Avril looked into the paperwork,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36she discovered another address in north London
0:37:36 > 0:37:38which the tenant was associated with.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41We went to the other property in Stoke Newington.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43The lady there, she was the one who told us
0:37:43 > 0:37:46she believed her friend had moved to America.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Yes, the official tenant was, in fact,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51living and working in Florida.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Nothing wrong with that, but when she went away, she'd given the keys
0:37:54 > 0:37:57to her east London flat to a friend.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01So your original tenant decided to go and live in the States?
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- She did. I think she got remarried. - OK.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07She's moved to America, and she gave her the keys, thinking, well,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10at least it's going to a friend of mine,
0:38:10 > 0:38:12who will look after it and obviously needs the property.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15That, in itself, is a breach of her tenancy, obviously,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19because she should have notified us that she was leaving the property.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And it was the friend who'd been renting out the flat in east London.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25But did the official tenant, in Florida, know?
0:38:25 > 0:38:28Our tenant, she was very honest.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30She held her hands up immediately
0:38:30 > 0:38:33as soon as I confronted her with what I knew.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39She gave me details of the person who she'd given her property to.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42So I do believe that she didn't know that it had been used,
0:38:42 > 0:38:44or misused, in such a manner.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46- OK.- However, as the legal tenant,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50she was still legally liable for any offences that had been committed.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53As the legal tenant,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56you're responsible for making sure that you,
0:38:56 > 0:38:59your visitors and lodgers comply with the tenancy agreement.
0:39:01 > 0:39:02Any illegal activities,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and other offences such as antisocial behaviour,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08represent a breach of tenancy.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12In theory, you could be held legally responsible for any tenancy breach
0:39:12 > 0:39:15that takes place in your home.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Obviously, they'd both, you know, committed offences,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23but we had to really go through our lawful tenant...
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- Yeah.- ..because she was the one who still held the tenancy, legally.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28She did sound genuinely shocked
0:39:28 > 0:39:31when I told her how the property had been misused,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34and it had been advertised on this website.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37She was really shocked and quite disgusted
0:39:37 > 0:39:40with the way her friend had behaved, and she felt...
0:39:40 > 0:39:42- I think she felt betrayed by her friend.- OK.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48Avril's priority was to get the place back
0:39:48 > 0:39:51so she could reallocate it to someone in need of housing,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54rather than people renting from holiday let websites.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56She served a notice to quit.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00I sent her... I served the notices on her in America.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03We also served them at the property.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06And she contacted me and asked me
0:40:06 > 0:40:10if she could get all of her belongings out of the property,
0:40:10 > 0:40:15so we allowed a friend of hers to come and collect the keys...
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- OK.- ..get all her belongings out.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20However, then the subtenant contacted me
0:40:20 > 0:40:23and said they were her belongings, and I said, well, really,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26you'll now need to kind of negotiate with the lawful tenant,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28it's got nothing to do with us.
0:40:28 > 0:40:29So the official tenant assured Avril
0:40:29 > 0:40:32she didn't know what had been happening at the flat,
0:40:32 > 0:40:35but her friend, who was masterminding the subletting,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37also claimed she knew nothing.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39She denied any knowledge of it.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42She said she hadn't done anything wrong.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45She denied being part of the fraud.
0:40:45 > 0:40:46She was very upset
0:40:46 > 0:40:50when her belongings were taken out of the property.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53She's got no rights to that property. She wasn't even living in the borough.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57She was handed the keys. However, she's then misused that trust.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Even though she shouldn't have had it in the first place,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02she misused that totally, and then thought, well,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04I can make a massive profit here, which she did do.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I haven't heard from her since that time.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I advised her to seek independent legal advice
0:41:10 > 0:41:14and to, obviously, speak to her friend in America.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Surely, if she had any sense, she would just disappear,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19because she's been illegally subletting a property
0:41:19 > 0:41:21that's not hers and making a great profit.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Exactly. She was very lucky she wasn't prosecuted.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26But at the end of the day, we wanted our property back
0:41:26 > 0:41:28and, as I said, I couldn't really liaise with her.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- She wasn't our lawful tenant. - Sure.- So...
0:41:30 > 0:41:33If there's anything to take away from this, Avril's advice
0:41:33 > 0:41:37is to always tell the social housing manager what's going on.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Saying it to anyone now who is thinking about possibly moving away,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44you know, the circumstances change, that's fine.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47You need to notify your landlord and be honest with them.
0:41:47 > 0:41:48If you're going to be moving away
0:41:48 > 0:41:50and you no longer need that social tenancy,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54you need to let the landlord know so they can then give it to a family
0:41:54 > 0:41:56who's possibly been on a waiting list for ten years,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59rather than just give it to a friend who might misuse it.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02It's a breach of tenancy. It's also illegal now.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05What's the story with the property now?
0:42:05 > 0:42:07The person who's now living there,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10she was on the waiting list for a long time, so she was very grateful,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12and I believe she'll use the property, you know,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15for the purpose which it's intended for, as social housing.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23It's so rewarding to see social housing taken from tenancy cheats
0:42:23 > 0:42:25and given to those who really need it.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28And with more and more housing investigators out on the street,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30the crackdown continues.