0:00:04 > 0:00:05I'm Michelle Ackerley.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08My parents both grew up on council estates
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and, as a family, we understand the difference social housing can make
0:00:12 > 0:00:13to 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 > 0:00:41When somebody applies for housing, you expect them to live in a property.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And when they don't, it 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 > 0:01:03- What a waste!- If you want to commit tenancy fraud,
0:01:03 > 0:01:04don't bother coming here.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06..reclaiming properties.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I need to speak to you, please.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11They've seen an opportunity and they think they're not going to get caught.
0:01:11 > 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 > 0:01:19It should be loved and looked after.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22This is Council House Crackdown.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Tonight, a house of horror -
0:01:27 > 0:01:31the family home abandoned nearly two decades ago.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36This could be given to someone who's in dire need of social housing, and
0:01:36 > 0:01:38it's just been left to rot.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42A couple claim homelessness to gain social housing,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46whilst seeming to lead a champagne lifestyle.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48It's really frustrating when you've got people telling lies
0:01:48 > 0:01:51about their circumstances, especially when you know
0:01:51 > 0:01:54there were genuine people out there that really needed that home.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Investigators uncover a coordinated attempt
0:01:57 > 0:02:00to buy five precious social housing properties.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04These five right-to-buy applicants had financial links to one another.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08This raised our concerns that there was serious criminal activity
0:02:08 > 0:02:10in these cases, such as money laundering.
0:02:17 > 0:02:18When it comes to social housing,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21family homes are often in really short supply.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23In Wolverhampton, for example,
0:02:23 > 0:02:29fewer than half of the 23,000 social housing properties have two or three bedrooms.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Making sure these properties are being put to the best possible use is vital.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40This is Mkhululi Mpofu and his wife, Vanessa.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44When they appealed to housing authorities for support with their young family,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47they appeared the perfect match for one of Wolverhampton's precious
0:02:47 > 0:02:48two-bedroom properties.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52But their deception prompted Elaine Morgan
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and her team at Wolverhampton Homes to bring their first ever prosecution for
0:02:56 > 0:02:58housing tenancy fraud.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04In Wolverhampton,
0:03:04 > 0:03:09there are nearly 9,000 households actively seeking social housing.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13This house here, it's a two-bedroom house, good size.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Back garden, off-road parking,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16so, it's ideal for families.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Yes. Very sought-after area.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22As fraud investigators for Wolverhampton Homes, Elaine and her colleague,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Louise Humphries, know just how difficult it can be for young families on
0:03:26 > 0:03:29the social housing waiting list.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31A lot of our applicants are very desperate for a home
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and it's not very easy for people
0:03:33 > 0:03:36to get onto the property ladder any more.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The demand for social housing is very great.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44We deal with so many people who are desperate for housing
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and have no other means of being able to, you know, to get housing,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50either by buying it or renting privately,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52because it's just not affordable for them.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55With social housing, it's designed for people in need.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59So it's not just something that should be available to people to
0:03:59 > 0:04:02come along and say, you know, "I want that house, I fancy living there."
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It should be for the people who genuinely need it.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10And in 2011, when Wolverhampton Homes received a housing application
0:04:10 > 0:04:16from Mkhululi and Vanessa Mpofu, the information indicated that this was one such family.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20They claimed that they didn't have anywhere to live.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22They were staying with friends
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and they were sleeping on the floor with their child.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30They said that they had no bedroom of their own.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33And because of that they were given homeless priority.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36So they were given emergency banding.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Emergency banding is a banding for people who really don't have anywhere to go.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44We have to prioritise people who genuinely don't have a home.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49They provided us with the proofs that we would require to check out before
0:04:49 > 0:04:51we allocate a property.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54So they provided bank statements at the address at which they claimed to
0:04:54 > 0:04:57be living and wage slips from that address.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01There was no reason to suspect there was anything untoward.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05When a two-bedroom property in the Fordhouses area of Wolverhampton became available,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09it looked perfect for this seemingly struggling young family.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Mkhululi and Vanessa Mpofu applied for it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16This area, as we're sort of driving around, you can see there's a lot of
0:05:16 > 0:05:22green areas, places for kids to play, there's local shops, a school.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27I suppose it is just ideal for families living here.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Because of the banding and the priority that they'd been given based on
0:05:30 > 0:05:35what they told us, they were successful in bidding for the property.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37And they were offered the house.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42The apparently desperate circumstances surrounding the Mpofus' application
0:05:42 > 0:05:46meant that they were awarded the property in the face of some tough competition.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48The property that they bid for in particular,
0:05:48 > 0:05:53I believe over 230 other applicants also applied for it,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56which meant that obviously they got the property because of their
0:05:56 > 0:05:58emergency banding.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59For Wolverhampton Homes,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02it seemed like a struggling young couple had been given
0:06:02 > 0:06:05the essential support they needed to raise a family.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Yeah, I suppose, especially if there's children, as well,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and if they've never had a home or a house with a garden and they've got
0:06:11 > 0:06:13somewhere to play,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17and I think it's just great for them that they've got that opportunity.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Local authorities routinely carry out data checks on all social housing properties,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and just over a year into the Mpofus' tenancy,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29investigators were alerted to something unusual.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34And we received a match for this particular address.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39The match indicated that the tenants themselves had actually been living
0:06:39 > 0:06:44in another socially rented property out of the borough at the time
0:06:44 > 0:06:46that they applied with us.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49The social housing property that Mkhululi and Vanessa Mpofu
0:06:49 > 0:06:53were already living in was ten miles away in Walsall.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It became clear to Elaine and her team that they needed to dig deeper
0:06:57 > 0:07:00to uncover the truth about the Mpofus' application for housing.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04Later...
0:07:04 > 0:07:06It is sickening.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08It just reinforces what we've always said -
0:07:08 > 0:07:10there is no such thing as a typical fraudster.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Investigators learn the truth behind a shocking deception.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16They had completely lied.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19They were professional people.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23They quite openly posted photographs of themselves abroad,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25sipping champagne,
0:07:25 > 0:07:30travelling to various countries and living a jet-set lifestyle.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Tenancy fraud is a serious matter.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43If you're caught and prosecuted,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46you'll end up with a criminal record and could face a fine
0:07:46 > 0:07:50of up to £50,000, or even go to jail,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54which makes it all the more surprising that some of the people
0:07:54 > 0:07:55caught trying to cheat the system
0:07:55 > 0:07:58are people who, frankly, should know better.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Our first case involves this woman - 26-year-old Kusheema Nurse.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07She was studying law in Bristol
0:08:07 > 0:08:10while at the same time breaking the law
0:08:10 > 0:08:13by illegally subletting her council flat in London.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16You would think for anyone studying that kind of subject that they would
0:08:16 > 0:08:18know the difference between right and wrong?
