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 > 0:00:16Millions of families across the UK
0:00:16 > 0:00:18are 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 > 0:00:29This is our room where we sleep and this is
0:00:29 > 0:00:32what we've got at the minute. We 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 a property and when they don't,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44it does start to take the mickey.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Or even worse, making a small fortune
0:00:46 > 0:00:48by illegally subletting them.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51He's 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 > 0:01:10They've seen an opportunity and they think
0:01:10 > 0:01:11they'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.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Today, the university law student
0:01:28 > 0:01:30caught breaking the law by subletting
0:01:30 > 0:01:32her highly sought after council flat.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35It's very ironic indeed that Miss Nurse
0:01:35 > 0:01:39had travelled to Bristol to study law when in fact,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42everything being conducted down in London was highly irregular.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Captured on camera,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47the tenant lying about the size of his family
0:01:47 > 0:01:49in order to jump the housing queue
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and get a bigger property...
0:01:51 > 0:01:56He'd applied stating that he was a single parent with five daughters.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59When I checked the footage, it was always the same two children.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03..and the telltale signs that give away a tenancy cheat.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05These are key pieces of evidence.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07You've got bank accounts coming from that address,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10you've got a Virgin Media account. They're clearly living there,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12- aren't they?- The tenant can't get around that.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Tenancy fraud is a serious matter.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26If you're caught and prosecuted,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29you'll end up with a criminal record and could face a fine
0:02:29 > 0:02:33of up to £50,000, or even go to jail,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36which makes it all the more surprising that some of the people
0:02:36 > 0:02:38caught trying to cheat the system
0:02:38 > 0:02:40are people who, frankly, should know better.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Our first case involves this woman - 26-year-old Kusheema Nurse.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50She was studying law in Bristol
0:02:50 > 0:02:53while at the same time breaking the law
0:02:53 > 0:02:55by illegally subletting her council flat in London.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58You would think for anyone studying that kind of subject that they would
0:02:58 > 0:03:00know the difference between right and wrong?
0:03:00 > 0:03:02That would be our expectation, yes.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08The law student's unlawful actions began in April 2011,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12shortly after she was allocated this one-bedroom flat in one of the most
0:03:12 > 0:03:15densely populated parts of Brent in north London.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18The council's fraud manager, Dave Verma,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22headed up the team who uncovered the law student's unlawful activities.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Stonebridge is a mixed urban locality.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28It's very near central London.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33The whole NW10 postcode in London is quite up and coming.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35To buy a private dwelling there,
0:03:35 > 0:03:40you're looking at about £1 million for a three bed property.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Social housing is in high demand in this part of London,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45which made Kusheema Nurse one of the lucky few
0:03:45 > 0:03:48to get a council flat here in such a prime location.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52We're just turning on to the road now. The road is comprised of these
0:03:52 > 0:03:54older terraced type properties,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57which are now worth quite a bit of money
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and they're very solid in build.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03You'd never know that they were social housing, per se.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06When Kusheema Nurse first approached Brent Council in 2010,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08she was in genuine need of housing
0:04:08 > 0:04:11after a breakdown in the relationship with her mother.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Head of Housing Needs, Laurence Coker,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16was on the team who considered her application.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17So in the first instance,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19we referred her through to our mediation service
0:04:19 > 0:04:22to try and reconcile the relationship with her mother
0:04:22 > 0:04:24to prevent her from becoming homeless.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Unfortunately, that failed, so we continued to do our enquiries,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30which included a home visit to the mother's address
0:04:30 > 0:04:33to confirm the reasons why the mother was excluding
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Miss Nurse from the family home.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38The mother wasn't prepared to take her back
0:04:38 > 0:04:41and because Miss Nurse was a young vulnerable person,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45we accepted that main statutory duty to accommodate her.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50She was classified as vulnerable because she was a young woman
0:04:50 > 0:04:51with nowhere to live.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Kusheema Nurse was awarded the first floor one bed flat in August 2010.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00She now had a roof over her head and for the next few years,
0:05:00 > 0:05:01everything seemed in order.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The rent was paid promptly and there were no problems
0:05:04 > 0:05:05with the tenancy.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08From that time going forward,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11the council was very much of the opinion that she was resident there.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13There was nothing to indicate she wasn't.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Then three and a half years later in February 2014,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19there was a serious fire at the property.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Station manager Pam Oparaocha was among those who attended the scene.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26So, as we were coming down the road,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30we could see the smoke issuing from the building.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31Like thick black smoke,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33so we knew it was a developed fire
0:05:33 > 0:05:37and probably had been going on for some time.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Kusheema Nurse, the official tenant, wasn't in the property,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45but firefighters found another woman
0:05:45 > 0:05:47lying unconscious on the living room floor.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50They brought her down the stairs and brought her to street level.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Initially, our crews were working on her, trying to revive her.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55We thought that she wasn't going to live.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58She was lifeless when she came out of the building,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and eventually she started to breathe, she started to come round.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Very lucky to get out.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Very, very lucky.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09The woman who was rescued from the fire had been visiting a man
0:06:09 > 0:06:13who was apparently was subletting the flat from Kusheema Nurse.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17The break-out of this fire is what's led to a lot of the problems
0:06:17 > 0:06:19occurring for Miss Nurse.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23It was after the fire that Miss Nurse attended the property
