0:00:04 > 0:00:05I'm Michelle Ackerley.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09My parents both grew up on council estates, and as a family
0:00:09 > 0:00:13we understand the difference social housing can make to people's lives.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Millions of families across the UK are struggling to find affordable housing.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22So, this is my front room and my bedroom together.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Many are living in temporary or overcrowded conditions,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27desperate for somewhere decent to live.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30This is our room where we sleep and this is what we've got at the minute.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32We can't really call it our home.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35But some social housing tenants are abusing the system,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38holding on to properties they no longer need.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39When somebody applies for housing,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42you expect them to live in the property and when they don't,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44it does start to take the mickey.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Or even worse - making a small fortune by illegally subletting them.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51He was charging beyond £1,500 a month.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54He exploited this completely to his advantage.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58So, I'm with housing investigators cracking down on tenancy cheats.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02What a waste.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04If you want to commit tenancy fraud, don't bother coming here.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Reclaiming properties...
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I need to speak to you, please.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12They've seen an opportunity and they think they're not going to get caught.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15..and giving them to families in genuine need.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17That's how a council house should be.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18It should be loved and looked after.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22This is Council House Crackdown.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Tonight...
0:01:27 > 0:01:32an undercover sting exposes a £150,000 benefit swindle...
0:01:32 > 0:01:34You just don't expect someone to be this brazen.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38..and unearths an astonishing attempt at tenancy fraud.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41I think the only thing that's true in this application is her name.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44The whole thing in this form is completely made up.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Yeah, a complete load of tosh.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The hunt for a tenancy cheat after a decade of deception.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54There's the possibility that he could've approached an organised crime group.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56If people are willing to pay that money,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59they will be able to acquire false identity documents.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And the council tenant who poses as a landlord to con an innocent
0:02:02 > 0:02:05couple out of thousands of pounds.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08It was clear to us, as investigators, that the property
0:02:08 > 0:02:10had indeed been sub-let.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And that the sub-tenant and her family had very much been duped.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31This is the lovely seaside resort of Broadstairs in Kent and it was here
0:02:31 > 0:02:35that council investigators embarked on a three-month surveillance
0:02:35 > 0:02:40operation that helped uncover a £150,000 fraud
0:02:40 > 0:02:47and an audacious attempt to obtain a highly sought-after social housing property.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53This lady, struggling into the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council offices,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56is 56-year-old Lisa White.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Mrs White was completely disabled, unable to walk unaided,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06needed an oxygen tank and on one occasion she had told the medical team here
0:03:06 > 0:03:09in the social services that she only had three years to live.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Lisa White is in the process of applying to Greenwich
0:03:12 > 0:03:15for a specially adapted council property.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19What she doesn't realise is that she's already under investigation by
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Greenwich Council's fraud team.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31The story began three months earlier. Greenwich
0:03:31 > 0:03:34is handsome borough on the banks of the River Thames which boasts a
0:03:34 > 0:03:36wealth of history and heritage.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42But at any time there can be up to 16,000 people on the social housing waiting list here.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47Counter-fraud manager Nigel Brown works for the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51When the team carried out a routine check of all their benefit claimants,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Lisa White was on the list.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59In total, she was receiving about £600, £700 a week in various benefits.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03They did a financial review on her account to make sure that she was still
0:04:03 > 0:04:05entitled to the money that was being paid to her.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09A large proportion of the benefits Lisa White received was to pay
0:04:09 > 0:04:11for full-time disability care.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14But when authorities examined invoices from her carer,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19they discovered that he was living 70 miles away from her in Broadstairs, Kent.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23I'm no expert on travel, but I know that if I was to be travelling from
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Broadstairs every day to come and care for Mrs White every day,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30as she was reporting to be done, that would be a journey and a half.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33It would take you longer to get up here every day than it would to do the work,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36so that just really wasn't feasible.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Mrs White's file was passed on to Nigel's fraud team and amongst all
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the paperwork, one name stood out.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48On here, it shows that her carer is Andrew White and what we found was,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50when we did a credit check on Mr White...
0:04:52 > 0:04:56..it became apparent that he had various links to Lisa White, so they
0:04:56 > 0:04:59appeared to be maybe together in some way.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00And we found that,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04yes, he was related, he was her husband and they had married in 1984.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07When investigators analysed Andrew White's property records,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10they made a shocking discovery.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13We then looked at the address that we had held for him in Broadstairs
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and we found that in July 2007
0:05:16 > 0:05:21both he and Mrs White had purchased a property on a mortgage and they
0:05:21 > 0:05:24were, by all effects, by all we could see,
0:05:24 > 0:05:25living in Broadstairs as a couple.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Lisa White had told authorities that she was disabled and struggling with
0:05:29 > 0:05:33an elderly mother in a one-bedroomed council flat in Greenwich.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37However, it was becoming clear that Lisa White wasn't living
0:05:37 > 0:05:41in London but residing in Broadstairs.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43When investigators dug deeper,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46the evidence suggested that it wasn't just her living arrangements
0:05:46 > 0:05:49that she'd been lying about.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54We did some more checks and it soon came up that Lisa White was connected,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57not only to the address that she was living at with her husband,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01but also linked to the Bandstand in Broadstairs,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03and also the White House Cafe.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06During the spring and summer,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10the Bandstand Kiosk and the White House Cafe in the centre of Broadstairs
0:06:10 > 0:06:14are thriving businesses, serving locals and tourists alike.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17A quick check online suggested that these flourishing
0:06:17 > 0:06:21businesses were run by none other than Lisa and Andrew White.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26We found several online reviews in relation to how Lisa White
0:06:26 > 0:06:29and Andrew White, husband and wife, were together and running this
0:06:29 > 0:06:32business and had done for many years,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35so of course we were thinking, if this lady is as bad as she seems,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39ie, she couldn't lift a cup of tea or walk unaided or would need a
0:06:39 > 0:06:42wheelchair to be outside to manoeuvre herself around,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45how could she be running a cafe and a bandstand?
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Since 2009, Mrs White had been claiming disability benefits
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and high rate income support
0:06:54 > 0:06:57along with financial support for medical prescriptions and a host
0:06:57 > 0:06:59of disability care payments.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05In total, authorities calculated that Lisa White may have fraudulently claimed
0:07:05 > 0:07:09more than £150,000 in unentitled benefits.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16We needed to look closer to see if we were being defrauded completely,
0:07:16 > 0:07:17and that's what we did.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23We applied to the Magistrates' Court for surveillance and we were agreed
0:07:23 > 0:07:26on a period of three months to undertake surveillance down in Broadstairs.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Later...