0:08:18 > 0:08:19That would be our expectation, yes.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25The law student's unlawful actions began in April 2011,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29shortly after she was allocated this one-bedroom flat in one of the most
0:08:29 > 0:08:33densely populated parts of Brent in North London.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36The council's fraud manager, Dave Verma,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40headed up the team who uncovered the law student's unlawful activities.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Stonebridge is a mixed urban locality.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44It's very near Central London.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49The whole NW10 postcode in London is quite up and coming.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Social housing is in high demand in this part of London,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54which made Kusheema Nurse one of the lucky few
0:08:54 > 0:08:57to get a council flat here in such a prime location.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01We're just turning on to the road now. The road is comprised of these
0:09:01 > 0:09:03older terraced type properties,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06which are now worth quite a bit of money
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and they're very solid in build.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12You'd never know that they were social housing, per se.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16When Kusheema Nurse first approached Brent Council in 2008,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18she stated she was in genuine need of housing
0:09:18 > 0:09:21after a breakdown in the relationship with her mother.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Head of Housing Needs, Laurence Coker,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25considered her application.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26So in the first instance,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28we referred her through to our mediation service
0:09:28 > 0:09:31to try and reconcile the relationship with her mother
0:09:31 > 0:09:33to prevent her from becoming homeless.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Unfortunately, that failed, so we continued to do our enquiries,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40which included a home visit to the mother's address
0:09:40 > 0:09:43to confirm the reasons why the mother was excluding
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Miss Nurse from the family home.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47The mother wasn't prepared to take her back
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and because Miss Nurse was a young vulnerable person,
0:09:50 > 0:09:55we accepted that main statutory duty to accommodate her.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58She was classified as vulnerable because she was a young woman
0:09:58 > 0:09:59with nowhere to live.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Kusheema Nurse was awarded the first floor one-bed flat in August 2010.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07She now had a roof over her head and for the next few years,
0:10:07 > 0:10:08everything seemed in order.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11The rent was paid promptly and there were no problems
0:10:11 > 0:10:12with the tenancy.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14From that time going forward,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16the council was very much of the opinion that she was resident there.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19There was nothing to indicate she wasn't.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Then, three and a half years later in February 2014,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25there was a serious fire at the property.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Station manager Pam Oparaocha was among those who attended the scene.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31So, as we were coming down the road,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34we could see the smoke issuing from the building.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Like thick black smoke,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38so we knew it was a developed fire
0:10:38 > 0:10:42and probably had been going on for some time.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46But Kusheema Nurse, the official tenant, wasn't in the property.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Firefighters found another woman
0:10:48 > 0:10:51lying unconscious on the living room floor.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54They brought her down the stairs and brought her to street level.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Initially, our crews were working on her, trying to revive her.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59We thought that she wasn't going to live.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01She was lifeless when she came out of the building,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05and eventually she started to breathe, she started to come round.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Very lucky to get out.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Very, very lucky.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The woman who was rescued from the fire had been visiting a man
0:11:11 > 0:11:15who was apparently was subletting the flat from Kusheema Nurse.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18The break-out of this fire is what's led to a lot of the problems
0:11:18 > 0:11:21occurring for Miss Nurse.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24It was after the fire that Miss Nurse attended the property
0:11:24 > 0:11:28with some of her friends and was very keen
0:11:28 > 0:11:31for the subtenant to move out very quickly.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33The subtenant decided to go to Brent Council
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and make a shock confession.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Surprisingly, a gentleman turned up at our buildings here,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41claiming that he was a subtenant
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and that he wanted to blow the whistle
0:11:43 > 0:11:45on the fact that he was the subtenant
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and give us a statement accordingly.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Investigators were alarmed by what he had to say about
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Kusheema Nurse's three and a half year tenancy.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57The subtenant was very clear in what he told us about Miss Nurse.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03Firstly, that she was not living at the property and that soon after
0:12:03 > 0:12:05being awarded the property by Brent,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08she'd actually moved to Bristol to do a degree in law.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11If what the man had told investigators was true,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Kusheema Nurse was acting unlawfully.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Later - Brent Council uncover the shocking truth
0:12:18 > 0:12:21about Kusheema Nurse's double life.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22She was spending her money here.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25There was a multitude of transactions showing her regularly
0:12:25 > 0:12:28spending money here, but more so, she was working here.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Earlier, we learned how Mkhululi and Vanessa Mpofu
0:12:37 > 0:12:41were awarded a two-bedroom property by Wolverhampton Homes
0:12:41 > 0:12:44after claiming to be homeless and sleeping on a friend's floor.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50They said that they had no bedroom of their own,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and because of that they were given homeless priority.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56So they were given emergency banding.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00When a routine data match revealed the couple were already registered
0:13:00 > 0:13:03at an address ten miles away in Walsall,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05tenancy fraud officers needed to investigate further.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07They re-examined documents,
0:13:07 > 0:13:12including a questionnaire the couple filled out when they applied for the house.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14One of the requirements on that questionnaire is to provide
0:13:14 > 0:13:17ten years' worth of addresses, previous addresses.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21We looked at the ten years' worth of addresses they provided
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and there were so many of them, they had to continue on a blank sheet.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27At first glance, it appeared that the couple had comprehensively
0:13:27 > 0:13:31listed every property they'd lived in for the past decade.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34But, tellingly, the address in Walsall was missing.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Either the council's database was inaccurate,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41or Mkhululi and Vanessa Mpofu had withheld the truth.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45A quick check with the housing association in Walsall confirmed their suspicions.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48They confirmed that they'd actually had the tendency with them for quite
0:13:48 > 0:13:54a while. And they were living there, not in Wolverhampton,
0:13:54 > 0:13:55where they claimed to be living.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Once we discovered that they'd already had a tenancy in another borough,
0:13:59 > 0:14:04we contacted the housing association who they were the tenants of and
0:14:04 > 0:14:07asked if there was any particular reason as to why they couldn't have
0:14:07 > 0:14:08lived at that property.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12The housing association confirmed that there was no legitimate reason
0:14:12 > 0:14:15why the couple couldn't remain in Walsall.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17This was a clear case of tenancy fraud.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22They obviously knew if they told us they already had a social housing
0:14:22 > 0:14:27property, we wouldn't have looked at them as a priority case.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30So they deliberately withheld the information.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31When investigators dug deeper,
0:14:31 > 0:14:36they began to suspect the couple weren't exactly in need of social housing.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40We investigated their circumstances and we found out that they both worked for the NHS.