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It all happened, started happening very quickly.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36..a surveillance team begins to gather shocking evidence against Lisa White.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I could have fell off the chair, really,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41because you just don't expect someone to be this brazen.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43It was like we had hit a gold mine.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49In some cases,
0:07:49 > 0:07:54tenancy cheats are identified and brought to justice in a matter of months.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57In others it could take years. But however long it takes,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00the message from housing investigators is clear.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02There is no hiding place.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06They will track you down and they will get those properties back.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13This photo belongs to Jamaican national Duhane Hall.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18The passport it's attached to belongs to somebody else entirely.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22The cat-and-mouse game this tenancy cheat played with authorities lasted
0:08:22 > 0:08:27more than a decade and cost the taxpayer nearly £200,000.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Counter-fraud manager Oliver Knight was in charge of the investigation.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35So, Oliver, let's go back to the very beginning.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38When did Duhane Hall first apply for a council flat?
0:08:38 > 0:08:43He initially applied for a council property in 2005,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45approached the council and basically needed accommodation.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50When authorities checked the application everything seemed in order.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53He provided his circumstances, explaining that he needed accommodation,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56he'd come from Jamaica and he was living on his own.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- Perfectly legitimate as far as we were concerned at that time.- Yeah.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- So, no alarm bells, it just seemed perfectly genuine.- No.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07Provided sufficient identification, it all seemed above board.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12As a non-UK citizen Mr Hall was required to provide proof that not only
0:09:12 > 0:09:14was he eligible for social housing,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17but that he was also a permanent resident in the UK.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19This required Home Office approval,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23with an official stamp as well as a fully stamped and approved passport.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Duhane Hall was able to provide everything required by Sandwell Council.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29As well as the application
0:09:29 > 0:09:32he provided documentation from the Home Office
0:09:32 > 0:09:35explaining he had indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom
0:09:35 > 0:09:40and a Jamaican passport which was also stamped with indefinite leave
0:09:40 > 0:09:41to remain in the United Kingdom.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45And looking through this documentation, again that seemed completely above board?
0:09:45 > 0:09:50Above board and no alarm bells suggested anything untoward.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56The council concluded that having left Jamaica and secured indefinite leave to remain
0:09:56 > 0:10:00the UK, Duhane Hall was in genuine need of support.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05In 2005 they approved his application to join the housing waiting list.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09In Sandwell we have got almost 29,000 council properties, but we
0:10:09 > 0:10:12still have 7,000 people, approximately, on the waiting list,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16so it's all about trying to get the properties to the right people.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Over four years later Duhane Hall struck gold and was handed
0:10:22 > 0:10:23the keys to his very own one-bedroom
0:10:23 > 0:10:27flat just six miles west of Birmingham in Oldbury.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33A one-bedroom flat, it's sought-after, isn't it?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35It is, yeah, and obviously the location that it's in,
0:10:35 > 0:10:42it's not too far away from the bigger city, so it was a good location for him.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Satisfied that Duhane Hall's needs had been met, the council moved on
0:10:46 > 0:10:50to focus their efforts on the next applicant needing support.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53As far as Duhane Hall was concerned, the case was closed.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59But a full decade later, in September 2015, everything changed.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Every two years we take part in the national data match that matches
0:11:02 > 0:11:05records from all over the country,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09including tenancy records, benefit records.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14And it was this routine search that threw up something unusual.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16According to the national data match,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Duhane Hall should never have been placed on the social housing waiting
0:11:20 > 0:11:22list in the first place.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26In fact, he should never even have been in the country.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30According to the Home Office he had made repeated applications to remain
0:11:30 > 0:11:33in the UK, all of which had been rejected.
0:11:34 > 0:11:40It appeared that Duhane Hall had been an illegal UK resident since 2003.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44So, how long was he actually living at that council property for?
0:11:44 > 0:11:46He'd probably been living there almost ten years by this point.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49So, ten years he was living under the radar,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- basically invisible to the authorities?- He was, yeah.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56How had Duhane Hall managed to not only remain in the UK,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00but fool Sandwell Council into granting him a one-bedroom property in one of
0:12:00 > 0:12:03the most sought-after areas in the borough?
0:12:05 > 0:12:06Later...
0:12:06 > 0:12:08How does someone know how to do this? In my mind I'm just thinking,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10"It's crazy."
0:12:10 > 0:12:14..the hunt for Duhane Hall suggests links with organised crime.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16But it wasn't a case of him just doing it on his own,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19he must have had some kind of help.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Earlier, we learned how tenancy fraud officers from the Royal Borough of Greenwich
0:12:32 > 0:12:36launched an investigation into 56-year-old Lisa White.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41She claimed to be disabled and living in a one-bedroom property with an elderly mother.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45So, in total she was receiving about £600, £700 per week.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46In various benefits.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51But investigators suspected that Mrs White was actually running a thriving
0:12:51 > 0:12:54business at the Bandstand Kiosk in Broadstairs, Kent.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01To confirm their suspicions,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05a specialist fraud team began undercover surveillance.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11The challenge for counter-fraud investigator Clive Parrish was to capture her on camera.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13So, what had you been told about Mrs White?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Well, all the information and intelligence we had was that this was a woman who
0:13:16 > 0:13:18was quite severely disabled.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23She didn't go out unless she had a wheelchair and an oxygen tank.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27She could only walk indoors with the aid of a stick.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30That she was very breathless with her asthma
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and some days could barely talk because of it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38So, you rocked up to this point, this was your, kind of, first surveillance point.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40You've got the kiosk there. What were you expecting to see?
0:13:40 > 0:13:45As soon as we arrived, and from the vantage point at the top we could
0:13:45 > 0:13:47see that there was movement already.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50It all happened, started happening very quickly.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Clive and his surveillance team began covert filming of the Bandstand Kiosk.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57We got close enough to hear
0:13:57 > 0:14:04the man that was there, who was her husband, call her Lisa and her call him
0:14:04 > 0:14:08by his name, and so we very quickly worked out what we had.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- And that lady was Mrs White?- That lady turned out to be Mrs White.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19The footage Clive's team captured was astonishing and proved once and
0:14:19 > 0:14:22for all what investigators suspected.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26So, right from the off you're here filming,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29you can see that she is an able-bodied woman.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Yes, yes.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Lisa White, supposedly wheelchair-bound and severely disabled,
0:14:35 > 0:14:41was in good health and able to run a thriving seaside cafe.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Obviously you reported back to the office,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47they were waiting really with bated breath, weren't they, to see what you had managed to find?
0:14:47 > 0:14:53- What was their reaction to it?- When we played back the footage, um...
0:14:53 > 0:14:55people where amazed.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57We were in the office here waiting, I certainly was,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01eagerly waiting on the phone to see what they were going to find.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I wouldn't say there was bets on whether or not she was going to be
0:15:04 > 0:15:08disabled or not, but it was certainly the feeling that it's going to be an interesting day.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12The first day we're down there, if we see her, as to whether she is able to walk or not.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14And it was amazing.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17When they finally called me that day and gave me an update, well,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21I could have fell off the chair, really, because you just don't expect.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Even though we had a
0:15:23 > 0:15:25really huge inkling that this would be happening,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28you just don't expect someone to be this brazen.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32People just were open-mouthed in disbelief.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35In order to build a case against Mrs White the investigators had to
0:15:35 > 0:15:40demonstrate that her seemingly good health wasn't just a one-off.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43They continued filming and in the days and weeks that followed,
0:15:43 > 0:15:49Clive and the team captured footage of Mrs White walking to and from work,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51serving customers,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53and even visiting a cash-and-carry
0:15:53 > 0:15:56to load up with supplies for the kiosk.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00And all the time claiming thousands in disability benefits
0:16:00 > 0:16:04whilst beginning the process of applying for a council flat.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06It was like we had hit a gold mine
0:16:06 > 0:16:09in terms of what we had hoped to find.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10It was exactly what we had hoped.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I was outraged, the whole team were outraged,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15this lady has been claiming this money for years and years.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17She is not only getting our money as well,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19she is also getting other money from the state,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22no doubt she was getting all of her prescriptions free.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Everything else that you get as a disabled person, she was taking those away
0:16:26 > 0:16:30from the genuine people that would get these benefits that are now being cut.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33It was outrageous, really, it really was.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Later...
0:16:36 > 0:16:40It was just blatant. It's an affront to disabled people.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45..Lisa White attempts to get her hands on a precious social housing property.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49But the investigators are one step ahead of her.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53She came in here as a full-blown actress, she deserved an Oscar
0:16:53 > 0:16:55for that one, I think, really, on that day.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Earlier, investigators at Sandwell Council found out
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Jamaican Duhane Hall had fraudulently obtained a social housing property
0:17:11 > 0:17:15whilst living illegally in the UK.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19He provided documentation from the Home Office explaining he had
0:17:19 > 0:17:24indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. And a passport,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27a Jamaican passport, which was also stamped with indefinite leave
0:17:27 > 0:17:29to remain in the United Kingdom.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Sandwell Council leader Steve Eling knows the effect
0:17:32 > 0:17:37tenancy fraud can have in an already economically deprived borough.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39There is a significant demand,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42particularly for social housing in Sandwell.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47And what that means is every time we've got people going in tenancies
0:17:47 > 0:17:53fraudulently, they are denying those people who are on the waiting list
0:17:53 > 0:17:58to get a decent-quality permanent home and that can't be right.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03The Home Office had informed Sandwell Council that Duhane Hall
0:18:03 > 0:18:05had been living illegally
0:18:05 > 0:18:07in the UK for at least ten years.
0:18:07 > 0:18:13Somehow, Duhane Hall had managed to fake documentation from a government ministry.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16And we're not sure even now what that letter is and
0:18:16 > 0:18:20whether it's a genuine letter that was amended or whether it's just a completely fake letter.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22We have made enquiries with the Home Office and
0:18:22 > 0:18:24they weren't really sure one way or the other.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28After convincing authorities that he was legally entitled to remain in the UK,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Duhane Hall applied for social housing.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36He was allocated a one-bedroom property in Oldbury but didn't stop there.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41He set his sights on illegally claiming even more benefits.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43But to do that, he needed a UK passport.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47The passport itself, it was a genuine passport.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51It was reported lost about four or five years
0:18:51 > 0:18:54prior to Duhane Hall using it.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57How did he manage to doctor it, though?
0:18:57 > 0:18:59The truth is we don't actually know.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02How it ever fell into Duhane Hall's hands we're not sure.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06So, this passport number here is genuine and then he has put his information...
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- Yes, or someone has for him.- ..on top of it.- Yeah.- Cos looking at it,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13this requires real skill, it requires knowledge, doesn't it?
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- It does.- To know, even if you're not doing it yourself, knowing where to go in order to get it done.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And that's why it was such a determined effort,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24it wasn't a case of him just doing it on his own,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26he must have had some kind of help.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Obviously there's the possibility that he could've approached an organised crime group.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34If people are willing to pay that money then they will be able to acquire a
0:19:34 > 0:19:36false identity or false identity documents.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Duhane Hall was guilty of a systematic campaign to deceive Sandwell Council
0:19:41 > 0:19:45and the benefit system in a tenancy fraud on a massive scale.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47How does someone know how to do this?
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- In my mind I'm just thinking, you know, "It's crazy."- Yeah.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55And I think it goes to show the level of investment he must have undertaken in
0:19:55 > 0:19:57order to go and get this property in the first place.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59It wasn't just something he stumbled across,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02he was obviously willing to put money and time and investment into it
0:20:02 > 0:20:04in order to go and get that property.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Armed with a catalogue of faked official paperwork,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Duhane Hall then successfully applied for housing benefit,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14council tax benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Over a ten-year period,
0:20:16 > 0:20:22Duhane Hall received an incredible £180,000 from the public purse.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27And all the while living in a council property also obtained by deception.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29It's absolute deliberate fraud,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32this isn't the sort of stuff that comes about because there was a mistake,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35somebody put the wrong date on the form or something,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38this is, you know, absolute deliberate fraud.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42And he got away with it for quite some time.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Oliver had gathered enough evidence to confront this fraudster.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Obviously, first and foremost what we initially try to do is try and speak to the gentleman.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Obviously, we haven't got powers of arrest or anything like that, so a lot of the time
0:20:53 > 0:20:54it is by voluntary interview.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57He decided that he didn't want to come in and speak to us...
0:20:57 > 0:21:00I am not surprised. SHE LAUGHS
0:21:00 > 0:21:06In fact, when Duhane Hall learned that the authorities were wise to his deception, he absconded.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11What followed was a six-month investigation to track down the fraudster.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Obviously, the investigators, they can sort of take this personally, because obviously it's their job
0:21:15 > 0:21:20to try and bring these people to justice, so obviously it's all about trying to track these people down.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- Where did you find him?- In this case the gentleman had actually taken out a doorstep loan
0:21:24 > 0:21:30at one point, so it was quite easy to establish where he was at that point in time.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Finally the police caught up with Duhane Hall.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38In court he pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by false representation,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and was sentenced to three years in prison.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Sandwell Council has a strong fraud team and there is a message for people
0:21:48 > 0:21:52out there - if you want to commit tenancy fraud don't bother coming here,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55because sooner or later you will be caught.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58After more than a decade of deception,
0:21:58 > 0:22:03Sandwell fraud investigators were finally able to recover a much-needed property.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06What does this mean for you going forward with that property now?