0:14:40 > 0:14:46I believe that the one partner also wrote stories for the media.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48So they had decent jobs.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50It just reinforces what we've always said -
0:14:50 > 0:14:52there is no such thing as a typical fraudster.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56We've had people from all walks of life that we've investigated for
0:14:56 > 0:14:58housing tenancy fraud.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03We've had older people, professional people,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07people that you just wouldn't expect would do something like that.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Because the couple had already withheld vital information
0:15:10 > 0:15:12on their tenancy application,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17investigators decided to take an even closer look at the Mpofus.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19We started to look at them
0:15:19 > 0:15:23on any social media sites we could find that they were on and just
0:15:23 > 0:15:25generally have a look at their lifestyle.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29What they saw online took the investigation team
0:15:29 > 0:15:30completely by surprise.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Looking at their social media profiles, it showed them,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38they seemed to be travelling a lot, had a decent car.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41They didn't seem to be lacking in funds.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45They quite openly posted photographs of themselves abroad,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47sipping champagne,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50travelling to various countries
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and living a jet-set lifestyle.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57It was completely at odds with their application for social housing.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00They claimed they were living in a property in Wolverhampton -
0:16:00 > 0:16:01that was a complete lie.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03They claimed they were
0:16:03 > 0:16:08overcrowded, sleeping on the floor with their family -
0:16:08 > 0:16:10that was a complete lie.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13They left off the actual address where they were living.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The bank statements they provided were false and the wage slips they
0:16:17 > 0:16:19provided were false.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22It's really frustrating when you've got people telling lies about their
0:16:22 > 0:16:26circumstances, especially when you know there were genuine people out
0:16:26 > 0:16:28there that really needed that home,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and they cheated their way to get it.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Investigators took action.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38On November 12th 2013,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Mkhululi and Vanessa Mpofu appeared before Wolverhampton magistrates,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45accused of tenancy fraud.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47It was very significant for us.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51It was the first prosecution case we had ever dealt with.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55So it was a big learning curve for us about how we had to go about
0:16:55 > 0:16:56obtaining the evidence,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00putting the evidence together and going forward to Magistrates' Court.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05The couple pleaded guilty to offences under the Fraud Act.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Both were given community orders,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and Mr Mpofu was sentenced to 120 hours' unpaid work.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15The couple handed the keys back.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19We felt it was important to deal with it in this case,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21to make an example
0:17:21 > 0:17:27that we just won't tolerate people committing housing tenancy fraud.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33The property has been re-let to another family on the social housing waiting list.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38The family that was rehoused there, they, too, were in an emergency need
0:17:38 > 0:17:40for that property and it was a genuine case,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44and we believe that the family are very happy in their new home.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48When I look at the photographs in cases like this one,
0:17:48 > 0:17:54it makes me feel a sense of satisfaction that the job we're doing is
0:17:54 > 0:17:59designed to prevent this from happening and that we will do something and
0:17:59 > 0:18:01we will take tenancy fraud very seriously.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Our next case involves businessman Kandappillai Jenopan.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He claimed to be living in overcrowded conditions with his family.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23After a nine-year wait, he was allocated a council flat.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28But what Mr Jenopan didn't mention was that since applying for his council flat,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31he'd been busy building up an impressive property portfolio
0:18:31 > 0:18:34180 miles north in Scunthorpe...
0:18:35 > 0:18:38..where he owned this three-bedroomed detached property,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41this two-bed terrace,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43this three-bed terraced house...
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Oh, and also this three-bedroom detached property.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Very nice, too.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Greenwich, South East London.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54In this highly sought after borough,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58there are over 16,000 people waiting to be housed,
0:18:58 > 0:19:03while around 250 new applicants join the queue every month,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07so it's vital for the council to tackle those tenancy cheats.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Kandappillai Jenopan registered for council housing in the year 2000.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Surprisingly, in 2012,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17after having been a tenant for only three years,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21out of the blue, he handed in the keys and gave the property back.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26After waiting so long, this sudden change of heart aroused suspicions,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30so the Royal Borough of Greenwich fraud team ran some financial checks.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34And we found fairly instantly that he had links to Scunthorpe area.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38We also found that he had business links to Scunthorpe in the fact that
0:19:38 > 0:19:43he owned a franchise, or ran a franchise, of petrol garages in that area.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46What we had to do was look at Mr Jenopan's original application.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48That was a long time ago, in 2000.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And this is what he wrote.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52"I have been living with my brother. It's a one-bedroom flat.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56"He's got married and I am sleeping visiting hall. It is uncomfortable
0:19:56 > 0:19:59"for me and them. Also I am going college. It's affecting my studies
0:19:59 > 0:20:00"as well."
0:20:00 > 0:20:02So basically he's saying he's overcrowded.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04When he accepted his council property,
0:20:04 > 0:20:10Mr Jenopan had to sign a tenancy agreement stating that his situation hadn't changed.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Here's the tenancy here.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16This is important because this is a date when on 7th May 2009,
0:20:16 > 0:20:21he signed this form to say that he didn't have anywhere else to live
0:20:21 > 0:20:24and that he had no changes to his circumstances.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27I mean, nine years have elapsed since he put his housing application in,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29so people's circumstances do change.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33In May 2009, he declared to us that his circumstances were still the same,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35that he had no other accommodation to live in,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39that he was still living with his relatives in the property in Greenwich,
0:20:39 > 0:20:40but we found that wasn't true.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Armed with the information the fraud team had gathered
0:20:43 > 0:20:45about his connections to the Scunthorpe area,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48they contacted North Lincolnshire Council to see what
0:20:48 > 0:20:51information they held on Mr Jenopan.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Most councils do talk to each other.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57We would send, quite routinely, a Data Protection Act inquiry
0:20:57 > 0:21:00to another council and they would normally respond pretty quickly back.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03In North Lincolnshire, Hannah Leigh Watson is the fraud investigator who
0:21:03 > 0:21:05dealt with the case.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- Hi, there!- Hi, nice to meet you. - Lovely to meet you, I'm Michelle.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09- Hi, this way.- Thanks.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Back in July last year,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16we were contacted by an investigator at the Royal Greenwich regarding
0:21:16 > 0:21:18information we held on Mr Jenopan.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20How did you kind of track down the details?
0:21:20 > 0:21:24What kind of things do you need to go through in order to build up the evidence?
0:21:24 > 0:21:28We checked through all the council records we held, which was using council tax documentation,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32and if he had ever claimed any housing benefits or council tax reduction at a point.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34We also used our electoral roll,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36just to see who was registered where.
0:21:36 > 0:21:43So the council tax records showed that Mr Jenopan was in fact living up here,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46as well as having the council property down south.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It turned out he had four properties in this authority,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51which he was renting out to other people.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Oh, my gosh. So at the time when he was allocated a council property
0:21:55 > 0:21:59down in Greenwich, he had four properties up here in Scunthorpe.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03- I mean, that is pretty damning, isn't it?- It is, yes.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07North Lincolnshire Council records proved beyond doubt that he had amassed
0:22:07 > 0:22:10a varied portfolio of properties in the area
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and that he was also living in one of them.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I've been in the council 20 years now and in the last few years,
0:22:16 > 0:22:21there's so much more sharing with data than there was ever before.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25And it's through the sharing of information that you find out more about people.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27I mean, in this case,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30North Lincolnshire helped us because they were unable to confirm to us
0:22:30 > 0:22:32that Mr Jenopan had been living up there.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36North Lincolnshire Council had concrete evidence that Mr Jenopan and his wife
0:22:36 > 0:22:39had been living in the area since May 2010,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43precisely the time he was supposed to be living in his council flat
0:22:43 > 0:22:46180 miles away in Greenwich.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Indeed, it wasn't just a record, it was something that he had physically
0:22:49 > 0:22:51rung up about himself, and they had a record of that,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53to say that he was living up there.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Within a year of having his property,
0:22:55 > 0:23:00evidence certainly suggested that Mr Jenopan hadn't moved into our address at all.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02If he did ever live out our address in Greenwich,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04he was only there for a year.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07It's very clear he's made a false statement here,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10he already owned four houses and had a perfect opportunity to say,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14"Look, hang on, I shouldn't be taking this tenancy and depriving someone else,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17"I don't want it because I've got four other places to go and live in."