0:22:06 > 0:22:08We've got the keys back.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11We've now managed to re-let that one out to a gentleman who was in
0:22:11 > 0:22:15desperate need of it, he was on the waiting list and now he's got that property.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17I am guessing now you feel a lot better that you've got the
0:22:17 > 0:22:20property back and it can be used suitably?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Yeah, that helps to bring our waiting lists down,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24which is what it's all about.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27When Duhane Hall is released from prison he will be deported
0:22:27 > 0:22:28back to Jamaica.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Earlier, we saw how counter-fraud investigators managed to capture
0:22:42 > 0:22:47astonishing footage of 56-year-old Lisa White after she'd claimed to be
0:22:47 > 0:22:50severely disabled and wheelchair-bound.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52I could have fell off the chair, really,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55because you just don't expect someone to be this brazen.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56The evidence against Mrs White was
0:22:56 > 0:22:58starting to stack up, but what happened
0:22:58 > 0:23:01next took everyone by surprise.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06We was in the middle of the investigation and we didn't do surveillance
0:23:06 > 0:23:10every day, because obviously it's a long period of time,
0:23:10 > 0:23:11so on this one particular day,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15we got an notification that Miss White had been in the building and had
0:23:15 > 0:23:19submitted a housing form to seek housing for herself.
0:23:19 > 0:23:26The team immediately checked the CCTV footage of Mrs White's visit to the council offices.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31What they witnessed was a consummate performance.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35We then had footage of her coming in, supported by her husband,
0:23:35 > 0:23:36barely able to walk.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41She looks as though she's barely able to breathe as well, a lot of head movements.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43She looked dreadful,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47but yet two days later when our team were back out following her around,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50she was almost as fit as a fiddle.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52It was a complete put-on.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56She had come in here to try and get housing which would have been
0:23:56 > 0:23:59specially adapted housing for her needs with her oxygen tank and all the
0:23:59 > 0:24:02other things that she needs to keep her alive, allegedly.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04She would have cost us a fortune.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07She came in here as a full-blown actress.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10She deserved her Oscar for that one, I think, really, on that day.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14On top of claiming thousands in disability benefits, Lisa White was
0:24:14 > 0:24:19now fraudulently applying for a council flat to call her own.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22And all courtesy of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I think the only thing that's true on this application is her name.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29The whole thing in this form is completely made up.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Yeah, complete load of tosh.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Lisa White made all these claims whilst
0:24:34 > 0:24:38owning a luxury apartment in Broadstairs.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I mean, this is an ideal setting.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43The building is stunning, it's right on the coast.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45What's it like inside?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Describe it to me.- Well, quite amazing. Very luxurious.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51I mean, the entrance hall,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55it still looks like an old Victorian hotel reception.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57It's really quite beautiful.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00The evidence against Lisa White was irrefutable.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03On 28 September 2015,
0:25:03 > 0:25:09she was arrested at her Grand Mansions apartment on 13 fraud-related charges.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14In the apartment, police found no walking stick or oxygen tank.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Instead, they discovered more than £5,000
0:25:17 > 0:25:21of unused prescription medicine.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26And when they examined the hard drive on her computer, they also found this.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32MUSIC: All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey
0:25:33 > 0:25:36# I don't want a lot for Christmas
0:25:36 > 0:25:40# There is just one thing I need
0:25:40 > 0:25:45# Don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree... #
0:25:45 > 0:25:49And just when investigators had thought they'd seen it all.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53It was just blatant that she was running a business down here,
0:25:53 > 0:25:58living a very nice lifestyle and she was moving about very freely and
0:25:58 > 0:25:59wasn't a disabled person.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03She went, "All I want for Christmas," but she had pretty much got everything.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05She'd got her nice little flat in Broadstairs,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07another council flat she thought she was going to get up here,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11her two businesses and a nice £37,000 mobility vehicle,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14so I don't think she needed much more for Christmas that year.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17In the end, it was Lisa White's own greed
0:26:17 > 0:26:20that was to be her undoing.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22So, really, her coming in here,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24technically during the middle of our surveillance,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28was a blessing in disguise, because it just showed the true level of how she
0:26:28 > 0:26:33was pretending to be. It actually couldn't have gone any better.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39By now investigators had been able to fully examine the extent of Mrs White's fraud.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42What they uncovered amounted to a systematic abuse of the
0:26:42 > 0:26:46benefits system stretching back more than six years.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Mrs White stole, that we could prove, just over £150,000.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Over a course of a few years she had been on cruises,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56we found evidence she had been on cruises around the world.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59In fact, even after she was arrested by the police and then bailed for
0:26:59 > 0:27:02this, she then went on a £9,000 cruise,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06so she clearly didn't have any remorse at all for the taxpayer that she'd stolen
0:27:06 > 0:27:09from or the people that she may have deprived of the use of a nice
0:27:09 > 0:27:11council property, if she had got the thing.
0:27:11 > 0:27:12So, Ron, you're local to the area.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16What did you think when you heard about the case of Mrs White?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Well, I thought it was absolutely disgusting. I really did.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Did she think we owed her something or...?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I don't know how their minds work
0:27:25 > 0:27:29to be able to do this kind of thing.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33No, I find it really difficult to understand.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36There's somebody there taking money from people who really need it.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40I mean, that's the worst sort as well, when you read the total amount,
0:27:40 > 0:27:46and also being able to go to a van and carry boxes and been seen dancing.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I would give my right arm to be able to do any of those things.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52No, it makes me feel very, very cross about her.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55On March 2nd 2017,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59after pleading guilty to one of the most shocking cases of benefit and
0:27:59 > 0:28:03attempted tenancy fraud ever witnessed by Greenwich Council,
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Mr and Mrs White faced the judge.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13For his part in the deception Mrs White's husband Andrew received
0:28:13 > 0:28:17a nine-month sentence suspended for two years.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Lisa White received an 18-month prison term.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26Summing up her fraudulent behaviour, the judge stated...
0:28:38 > 0:28:43You had invested a lot of time in this case to gather up the evidence that you needed.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46On a personal level, aside from being an investigator,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48how did it make you feel?
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Well, it made me think that it's greed and completely unnecessary.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55There were benefits in payment that this lady wasn't entitled to.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58She was claiming to be disabled.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01It's an affront to disabled people.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04To come away knowing that she's now got to reflect on her crime over the
0:29:04 > 0:29:09next few months or 18 months in prison is actually quite a nice feeling.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Hopefully, it might actually make her think twice about coming out and
0:29:12 > 0:29:14doing the same again.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Lisa and Andrew White have been ordered to pay over £78,000
0:29:20 > 0:29:23in compensation to the Royal Borough of Greenwich by
0:29:23 > 0:29:2515th December 2017
0:29:33 > 0:29:37Our next case involves this man, Mark Grant -
0:29:37 > 0:29:40a council tenant who made tens of thousands of pounds
0:29:40 > 0:29:43in unlawful profits in a brazen subletting scam.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Because this is such an affluent and attractive area,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50he was able to charge top whack.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52He was able to charge a premium for this.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54He was charging beyond £1,500 a month,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57when he was only paying just over £500 a month.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00He exploited this completely to his advantage.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04The London borough of Brent.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07In this expensive part of north-west London, the demand
0:30:07 > 0:30:12for social housing far outstrips supply, and in the last 12 months,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16investigators have uncovered more than 70 cases of tenancy fraud.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21The story started here in this handsome, tree-lined street.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Genesis Housing Association own and run many social housing properties
0:30:27 > 0:30:30in this area, including this two-bedroom flat.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Amanda Ryan works for the housing association.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35This is a really nice street.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Lots of nice houses down the street,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40it's well located to get into central London,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42there's some nice parks in the area.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45It's a key area for Genesis as well, in terms of the housing
0:30:45 > 0:30:47that we operate.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50In 1993, Mark Grant applied for social housing.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52He said he was working as a decorator
0:30:52 > 0:30:56and struggling with the high costs of living in London.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Brent council's head of fraud, Dave Verma, says Grant was lucky
0:30:59 > 0:31:01to get a place like this.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04The properties here don't look like social housing.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07They don't look like your standard block or estate.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10No-one would know that these are social housing properties
0:31:10 > 0:31:14and we've got multiple people viewing the properties around here,
0:31:14 > 0:31:15when they do rarely come up.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Mark Grant seemed to be the model tenant.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22He met all the criteria to be awarded this social housing.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27He was here from 1993 to around 2015 without anyone being aware
0:31:27 > 0:31:29of any wrongdoing whatsoever.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33The first sign that something was wrong came when a woman contacted
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Genesis Housing, complaining that her boiler wasn't working.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39The address she gave was Mark Grant's flat.
0:31:40 > 0:31:45It quickly became clear that Grant was unlawfully subletting his flat
0:31:45 > 0:31:48and that she was the unwitting subtenant.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53His illegal subtenant was suffering from cold and no hot water.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56The boiler had broken down and she was very much trying to get in touch
0:31:56 > 0:31:58with him. Now, for whatever reason,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02he wasn't forthcoming in fixing the boiler, so out of sheer desperation,
0:32:02 > 0:32:06she opened it up and saw a number for Genesis.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10Genesis handed the case over to Dave Verma and his dedicated fraud
0:32:10 > 0:32:13investigation team at Brent council.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17To Dave, it was immediately clear what had happened.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19In her mind, she was phoning up Genesis,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21who had something to do with the boiler.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23She didn't realise it was a housing association,
0:32:23 > 0:32:28so she inadvertently tipped off that there was something up.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Dave ran some credit checks and found two other names
0:32:31 > 0:32:33linked to the address.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38He decided to make an unannounced visit and was greeted not by
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Mark Grant but by a young woman and her partner who turned out to
0:32:40 > 0:32:43be the unsuspecting subtenants.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46They said they'd seen the flat advertised on Gumtree and had
0:32:46 > 0:32:48been living there for more than a year.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50They're completely genuine.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53They'd seen the advert and got in touch with the landlord
0:32:53 > 0:32:58and he came along, purporting to be with a letting agent.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02So the whole thing looks completely pukka and they presented her with
0:33:02 > 0:33:04documents that looked completely real.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08She would've had no idea that this was actually social housing.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Nor had they realised that the man purporting to be the landlord
0:33:12 > 0:33:15was in fact Mark Grant, the official tenant.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19It was at that visit that their world started to fall apart somewhat
0:33:19 > 0:33:20and they realised that the documents,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23which looked very legitimate,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25weren't worth the paper they'd been written on.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28The tenancy agreement Grant had given them showed
0:33:28 > 0:33:32they were paying more than £1,500 a month.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36Because this is such an affluent and attractive area,
0:33:36 > 0:33:38he was able to charge top whack.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40He was able to charge a premium for this.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43He was charging beyond £1,500 a month, when he was only paying
0:33:43 > 0:33:45just over £500 a month.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48He exploited this completely to his advantage.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Mark Grant was pocketing thousands in unlawful profits.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Meanwhile, the unsuspecting subtenants were now facing
0:33:56 > 0:33:59the prospect of losing the flat they'd made their home.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04They were very stressed, very anxious, because they realised
0:34:04 > 0:34:07that what they thought was a secure tenancy, obtained lawfully
0:34:07 > 0:34:11with proper deposits and proper rent, wasn't at all.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Some people think that social housing fraud is a victimless crime.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16That clearly isn't the case.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19We were unable to let this property to genuine people
0:34:19 > 0:34:20on our waiting list.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23So, again, they're victims, they're in temporary accommodation,
0:34:23 > 0:34:24they've got uncertainty.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28So, generally speaking, it clearly is a victim crime.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31There's definite victims, in terms of people who are duped,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35people who can't live here and also dramatic impact on the public purse.
0:34:37 > 0:34:43Later, fraudster landlord Mark Grant turns on his innocent subtenants.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46He had definitely got wind that something was up.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49There was communication between her and Mark Grant.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53The tone had very much changed from someone purporting to be a landlord
0:34:53 > 0:34:56to someone who very much wanted her and her family out.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10The victims of the housing crisis is no longer confined to densely
0:35:10 > 0:35:13populated metropolitan areas of the UK.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Here in the cathedral city of Peterborough,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19there are almost 3,000 people on the waiting list,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22nearly 400 of those are families in desperate need.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29Adrian Chapman is the council's director of adult services and communities.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34About a year ago, we were probably advertising about 40 properties
0:35:34 > 0:35:36a week that people could apply for.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40These days, if we get up to double figures a week, we're doing really well,
0:35:40 > 0:35:45so we've got a lot of demand and not enough supply.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48In 2015-16, the council spent more
0:35:48 > 0:35:52than £1 million putting families in temporary accommodation,
0:35:52 > 0:35:57including B&Bs and even the local Travelodge.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00We will always accommodate people, albeit temporarily,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03albeit sometimes in bed-and-breakfast accommodation
0:36:03 > 0:36:06or, as we're currently having to use, a Travelodge.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09There is no need for anybody to not have a roof over their heads.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12We've got some nice chicken soup that grand-mummy made.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Then we've got some milk, haven't we?