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I mean, the audacity of the person is unbelievable,
0:23:19 > 0:23:20to be honest with you.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Before accepting a social housing property,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26tenants have to tell the council of any change in circumstance that may
0:23:26 > 0:23:31affect their housing application, such as getting married,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34having children or becoming a property owner.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37In this case, the tenant had been lying about his circumstances,
0:23:37 > 0:23:38and there was more.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41There was many names on the address. Don't forget, this is a one-bedroom flat.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45You'd only normally expect to see one person registered for council tax there.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49But there were several on the credit checks, which was implying that he had rented it out.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Later, the investigators confront the fraudster.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57There was no way he was going to escape a summons from us for a prosecution.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Earlier, we met Kusheema Nurse,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10who'd been allocated a one-bedroom property in London by Brent Council
0:24:10 > 0:24:15when she declared herself homeless in 2008.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Investigators were then approached by the man
0:24:18 > 0:24:20who was unlawfully renting the flat from her.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26The subtenant was very clear in what he told us about Miss Nurse.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Firstly, that she was not living at the property
0:24:29 > 0:24:34and that, soon after being awarded the property by Brent,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36she'd actually moved to Bristol to do a degree in law.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42So you've got a student here, studying law, pretty intense degree,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44prestigious university,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47you would think if anyone studying that kind of subject,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50that they would know the difference between right and wrong.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Well, that would be our expectation, yes.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Counter fraud manager Dave Verma immediately began an investigation.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59He was able to access bank statements
0:24:59 > 0:25:01showing Kusheema Nurse's spending habits.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I'm sure that's extremely useful for a case like this.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06What did you discover from looking at those statements?
0:25:06 > 0:25:07She was spending her money here.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09There was a multitude of transactions
0:25:09 > 0:25:11showing her regularly spending money here,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13but more so, she was working here.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16We discovered she was very much living her life here in Bristol.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Back at Brent Council offices,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Dave showed me the evidence he'd compiled.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24So, we're seeing all kinds of payments being made in Bristol.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27And secondly, it shows salary payments
0:25:27 > 0:25:29for a nightclub in Bristol...
0:25:31 > 0:25:34..and also that she has various transactions
0:25:34 > 0:25:38showing that she is living in Bristol.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Brent Council contacted the nightclub
0:25:40 > 0:25:41to confirm she'd been working there.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46This is a letter that we obtained from her employer in Bristol.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48This is from a nightclub
0:25:48 > 0:25:54and this confirms her employment, that it started in June 2010
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and that they hold an address for her on file, which is in Bristol.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01This showed she'd been working in Bristol for more than 18 months
0:26:01 > 0:26:05at the same time that she had her council tenancy in London.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07From piecing all this together,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11it's pretty clear that she's not living in London and that, you know,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15a job working in a nightclub, it's late nights.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Well, clearly. That was confirmed to us by her employers
0:26:18 > 0:26:20that she was often finishing in the early hours.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24It's not easy to be coming back and forth to London
0:26:24 > 0:26:27if you're working in a nightclub late at night.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Well, it's completely implausible.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31With a university degree in law going on at the same time,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- it would be implausible.- It just doesn't make sense, does it?
0:26:33 > 0:26:34No, not at all.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Investigators were convinced that whilst studying law
0:26:37 > 0:26:39and working in Bristol,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Kusheema Nurse couldn't have been using her flat in Brent
0:26:41 > 0:26:43as her main place of residence.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46At the time of the investigation in 2014,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Brent Council had more than 3,000 households
0:26:49 > 0:26:50living in temporary accommodation.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53This made it imperative for them
0:26:53 > 0:26:56to reclaim their flat from Kusheema Nurse as quickly as possible.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59She was called in for an interview under caution.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03At the interview, Miss Nurse decided to give
0:27:03 > 0:27:05what we call a no comment interview.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Her demeanour at the start of the interview was somewhat confident
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and she seemed very happy to give a no comment interview.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14However as the interview progressed,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17it appeared that she was becoming more and more nervous
0:27:17 > 0:27:19as she was learning the amount of evidence
0:27:19 > 0:27:21that had been gained about her.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25In my personal opinion, someone who is studying law,
0:27:25 > 0:27:31one would hope that one would know the legal system and that the weight
0:27:31 > 0:27:34of evidence was definitely stacked against her in this instance.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39In August 2016, Kusheema Nurse appeared before Harrow Crown Court.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Miss Nurse decided to go with a not guilty plea,
0:27:42 > 0:27:47where she gave explanations that the subtenant was just a person
0:27:47 > 0:27:48decorating for her,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52that she was actually resident at the flat in London
0:27:52 > 0:27:54whilst undertaking her degree.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56She didn't divert from that at all.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00She was very, very stalwart that that was the case.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02The court didn't believe her claims
0:28:02 > 0:28:04that she was commuting between London and Bristol
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and found Kusheema Nurse guilty of offences
0:28:07 > 0:28:10under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act of 2013
0:28:10 > 0:28:13and the Fraud Act of 2006.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17She was sentenced to 130 hours' community service,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21deferred for three months so she could complete her law exams.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27The stark fact is, across the UK,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30there's not enough social housing to meet demand,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34so councils will often put people in temporary accommodation while they
0:28:34 > 0:28:37wait for a suitable property to become available.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40But sometimes that wait can be a long one.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45Meet single mum Justine.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47She moved into temporary accommodation
0:28:47 > 0:28:52with her 15-year-old daughter, Angelina, 1.5 years ago.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Yes, so this is my front room and my bedroom together.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02It's not ideal because obviously my daughter and myself are quite aware
0:29:02 > 0:29:04that I'm sleeping in the front room,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08whereas it being a front room and my daughter feels very sort of,
0:29:08 > 0:29:10and myself, a little bit embarrassed.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Justine and her daughter became homeless in 2015,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17and they've been on Wandsworth Council's housing list ever since.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20With two-bedroom properties in short supply,
0:29:20 > 0:29:24as emergency aid they were offered a temporary one-bedroom flat and
0:29:24 > 0:29:26they've been here ever since.
0:29:26 > 0:29:32But even this costs £675 a month and Justine works full-time,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35earning the minimum wage, in an attempt to make ends meet.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39When I get my wages, which will roughly be about £800 a month,
0:29:39 > 0:29:43£123 has to go on your Oyster card for travelling on the trains.
0:29:43 > 0:29:50You might have your telly, food, clothes, dinner money for Angelina.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53So there's not really much left but,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56you know, living in London, everything is expensive.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Across the capital, there are more than 50,000 homeless families living
0:30:00 > 0:30:03in emergency housing such as hostels and B&Bs.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08Many London councils are relocating homeless families outside the capital.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10It's a controversial policy.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14But for Justine, living in London with her daughter, Angelina,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16is proving to be unsustainable.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20She's desperate to find a solution and has signed up with
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Homefinder UK, a non-profit company that matches people with social housing properties
0:30:24 > 0:30:27in other parts of the country.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31A lady phoned me up and she showed me lots of lovely properties outside
0:30:31 > 0:30:35the borough like Liverpool, Manchester, Middleton,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40and she was extremely polite and she was very nice and it gave me
0:30:40 > 0:30:43a lot of hope, and the door was not closed.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47I felt like there is another route apart from being in this,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50even though it is a big step to take.
0:30:50 > 0:30:51And it is a big step.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55Justine was born and bred in London and the prospect of uprooting her
0:30:55 > 0:30:58daughter from school in search of a better quality of life
0:30:58 > 0:31:02is a daunting one, but she feels she's got no choice.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05I mean, the rent. Look at the rent.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07Look at the rent here.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11£97.62, plus you get your big garden.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14You are not going to get that in Croydon.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20The good thing is your wages would remain the same out of London so the
0:31:20 > 0:31:23properties would be affordable and they are not going to put you in
0:31:23 > 0:31:27that position of putting you in properties that you can't afford.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29And they will put you in places where you can manage,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33so that takes a big weight off of your shoulders.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Justine's HomeFindings search is in its early days but she has
0:31:36 > 0:31:39high hopes of finding a suitable property soon.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Earlier, we heard about businessman Kandappillai Jenopan,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49who claimed to be a struggling single man
0:31:49 > 0:31:53living in a council flat provided by the Royal Borough of Greenwich,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57but the reality was he'd built up a sizable property portfolio
0:31:57 > 0:32:00180 miles north in Scunthorpe.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Mr Jenopan owned four houses in total.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04He lived in one with his family
0:32:04 > 0:32:06and the other three properties he rented out.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08After many months,
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Greenwich Council's fraud team had built up a cast-iron case.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Investigator Karen Evans headed North
0:32:15 > 0:32:16to interview Kandappillai Jenopan
0:32:16 > 0:32:19at North Lincolnshire Council offices.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24It's not necessarily an arrestable offence that has been committed,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26so it's not like a police interview under caution.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29You know, you invite somebody in for interview,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31they have no obligation to attend or not.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35So you try as best you can to get them in for interview and that's
0:32:35 > 0:32:37exactly what we did.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Kandappillai Jenopan did attend the interview and Karen was able to
0:32:40 > 0:32:42put the fraud team's findings to him.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46After showing him the evidence that we had, all the land registries,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49all of the, erm, or some of the mortgage applications,
0:32:49 > 0:32:54proof of him registering himself as liable for council tax at those
0:32:54 > 0:32:55properties sometimes,
0:32:55 > 0:33:00proof of him renting them out to various tenants over the years,
0:33:00 > 0:33:01the evidence was conclusive.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03I think he realised that.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Kandappillai Jenopan admitted owning four properties,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09but claimed he was renting them all out
0:33:09 > 0:33:11and not living in any of them himself.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15Mr Jenopan's quite a successful businessman, from what we know.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18He has numerous franchises in Scunthorpe.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22And he was employing people that he would put into his houses
0:33:22 > 0:33:27in Scunthorpe and occasionally popping back to London.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29That was his story.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32I think he was playing on the naivete side of things but I think he most
0:33:32 > 0:33:34probably was aware that if he was to stick to that story,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37that he didn't realise he should tell us about the property ownership,
0:33:37 > 0:33:42that if he maintained that he lived at the property with us, that maybe the case would go away.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43But that clearly wasn't the case.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47Our evidence we had on this case was overwhelming and there was no way he
0:33:47 > 0:33:50was going to escape a summons from us for a prosecution.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54The evidence provided by North Lincolnshire Council was all the proof that
0:33:54 > 0:33:55Nigel and the team needed.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Ultimately, he had deprived someone in genuine need for a period of
0:33:59 > 0:34:02three years of a very nice flat in the Greenwich area.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05A nice one-bedroomed that someone else could have had.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08It was just a no-brainer really that there was no other way than a
0:34:08 > 0:34:10prosecution for Mr Jenopan.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14In October 2016, Mr Jenopan pleaded guilty to two offences
0:34:14 > 0:34:15under the Fraud Act.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18The matter was passed to Crown Court for sentencing.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21To admit his guilt at court proved our case that he had been living in
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Scunthorpe almost the whole period of time.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28Two months later, Mr Jenopan received a 20-month prison sentence,
0:34:28 > 0:34:30suspended for two years,
0:34:30 > 0:34:34120 hours of community service and he was ordered to compensate the
0:34:34 > 0:34:37council for their financial losses -
0:34:37 > 0:34:40a total of more than £29,000.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43How that's worked out is for the three years that Mr Jenopan
0:34:43 > 0:34:45deprived us of the use of our property,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48we've had to house somebody else in a one-bedroom property
0:34:48 > 0:34:51at a temporary accommodation cost,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55so we calculate the amount of money that he's defrauded from us
0:34:55 > 0:34:59in that respect and cost us and the judge awarded us £29,000.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02He told him that by Christmas, only a month's time,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04he had to pay £10,000 to us.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08And then the remainder's being paid now by £650 per month.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11I mean, to see somebody be ordered to pay back money to us is great
0:35:11 > 0:35:13satisfaction from the council's point of view.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Not only can we then use that money back for the homeless people in the
0:35:15 > 0:35:19borough, and maybe to rehouse people in temporary accommodation to offset
0:35:19 > 0:35:23some of our very high costs that we pay, but the good thing is,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25it would be a real lesson to Mr Jenopan.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27A two-year suspended sentence for some people would be, well,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29"I got away with it."
0:35:29 > 0:35:33But to actually have to pay £29,000, to me, isn't getting away with it.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36That's a lot of money that anybody would have to find.
0:35:36 > 0:35:37And I'm sure that hurt him.
0:35:37 > 0:35:43Kandappillai Jenopan has so far paid back almost £12,500.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46If he fails to pay the full amount, the Royal Borough of Greenwich
0:35:46 > 0:35:49will force the sale of his property to settle his debt.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56The Right to Buy scheme is intended to help tenants
0:35:56 > 0:35:59take their first step onto the property ladder,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03but the scheme is also being increasingly targeted by fraudsters
0:36:03 > 0:36:05attracted to the huge discounts on offer.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07In fact, in the last 12 months,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10the number of investigations into Right to Buy fraud
0:36:10 > 0:36:12has increased by 400%.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18Our next case involves a co-ordinated attempt by a group
0:36:18 > 0:36:22of five young men to buy up five social housing properties.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25We were thinking, "This is not just your average Right to Buy attempt,
0:36:25 > 0:36:26"Right to Buy fraud attempt.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28"This is something a bit more sinister than that."
0:36:33 > 0:36:38Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, with its stunning architecture,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42history, culture and, of course, its world-famous university.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Here, as in other cities across the UK,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Right to Buy fraud is a growing problem.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Under Oxford's Right to Buy scheme,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54tenants can buy their social housing property at a knock-down price,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56but only if they're eligible.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58A Right to Buy applicant...