0:36:16 > 0:36:20We are struggling in here because it is difficult just being one room
0:36:20 > 0:36:22with the three of us.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26This young family, Joshua, Caroline and 16-month-old Phoebe,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30are living in this single room in a hostel on the outskirts
0:36:30 > 0:36:31of Peterborough.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34This is all we have, basically. This is our room where we sleep.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37This is our room where we do everything with Phoebe.
0:36:37 > 0:36:44There's shared bathrooms, shared kitchen, so it's not ideal, really.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47But, I mean, this is what we've got at the minute.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50We can't really call it our home, but until we find somewhere
0:36:50 > 0:36:55or the council puts us somewhere, this is all we've got, really.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Joshua and Caroline were both in work when their landlord decided
0:36:59 > 0:37:02to sell up, ironically so the house could be converted
0:37:02 > 0:37:05into temporary accommodation units.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Suddenly, they were homeless.
0:37:07 > 0:37:13People think homeless, they just think of someone on the street selling the Big Issue and people
0:37:13 > 0:37:17don't really think that people in B&Bs and hostels are considered
0:37:17 > 0:37:20as homeless, but this isn't a home, as you can see.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23It's just one room for the three of us.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26It's a real struggle at times.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30The shock of being made homeless whilst bringing up a young child
0:37:30 > 0:37:32placed a huge stress on this young couple.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36They are struggling to come to terms with their new circumstances.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Over here, we've got some cupboard space.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40It's got some stuff in it.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43And then we've got some of our food down here.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48I think the worst of it is just sort of...
0:37:49 > 0:37:53..how cramped it is and how little there is, really.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Like, the fact we're having to put most of our stuff under the bed.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04The upheaval has had a huge impact on this young family.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07Joshua and Caroline have lost their jobs and they now need to get back
0:38:07 > 0:38:10into employment as soon as possible.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14But job-hunting without a permanent address is difficult.
0:38:14 > 0:38:19I think getting the house is the first step towards
0:38:19 > 0:38:24getting our lives back on track, really, cos that's another thing,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27like, with the whole temporary accommodation,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31it does kind of put your life on hold a little bit.
0:38:31 > 0:38:32The longer you are in here,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35the harder it makes it to get back on track.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37Since filming, Joshua and Caroline have been allocated
0:38:37 > 0:38:41a two-bed social housing property.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45Caroline has also managed to get a job as a recruitment consultant.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49There's definitely been a fair share of our dark moments, I'd say, but I
0:38:49 > 0:38:54do feel quite confident that we can only move forward from here, really.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04If you're a tenant and you no longer need your social housing property,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08you're supposed to notify the council and hand the keys back.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Failure to do so is not only a breach of tenancy,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15it's also depriving other individuals and families on the waiting list
0:39:15 > 0:39:17who need somewhere to live.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20As part of a crackdown on tenancy fraud,
0:39:20 > 0:39:25Havering Council in east London recently offered a £500 reward
0:39:25 > 0:39:29to anyone providing a tip-off leading to a property being recovered.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33In the last 18 months, 35 properties have been reclaimed.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38Some have been fraud cases, but others have involved breaches of tenancy.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Like this two-bedroom council house that was abandoned and
0:39:42 > 0:39:44may have been lying empty for years.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Lorraine Van Dam is a housing officer at Havering Council.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51The house is on her patch.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52And according to neighbours,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55the tenant hasn't been seen living at the house for years.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59We got a tip-off from an anonymous letter,
0:39:59 > 0:40:04stating one, that the garden was overgrown and two,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07that this particular person was living with a sibling
0:40:07 > 0:40:09in another local address.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13It states that the gentleman who lives in the address we're going
0:40:13 > 0:40:17to go to has been living with his sibling at one of our other properties,
0:40:17 > 0:40:21for at least three years.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24He only visits this property a couple of times a week
0:40:24 > 0:40:25to pick up mail.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28The anonymous person said, "I don't think it is right that he has
0:40:28 > 0:40:32"got away with this for three years.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35"It would be the right thing to do to investigate this matter."
0:40:35 > 0:40:37This letter is obviously somebody
0:40:37 > 0:40:39who really cares about this community
0:40:39 > 0:40:42and really sees the unjust of this gentleman
0:40:42 > 0:40:46and the way he's abusing his tenancy.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50You can see the dirt and everything and that's been like that for ages.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51And the boarding there.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55It's annoying because, at the end of the day, if someone was living there,
0:40:55 > 0:40:57there's no reason this property should be in this state.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00Lorraine tried to contact the tenant by calling round,
0:41:00 > 0:41:02but she couldn't get a response,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06which only reinforced her belief that he was no longer residing at the house.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08This, together with the neglect of the property,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11was a serious breach of his tenancy agreement.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15So she referred the case to Havering Council's fraud team.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18Former police officer Dave Gill took on the case.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Whilst my main duty is to investigate fraud,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26it's always done with that social aspect in mind
0:41:26 > 0:41:31that this is a property that could and should be being used
0:41:31 > 0:41:34for a family in genuine, real need.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Dave delved into the two-bedroom property's tenancy history
0:41:36 > 0:41:40and found the man had moved there in the '70s with his mother.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46In 2010, his elderly mother had assigned the tenancy to him.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50A legal process known as succession.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52As part of his investigation,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Dave examined the repair history and utility bills of the house.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01He soon discovered that there had been little activity at the property since 2013.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08So we asked this tenant to come in and we put all the evidence that we'd gathered to him.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11It was to give that tenant their opportunity to give us
0:42:11 > 0:42:13an account of what had happened, really,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16to explain their circumstances and why we'd ended up in this situation.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18The tenant came in for questioning.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23When he was talking, it was obvious that he wasn't living there.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27He explained that him and his sibling wanted to live
0:42:27 > 0:42:30somewhere else, outside the borough.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33So I just served him with a Notice to Quit, there and then.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38But he refused to give the property back and today,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Havering Council plan to evict him.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45There's no more delays or any other part of the process that we need to
0:42:45 > 0:42:48go through or complete. We will be getting the property back today.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59But at the last minute, the eviction is called off.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03The tenant relents and hands in the keys.