0:37:11 > 0:37:15Because there's a huge financial loss, essentially, to the council,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19we have a duty to ensure that people are living at that address
0:37:19 > 0:37:21they are entitled to their Right to Buy,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23there's no money laundering involved
0:37:23 > 0:37:26and no other fraud that we should be concerned about.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Here in Oxford, every Right to Buy application is thoroughly checked
0:37:29 > 0:37:32and every document scanned.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34- Hi, Kate. Lovely to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- Shall we go through?- Yeah.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Kate Southey is an intelligence officer at Oxford City Council.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43This council isn't just looking at specific cases.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46You are scanning across the board, aren't you?
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- Absolutely.- You're looking at every single application?
0:37:49 > 0:37:50Absolutely everybody, yes.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54Even the most innocuous-looking application could be fraudulent
0:37:54 > 0:37:58and we just think it is best practice to look at every single one
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and find the ones that we do want to investigate further.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03The policy seems to work -
0:38:03 > 0:38:06over 20% of Oxford's Right to Buy applications
0:38:06 > 0:38:08are blocked or withdrawn.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11So, what sort of tenants would raise suspicions when you're looking
0:38:11 > 0:38:13at these applications for Right to Buy?
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Either the very elderly or the very young applicants.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20We expect most applications to come from working-age tenants.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And what is it about if you got an application through from, you know,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26an 80-year-old man, what is it that makes you think something's
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- not quite right?- If a tenant is elderly and they've lived in their
0:38:29 > 0:38:32council property for many years perfectly happily,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34you do have to question why, all of a sudden,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37towards the end of their life, they would want to do that.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40So, we explore the possibility that there's a younger relative
0:38:40 > 0:38:44who may be seeking to gain financially from that property.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47And on the reverse side of that, what about with the very young?
0:38:47 > 0:38:48What raises alarm bells there?
0:38:48 > 0:38:51The biggest red flag there would be, how could they afford it?
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Oxford's a very expensive place to live,
0:38:54 > 0:38:56even with a Right to Buy discount.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59If you've not been in the workplace very long,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03how can you afford a deposit and how can you afford
0:39:03 > 0:39:07ongoing mortgage payments, and where is the money coming from?
0:39:07 > 0:39:10The council's rigorous vetting procedures were put
0:39:10 > 0:39:13to the test when two separate Right to Buy applications
0:39:13 > 0:39:17were submitted within a few days of each other in June 2015,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21followed by three more in the months that followed.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23One of them landed on Kate's desk.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25There are three of us in the intelligence team
0:39:25 > 0:39:29and each of us noticed that we had cases that were very, very similar.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33We had five gentlemen, who were all of the same nationality,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35all from a similar area,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39who were all suddenly applying for their council houses.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Fellow intelligence officer Tarryn Spruyt looked into one
0:39:42 > 0:39:46of the applications and suspected the tenant wasn't even living
0:39:46 > 0:39:49in the property, and therefore had no right to buy it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Neighbours hadn't seen him for months.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54He was thought to be now a student in London.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58So, when my colleague noticed that my tenant matched those of
0:39:58 > 0:40:03her applications, we realised that we were on to something bigger.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07The five Right to Buy applications had some startling similarities.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10All the applicants were Eastern European,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14they all entered the UK as unaccompanied minors,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17and all were now aged between 23 and 30.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20We collectively decided to write to all of our applicants,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23as we would with our normal due diligence process.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27So, we asked for their wage slips, their bank statements,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29further proof of their address,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33things like that, really, to try and further assess their applications.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35While they waited for a response,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37investigators started looking into the backgrounds
0:40:37 > 0:40:39of the five applicants.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43We first investigated all of them as thoroughly as we could
0:40:43 > 0:40:47and we gave an enhanced look to all of these.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52So, that included internet searches, social media history,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55going back to look at their educational history,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58and we found that some had been at university together
0:40:58 > 0:41:01and had obviously known each other a long time.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04The five applicants responded to the council's request for
0:41:04 > 0:41:08more information by providing identity documents and wage slips.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12Four of them were in relatively low-paid part-time jobs.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14One was self-employed.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Intelligence officers wanted to know more about where they were getting
0:41:17 > 0:41:19their funds from to buy the properties.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22I've been living in Oxford myself for five years,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25my partner and I both work full-time and we're still very far from being
0:41:25 > 0:41:27able to afford our first home together.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30In this situation, our applicants were quite young,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34they were working part-time, some of them were still students,
0:41:34 > 0:41:36so had a relatively low income,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40yet were still applying for the right to buy their council home.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43The connections between the five men run even deeper.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Some of them were registered to vote at one another's addresses.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50They were listed of next of kins and as key-holders, as well,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52which raised our suspicions further
0:41:52 > 0:41:54that there was a stronger connection here.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57If fraud investigations were to block these applications,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59they needed more solid evidence.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02At this stage, it was really frustrating that, despite
0:42:02 > 0:42:05the hard work that we'd put into making these connections
0:42:05 > 0:42:08and the suspicions that we had that there wasn't something quite right,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11it still wasn't enough to prevent them from buying their council home.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14What we really needed was some hard evidence
0:42:14 > 0:42:16as to how they were going to fund the purchase
0:42:16 > 0:42:18and whether or not they were actually living
0:42:18 > 0:42:19in their council properties.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22So far, the men had not provided the investigators
0:42:22 > 0:42:25with any bank statements or proof of funds,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28and that in itself was cause for concern.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31The people that genuinely want to buy their houses will send the
0:42:31 > 0:42:34information back and they've all laid it out for you
0:42:34 > 0:42:37and they've given you their mobile number and their e-mail address.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41And then there are the ones that will fill in half of the form,
0:42:41 > 0:42:42not tick all the boxes,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46send you a little bit of evidence to keep the process rolling,
0:42:46 > 0:42:48but not quite enough.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52With strong links between the five applicants and question marks around
0:42:52 > 0:42:53where the money was coming from,
0:42:53 > 0:42:58this was starting to look like an organised and coordinated attempt to
0:42:58 > 0:43:01profit from Oxford's precious social housing stock.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Scott Warner is Oxford City Council's head of fraud.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06I mean, these common traits, right at the outset,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10rang massive alarm bells. What are you thinking at this stage?
0:43:10 > 0:43:12They did. Well, we were thinking, "This is not just your average
0:43:12 > 0:43:14"Right to Buy attempt, Right to Buy fraud attempt.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16"This is something a bit more sinister than that."
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Talk me through the types of checks that you do to really bolster
0:43:19 > 0:43:20the evidence in this kind of case.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24So, we ask about the source of funding, primarily,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26and that's an anti-money laundering measure to make sure
0:43:26 > 0:43:29that the funds being used to purchase the property
0:43:29 > 0:43:34are not from illegitimate or criminal origins.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38Later, mysterious cash transfers heighten concerns...
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Our suspect received over £28,000 into his account,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45taking his balance up to over 40,000.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48..as the full scale of the deception is exposed.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50We've seen lots of high-value transfers between
0:43:50 > 0:43:54each of the individuals. Now, I'm not talking £300 or £400.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57- This is like £50,000 to £60,000 transfers at any one time.- Really?
0:44:05 > 0:44:07If you have a social housing property,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10it's supposed to be your sole and principal home,
0:44:10 > 0:44:13and if you're going to be away for a prolonged period,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16you're expected to notify the council. But, as we'll see,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20tenants aren't always as forthcoming as they might be.
0:44:23 > 0:44:29This is Friar Park, four miles south of Walsall in the West Midlands,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and it was here that tenancy fraud investigators
0:44:32 > 0:44:35witnessed a shocking abuse of social housing that spanned
0:44:35 > 0:44:39nearly two decades and led to evidence of animal cruelty.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43- That must have been a pretty awful day.- Yeah, it was disgusting.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47It was one of the worst visits I've ever been on.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49The story began in February 2015,
0:44:49 > 0:44:53when lead investigator Lee O'Malley began to have concerns regarding one
0:44:53 > 0:44:57of Sandwell Council's three-bedroom family properties.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01So, Lee, this is the property. Tell me a bit more about it.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03What kind of person is it suitable for?
0:45:03 > 0:45:07It's suitable for a family. It's a three-bed property.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11Nice, big living room, decent-sized kitchen, bathroom,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13and the garden's huge, as well.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18Over 1,700 people have been listed as homeless in Sandwell over the
0:45:18 > 0:45:22last three years. Ensuring council properties are awarded to those in
0:45:22 > 0:45:25greatest need is a permanent challenge for
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Sandwell Council leader Steve Eling.
0:45:27 > 0:45:32But we've got, every day, ordinary families who are having difficulty
0:45:32 > 0:45:38accessing affordable, decent housing as their permanent home,
0:45:38 > 0:45:41and the housing crisis that we've got in the country
0:45:41 > 0:45:44has worsened that situation.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48When authorities received a tip-off concerning the long-standing tenant
0:45:48 > 0:45:52of the property in Friar Park, they took a closer look.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55We started our investigation as it had been reported
0:45:55 > 0:45:59the lady in question wasn't living at her address.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01Authorities were concerned.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04If the woman wasn't living at the property, where was she?
0:46:04 > 0:46:08Investigators hit the streets to find out the truth.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10So, you spoke to the neighbours. What did they tell you?
0:46:10 > 0:46:13They did tell us that the neighbour in question,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17- she hadn't actually lived at the address for 19 years.- 19 years?!
0:46:17 > 0:46:19That is an incredible amount of time!
0:46:19 > 0:46:21When they told you this, what did you think?
0:46:21 > 0:46:25I was really surprised, cos it's the longest period I've known,
0:46:25 > 0:46:26while I've been doing this job,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28where someone hasn't lived at their address.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Investigators pulled the files on the Friar Park property.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36The woman was listed as taking on the tenancy in January 1992.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38If what the neighbours were saying was accurate,
0:46:38 > 0:46:41the woman had moved out three years into her tenancy,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43but had neglected to inform the council,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46which was a breach of her tenancy agreement.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51The neighbours said she came back once a week just to feed the cats,
0:46:51 > 0:46:53and then she would stay there for a little while
0:46:53 > 0:46:54and then leave the property.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56I'm not 100% sure whether she used to let the cats out,
0:46:56 > 0:46:59or whether she used to just leave them in the property,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01but there was no catflaps on the door,
0:47:01 > 0:47:03so, obviously, that just raised our concerns.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05Well, that's it. It's raising concerns,
0:47:05 > 0:47:07and alarm bells, really, isn't it?
0:47:07 > 0:47:08- Cos it's quite a strange scenario. - Yeah.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11Authorities were now not only worried about one of their
0:47:11 > 0:47:14properties not being put to proper use,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17but also the welfare of any animals inside the house.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Lee realised that if the woman was returning
0:47:20 > 0:47:21to the property once a week,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24there was a good chance she was still living nearby.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27One of the neighbours mentioned to us
0:47:27 > 0:47:31the name of the partner or friend who she may be staying with.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Using the council records, I located that person,
0:47:33 > 0:47:35and she was actually in that address.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38- So, you managed to identify her there?- Yeah.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40When Lee confronted the woman,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43she denied abandoning the property 19 years earlier,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45and claimed to be staying with her partner temporarily
0:47:45 > 0:47:47because she was unwell.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50And you told her that you wanted to make a visit to this property,
0:47:50 > 0:47:52- didn't you?- That's right.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54She's refused, because she said she was too ill.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57But the person she was living with at the time,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00she allowed him to come and show me round the property.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03But nothing could prepare investigators
0:48:03 > 0:48:06for what confronted them when they opened the front door.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11The smell of cat faeces just hit you as soon as you walked in,
0:48:11 > 0:48:12and it was visible.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15When you walked into the living room, you could see cat sick,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18- cat faeces, all in the hallway, in the living room.- Oh, gosh!
0:48:18 > 0:48:20So, there were cats. From what the neighbours had said,
0:48:20 > 0:48:23they were correct - there were cats in the property?
0:48:23 > 0:48:25- Yeah, it was horrible. - And could they actually get out?
0:48:25 > 0:48:30Um, from what I saw, there were no catflaps.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33I witnessed one of the cats in the property,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36and the breathing of the cat, it wasn't good.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Lee contacted the RSPCA
0:48:38 > 0:48:41and continued to document the appalling condition of the house.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45You just describing it to me, it sounds disgusting, really.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49- You've got pictures, haven't you, from what it was like?- Yeah.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52These are some of the pictures which we'd taken inside the house
0:48:52 > 0:48:53when we conducted our visit.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Oh, my gosh!
0:48:56 > 0:49:00The photos of the property paint a horrifying picture of neglect.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Cat faeces and vomit on the beds,
0:49:03 > 0:49:06the carpets, and throughout the house,
0:49:06 > 0:49:11and a precious council property left to decay for nearly two decades.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15I honestly can't imagine how awful it must have been
0:49:15 > 0:49:17to go into a property like that.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22One, it's, you know, completely been destroyed and being wasted.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24Two, there's an incredibly sick animal
0:49:24 > 0:49:27that appears to be trapped in the property.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And three, you're having to go round, take pictures.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34You know, the smell, it's incredibly unhygienic. It's...
0:49:34 > 0:49:37On so many levels, that must have been a pretty awful day.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41Yeah, it was disgusting. It was probably the last visit of the day,
0:49:41 > 0:49:45and like I say, it's one of the worst visits I've ever been on.
0:49:45 > 0:49:46It must have made you angry.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Yeah, definitely, because like I say,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53you could have a family living there, and it's just gone to waste.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56It was clear that the woman hadn't lived in the property for years,
0:49:56 > 0:49:59she had no need of social housing,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02but when they invited her to terminate the tenancy,
0:50:02 > 0:50:04she refused, informing investigators
0:50:04 > 0:50:06that she would be contacting her solicitor.
0:50:06 > 0:50:08What were you thinking at that point?
0:50:08 > 0:50:11It was just laughable, to be honest, at that point,
0:50:11 > 0:50:13because you've got photos of what you've seen in the property.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15I'd got my colleague with me.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Neighbours had told me what had been going on for 19 years.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21And, basically, you just think, "I'll pass that
0:50:21 > 0:50:23"to our legal department, let them have a look at it,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26"and they can draw up any notices that need to be served."