0:43:03 > 0:43:09It was initially an eviction but then the tenant has now given the keys
0:43:09 > 0:43:12back to us, so the property is back in our possession.
0:43:14 > 0:43:19Later, Lorraine finally gets inside the house and is shocked by what she finds.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23Wow. One very unloved house, I think.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32Back in the London Borough of Brent,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35a young couple thought they'd been renting their two-bedroomed flat
0:43:35 > 0:43:38lawfully for more than 18 months,
0:43:38 > 0:43:40but they'd been conned.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44They were very stressed, very anxious, because they realised
0:43:44 > 0:43:48that what they thought was a secure tenancy, obtained lawfully
0:43:48 > 0:43:51with proper deposits and proper rent, wasn't at all.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55The man posing as their landlord was this man, Mark Grant,
0:43:55 > 0:43:59and the flat they were living in was a social housing property.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Grant was supposed to be living there himself,
0:44:02 > 0:44:04but he was unlawfully subletting it.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Brent Council's head of fraud, Dave Verma
0:44:09 > 0:44:12broke the news to the unsuspecting sub-tenants that
0:44:12 > 0:44:15the man they thought was their landlord was in fact a fraudster.
0:44:17 > 0:44:22It wasn't long before Mark Grant knew the authorities were onto him.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Mark Grant definitely got wind that something was up.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29One of the key pieces of evidence that came in was from the sub-tenant
0:44:29 > 0:44:31and that's these text messages here.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35These show that there was communication between her
0:44:35 > 0:44:38and Mark Grant, and that the tone had very much changed
0:44:38 > 0:44:42from someone purporting to be a landlord to someone who very much
0:44:42 > 0:44:44wanted her and her family out.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48For example, "You need to just go and find another place, that's all.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51"In life you must learn to walk away when things are not worth
0:44:51 > 0:44:56"fighting for." We could tell that he was nervous by this point.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59So I think all this was very much a shock for the sub-tenant,
0:44:59 > 0:45:04who thought that she was involved with a very proper landlord.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07This clearly is not professional.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Grant then turned up at the property and evicted the sub-tenants
0:45:10 > 0:45:12there and then.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15I understand that her possessions had to be left with a neighbour,
0:45:15 > 0:45:17and she was without anywhere to stay, and clearly it was
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- a very difficult time for her. - But the matter was far from over.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24Brent Council were building a strong criminal case against Grant.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26The final piece of evidence,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30which is the clincher for the case and very damning, is the statement,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33the bank statement we obtained for Mark Grant.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37This was obtained using our powers under the Prevention of Social
0:45:37 > 0:45:42Housing Fraud Act. Now this bank statement contains transactions
0:45:42 > 0:45:48showing that illegal rent of £1,517 is coming in on a regular basis.
0:45:48 > 0:45:54For example, on the 26th of September 2015, £1,517.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58This clearly shows the rent coming in from the illegal sub-tenant
0:45:58 > 0:46:01and making significant profit, as well.
0:46:01 > 0:46:06It was clear to us as investigators that the property had indeed been
0:46:06 > 0:46:10sublet, and that the sub-tenant and her family had very much been duped.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14Mark Grant was invited to attend an interview under caution.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Now, at that interview, he decided to give a no comment.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24His demeanour was quite calm.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29He clearly wanted to see what we had without commenting on it,
0:46:29 > 0:46:33which is a strategy often used by people who are involved
0:46:33 > 0:46:36in this kind of behaviour. He didn't seem particularly
0:46:36 > 0:46:40flustered by the evidence at that time, but I would suggest
0:46:40 > 0:46:45that he was probably surprised at the amount of evidence that we had,
0:46:45 > 0:46:50and also the bank statements showing the rent coming in.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53On the 13th of October, 2016, Mark Grant appeared before
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Brent magistrates charged with offences under the
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Mark Grant was found guilty of illegally subletting the entire
0:47:03 > 0:47:08two-bedroomed property between July '14 and October '16.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid community service,
0:47:12 > 0:47:17and was ordered to pay back £14,760 in unlawful profits...
0:47:19 > 0:47:20..as well as just over £1,000
0:47:20 > 0:47:21in legal costs.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28Now, later on, Brent Council's legal team took Mark Grant to civil court
0:47:28 > 0:47:31and this was to effect the possession order
0:47:31 > 0:47:37to recover the property. This also resulted in additional costs of £481
0:47:37 > 0:47:43being awarded to us and rent arrears of around £5,500
0:47:43 > 0:47:45being awarded to us as well.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49In total, Mark Grant had to pay almost £22,000,
0:47:49 > 0:47:51and give the property back.
0:47:51 > 0:47:57My personal view on this is that justice has been served and that
0:47:57 > 0:48:01this person clearly thought they could get away with this kind of
0:48:01 > 0:48:05behaviour. They thought they could use our property to generate profit,
0:48:05 > 0:48:08and he's been shown that he can't behave like this.
0:48:08 > 0:48:13I think that the amount of evidence obtained in this case has resulted
0:48:13 > 0:48:16in a very, very good result for the public generally.
0:48:17 > 0:48:22The unsuspecting sub-tenants are now renting a privately owned property,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25and as for this Genesis Housing Association flat, it has
0:48:25 > 0:48:29now been reallocated to a family with two children in genuine need.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33It means a lot to us that we are able to allocate this flat
0:48:33 > 0:48:38to a family who really deserve it. The people who successfully applied
0:48:38 > 0:48:41currently live in very bad conditions, so for them
0:48:41 > 0:48:44to actually be able to move to somewhere which is safe and
0:48:44 > 0:48:47in a lovely condition, where they can bring up their family,
0:48:47 > 0:48:48is a really good result.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59Back in Havering the team are investigating an anonymous tip-off that one
0:48:59 > 0:49:02of their two-bedroom social housing properties had been abandoned and
0:49:02 > 0:49:04fallen into disrepair.
0:49:06 > 0:49:12It was initially an eviction but then the tenant has now given the keys back to us.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15So the property is back in our possession.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Now, Lorraine is finally hoping to gain access to the property.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21The tenant moved out years ago but hadn't told anyone.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23A serious breach of his tenancy.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27We're expecting to see what condition the property's in.
0:49:27 > 0:49:32Because we have to do a quick turnaround so it can be re-let.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34It will need a new kitchen,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37new bathroom, before we can let it out to a tenant.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40The average waiting time for social housing property in Havering
0:49:40 > 0:49:42is well over two years,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45so housing officer Lorraine is keen to get the property back into use as
0:49:45 > 0:49:47quickly as possible.