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Lawyers began preparing their case
0:50:28 > 0:50:31to have the woman's tenancy revoked in civil court,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34but, within days, the tenant had a change of heart.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37On February 22nd, 2015,
0:50:37 > 0:50:42she handed over the keys to a home that she'd left in a dreadful state.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47With this case, it's quite upsetting to see.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51There are people out there who would absolutely love a property,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53and need a property like this.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Yeah, I mean, you saw the size of the garden.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57It's a three-bed house.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59Children could be playing in that garden.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01It could be a happy family home.
0:51:03 > 0:51:08- Later...- I heard the house was in a bad way before we had it.
0:51:08 > 0:51:13..an astonishing new chapter in the life of the Sandwell property.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15It should be loved and looked after,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17and it should have happy memories here.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Go!
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Yay!
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Earlier, we heard how five social housing tenants in Oxford had made
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Right to Buy applications, all within a few months of each other.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42If successful, their combined discount on the properties
0:51:42 > 0:51:45would be nearly £400,000.
0:51:45 > 0:51:50But investigators suspected this was an organised and coordinated attempt
0:51:50 > 0:51:52to profit from the Right to Buy scheme.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57We had five gentlemen who were all of the same nationality,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59or from a similar area,
0:51:59 > 0:52:03who were all suddenly applying for their council houses.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Intelligence officer Tarryn Spruyt
0:52:05 > 0:52:07and the fraud team wanted to find out
0:52:07 > 0:52:09where these five young men were getting their money from.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12They asked them for copies of their bank statements.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14Once we'd received the bank statements, we were able to
0:52:14 > 0:52:17cross reference the accounts and quite quickly realise that
0:52:17 > 0:52:19there were thousands of pounds being transferred
0:52:19 > 0:52:22amongst our applicants into each other's accounts.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24When we looked at the bank statements we'd obtained,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26we were seeing lots of high-value transfers
0:52:26 > 0:52:28between each of the individuals.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Now, I'm not talking £300 or £400.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32This is like £50,000 to £60,000 transfers
0:52:32 > 0:52:34- at any one time.- Really?- Yeah.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38Tarryn forensically analysed one of the applicant's bank statements.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42Not only did he transfer money to the other Right to Buy applicants,
0:52:42 > 0:52:45but he had thousands of pounds coming back from them
0:52:45 > 0:52:48and also lots of money that was unaccounted for.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51One example of this is back in October,
0:52:51 > 0:52:56our suspect received over £28,000 into his account,
0:52:56 > 0:52:58taking his balance up to over 40,000.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01What was more suspicious in this case was that this was cash.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Oxford's head of fraud, Scott Warner,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06suspected the funds being used to buy the properties
0:53:06 > 0:53:08were not from a legitimate source.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11He immediately notified the National Crime Agency.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14It had all the hallmarks of money laundering. In that situation,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17we have an obligation to escalate that concern
0:53:17 > 0:53:20to the National Crime Agency, and we did that by submitting
0:53:20 > 0:53:22a suspicious activity report to them.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25The police in this case had real concerns that the money
0:53:25 > 0:53:27that was going in and out of the bank accounts might be used for
0:53:27 > 0:53:30activities such as human trafficking, or even for drugs.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34One of the five applicants was able to satisfy fraud investigators
0:53:34 > 0:53:37that the funds he was using for his purchase
0:53:37 > 0:53:38were from a legitimate source.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41His Right to Buy application was successful,
0:53:41 > 0:53:44and the sale went through in January 2017.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48The other four applications have all been withdrawn or blocked.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51It's really satisfying to know that we've potentially stopped these
0:53:51 > 0:53:54properties from falling into the hands of criminal gangs in Oxford.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57That's not what social housing is for and we want to protect that
0:53:57 > 0:54:00for those that are really in need.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Oxford City Council says all five applicants
0:54:03 > 0:54:05are still deemed as high risk,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08and any attempt by them to access council services
0:54:08 > 0:54:10will be met with extreme scrutiny.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14Intelligence reports have been submitted
0:54:14 > 0:54:16to the National Crime Agency,
0:54:16 > 0:54:19the National Anti-Fraud Network, and Thames Valley Police.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Amy Grice was struggling in cramped conditions
0:54:33 > 0:54:37with her partner and two small children in a flat in Sandwell.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40My daughter was obviously in our room.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42My son was in his own room.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45We had to climb six flights of stairs.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47The lifts were always breaking down,
0:54:47 > 0:54:51so I'd have to trail down the stairs with him in his pram.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54I felt in real, real need,
0:54:54 > 0:54:58but I waited and I was patient about it
0:54:58 > 0:55:00and, eventually, I did get a property.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04That property was the one recovered by Sandwell Council
0:55:04 > 0:55:06when they discovered that its sole inhabitants
0:55:06 > 0:55:10were the previous tenant's family of cats.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12After nearly two decades of neglect,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15the property was completely uninhabitable.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17But thanks to Sandwell Council,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20and some hard work from Amy and her partner,
0:55:20 > 0:55:22it now looks like this.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26I heard the house was in a bad way before we had it.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29When we moved in here, everything was replastered.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32The house was perfect.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34The only downfall was the back garden.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36There was a lot of mess left.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Amy and her partner have cleared and levelled the back garden
0:55:39 > 0:55:40to make it child-friendly.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44It's backbreaking work, but the end is in sight.
0:55:44 > 0:55:45It was really bad.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48The council gave us a skip, we filled that.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52I've had pedal bikes, motorbikes, engines,
0:55:52 > 0:55:55bits of cars, I overfilled it.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00It's hard work, but the work's worth it.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02It's worth it to see your children's face at the end of it
0:56:02 > 0:56:05and say, "Yeah, that's my home."
0:56:05 > 0:56:07- Ready?- Steady.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09Go!
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Yay!
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Do you want to get your scooter now?
0:56:13 > 0:56:15The day I found out I was getting the place,
0:56:15 > 0:56:17I was really shocked.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20It felt like... It didn't feel real.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23I was around the school, dropping my son off, when I had to call
0:56:23 > 0:56:26to come and view the property, and it was like,
0:56:26 > 0:56:28"Is this really happening to me?"
0:56:28 > 0:56:29I was over the moon.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33I just want to live here forever.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Obviously, once I've done all the hard work,
0:56:35 > 0:56:38obviously the garden will be prepared for the grandkids,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41obviously at a later date, you know what I mean?
0:56:41 > 0:56:46I know it's a few years away, but I'm trying to make it kid-friendly.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50In the council property, we've actually made it our home.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54Somewhere for our kids to say, "Yeah, we've grown up there.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58"Our mum and dad done the best for us in that council property."
0:56:58 > 0:57:01If you'd bought the property and you do it up,
0:57:01 > 0:57:03that's how a council house should be -
0:57:03 > 0:57:05it should be loved and looked after,
0:57:05 > 0:57:08and it should have happy memories here.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14Seeing an abandoned and neglected house
0:57:14 > 0:57:17being reclaimed and transformed into a home
0:57:17 > 0:57:20fit for a young family is inspirational.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22And each time this happens,
0:57:22 > 0:57:24it represents a small but important victory
0:57:24 > 0:57:30in the ongoing war being waged across the UK on tenancy cheats.