0:49:47 > 0:49:53Looking at the front garden, there's been no work done there for quite some time.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57When someone moves into a social housing property,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00they become responsible for maintaining all parts of the home,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03including both front and back gardens.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Wow.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18The floors and carpets are coated in layers of dust, grease and grime.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23Certainly doesn't look like it's been decorated or lived in for years.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27Tenants must keep their social housing in a decent state.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Failure to do so is a further breach of tenancy.
0:50:30 > 0:50:35The back garden is so overgrown and it certainly hasn't been cut back for years.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37I really don't want to open the door.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41I fear what might run in the house.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43It smells damp, it smells stale.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Very, very untidy.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48Well, dirty.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Have a look at the kitchen.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53It's certainly of a very, very old standard.
0:50:53 > 0:50:59It certainly hasn't had a new kitchen since probably when the property was built.
0:50:59 > 0:51:04We're going to be charged quite a bit to get this cleared.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Lifting all the carpets.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11The whole house has got to be decorated.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15It's vital that the council get this property into a fit state as quickly
0:51:15 > 0:51:18as possible so a new family can move in.
0:51:20 > 0:51:24Right, I'm entering one of the two bedrooms, which...
0:51:26 > 0:51:31..as you can see, it hasn't been lived in for quite some time.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34The decoration is ancient.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Bus pass there dated 4th December 1989.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41It's just so unused and so...
0:51:41 > 0:51:43What a waste.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Under the terms of his tenancy,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48this tenant should have notified the council if he was going to be away
0:51:48 > 0:51:51from his property for over 28 days.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Failure to do so is unauthorised abandonment.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57The fact that he wasn't living in it is irrelevant.
0:51:57 > 0:52:03The decoration, he should have still maintained decoration while he was still living in the
0:52:03 > 0:52:08property, as he claims he's been out of the property for a couple of years.
0:52:08 > 0:52:15I'm sorry, this is evidence that he's been out of the property for many more years.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19One very unloved house, I think.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Due to the level of neglect, it took several weeks
0:52:24 > 0:52:27and cost over £13,000 to get this property
0:52:27 > 0:52:30back to a liveable state.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33It's now home to a family who genuinely need it.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Thanks to the tireless work of fraud investigators,
0:52:46 > 0:52:51precious family homes are being reclaimed from tenancy cheats and re-let
0:52:51 > 0:52:54to people for whom a home will make the world of difference.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59This is Jenny Jones from Wolverhampton and her daughter, Millie.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Again, again!
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Faster, faster!
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Jenny was on the social housing waiting list for six months,
0:53:07 > 0:53:10sleeping on an air bed in her parents' dining room.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16So you were on the housing waiting list for six months.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21Just describe to me what it was like for you and your family in those
0:53:21 > 0:53:23darkest moment.
0:53:23 > 0:53:28I felt ashamed that things had got to that point
0:53:28 > 0:53:30and I hadn't been able to...
0:53:30 > 0:53:32Things were out of my control.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33I felt like I had nothing of my own.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38That I was relying on my parents and it had come to the fact that I was
0:53:38 > 0:53:40sleeping on an air bed.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43How did this property come about in the end?
0:53:43 > 0:53:48Well, I bid on the property, I hadn't come top of the list for it.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51And then about three weeks after the bidding for the property had ended,
0:53:51 > 0:53:55I had a call from the lettings team to say that, for whatever reason,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58the person who was before me didn't want the property.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00And I was next for it.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02How did you feel?
0:54:02 > 0:54:05Oh, I cried... I was so happy, I cried.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09I think I made the guy on the phone feel slightly awkward.
0:54:09 > 0:54:15I was just so happy, just run to my mum and dad, saying, "I've got one, I've got one."
0:54:15 > 0:54:17What does it mean to you now, Jenny,
0:54:17 > 0:54:21to have a place that you and Millie can call your home?
0:54:21 > 0:54:25It means everything, it means everything to me.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29It's ours, it's our little place,
0:54:29 > 0:54:33it's where we can come back to if we've had a hard day at work,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36a hard day at school, somewhere we can be happy,
0:54:36 > 0:54:41where we can make memories and I can watch her grow up.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45And to have my own responsibilities, I enjoy it,
0:54:45 > 0:54:49I enjoy taking responsibility for paying the bills and to know that
0:54:49 > 0:54:54I've paid those bills, that's mine now, I own it, this is mine.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57It just does wonders for your self-esteem, I think,
0:54:57 > 0:54:59to know that you've got that place
0:54:59 > 0:55:01that's nobody else's, just yours.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05Well, it's lovely to see someone who obviously did need it, like yourself,
0:55:05 > 0:55:07in a lovely property.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10- It would be great to have a little look around.- OK, yes.
0:55:13 > 0:55:14This is the lounge.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15It's a great space, isn't it?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18Feels like a proper home.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22Yes, I do try to make it nice and homely.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24- Would you like to see upstairs? - Let's do it.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29And here is Millie's room.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Oh, now this is lovely.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33It's just lovely and colourful.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37- Yes, it's her space.- That's it, it's her space.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41She normally has all her toys everywhere and it's just somewhere
0:55:41 > 0:55:45where she can come after school or when she gets up in the morning and
0:55:45 > 0:55:49just create her own little world and her own little stories in here.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52And it's a good-sized space for her as she gets older.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54I did think that, as well.
0:55:54 > 0:55:59When she does get older and she wants less space for toys and more space for wardrobes, TVs.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01That's it, us girls like a good wardrobe.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05It is a really good size.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11For Jenny, social housing meant more than just a roof over her head.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14It also provided a new direction professionally.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19To gain a council properly has changed my life immensely.
0:56:19 > 0:56:25Not only has it got me and Millie out of a terrible situation,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28and it's meant we've had a place of our own,
0:56:28 > 0:56:32but it's also opened up opportunities of work to me.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36So I was able to gain employment with the council, so I now work for them.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40And I help other tenants get back into work, like they did with me.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47To give me a home, my daughter a home, a roof over our heads,
0:56:47 > 0:56:52and then to give me a job where I can support myself and my daughter,
0:56:52 > 0:56:54I will be eternally grateful.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00It's my fresh start, my new chapter.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06It's everything that a mother would want for her child.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10It symbolises so much more than just somewhere to live.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19Social housing can make a real, tangible difference to people's lives.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23And that's why the work of housing investigators is so vitally important,
0:57:23 > 0:57:25as they track down the tenancy cheats,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29reclaim properties and give them to people who really need them.