0:06:23 > 0:06:26with some of her friends and was very keen
0:06:26 > 0:06:29for the subtenant to move out very quickly.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32The subtenant felt aggrieved at being asked to leave,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36so decided to go to Brent Council and make a shock confession.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Surprisingly, a gentleman turned up at our buildings here,
0:06:40 > 0:06:41claiming that he was a subtenant
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and that he wanted to blow the whistle
0:06:43 > 0:06:45on the fact that he was the subtenant
0:06:45 > 0:06:48and give us a statement accordingly.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Investigators were alarmed by what he had to say about
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Kusheema Nurse's three and a half year tenancy.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58The subtenant was very clear in what he told us about Miss Nurse.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03Firstly, that she was not living at the property and that soon after
0:07:03 > 0:07:05being awarded the property by Brent,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08she'd actually moved to Bristol to do a degree in law.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11If what the man had told investigators was true,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Kusheema Nurse was guilty of tenancy fraud.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Later - Brent Council uncover the shocking truth
0:07:19 > 0:07:21about Kusheema Nurse's double life.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23She was spending her money here.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26There was a multitude of transactions showing her regularly
0:07:26 > 0:07:29spending money here, but more so, she was working here.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39Social housing tenancy fraud costs UK taxpayers £1.7 billion a year,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42but the human cost is even greater,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46which is why housing investigators are determined not to let
0:07:46 > 0:07:49unscrupulous tenants get away with subletting their properties.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Our next case involves a multiple sublet,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55which is only brought to an end
0:07:55 > 0:07:57when neighbours tip off housing investigators.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00We were grateful that there were three or four neighbours
0:08:00 > 0:08:01who came out and gave statements,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04but it just shows that the neighbours are a community
0:08:04 > 0:08:06and wanted the flat to go to someone who should have it.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12This is Sandwell in the West Midlands.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15A clamp-down on housing fraud here is estimated to have saved
0:08:15 > 0:08:19the local council £38.4 million over the past two years.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24One property under investigation in 2014
0:08:24 > 0:08:27was this one-bedroom flat in West Bromwich.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31It had been allocated to a single female back in November 2013
0:08:31 > 0:08:34after she approached the council claiming to be homeless.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36But just a few weeks into the tenancy,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Sandwell housing officer Jo Green
0:08:38 > 0:08:41was sent round to the flat following a tip-off.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Suspicions had been raised by neighbours in terms of who was
0:08:46 > 0:08:48occupying the property.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Neighbours reported that instead of the lone female tenant,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55several Eastern European men appeared to be living in the flat.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Sandwell Council immediately began an investigation.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I was asked by a member of the fraud team
0:09:02 > 0:09:07to carry out a visit to the property. Nothing that would
0:09:07 > 0:09:15make the tenant wary of why we were going there because again,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20that would ruin any investigation work that had taken place
0:09:20 > 0:09:22prior to us visiting the property.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23As a housing officer,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Jo's job is to oversee rent payments and ensure council properties are
0:09:27 > 0:09:31being maintained to a good standard by carrying out regular inspections.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36For fraud investigators, she's also their eyes and ears on the ground.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42I'm very much so a silent observer and investigator.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Basically amassing evidence...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50..you know, so we can take action against the tenant.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Jo is trained to look out for telltale signs of subletting,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and it didn't take her long to become suspicious.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03On entering the property, we noticed that there was quite a large
0:10:03 > 0:10:06collection of male footwear of various descriptions.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07There was a mattress
0:10:07 > 0:10:11leaning against the living room wall
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and there was a lot of Polish cookbooks as well in the kitchen.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18The tenant did not speak Polish as far as Jo was aware,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22and the footwear in the hallway was definitely not hers.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25What happened next did little to allay suspicions.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Shortly after we got into our car,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31we observed the tenant locking up the property.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33So it was obvious that she'd only
0:10:33 > 0:10:36been there for us to carry out the visit
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and that she wasn't living there full-time.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Back at Sandwell's Council offices,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43investigator Lee O'Malley was meanwhile using powers
0:10:43 > 0:10:46under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act
0:10:46 > 0:10:48to access the woman's financial records.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53So your next job was obviously to get some solid, hard evidence.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54How did you go about taking it further?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56One of the first things we done was
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- get a credit check in respect of our tenant.- OK.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02A credit check provides details of any accounts that have been
0:11:02 > 0:11:03registered to an address.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05It looks at things like bill payments,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08credit card activity and bank statements,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11which all give an indication of exactly who's living at a property.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14It's immediately linked a man to the woman's flat,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16even though she said she was living alone.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20This shows that he'd got a bank account at the address,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24which was taken out on the 7th May 2014.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28She'd been living at the address by herself from November 2013.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Right, and you can see it as clear as day there.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Mr, you know.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- You know?- Yeah, that's right. - He's a male.- Yeah, yeah.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39It was possible that someone had moved in with the tenant,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42but a second man was actually paying for the TV and broadband.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46This shows that he opened up a Virgin Media account
0:11:46 > 0:11:49on the 6th of March 2014.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52VOICEOVER: Further checks revealed he also had a bank account
0:11:52 > 0:11:54VOICEOVER: registered at the woman's flat.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55I mean, these are key pieces of evidence.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58You've got bank accounts coming from that address,
0:11:58 > 0:11:59you've got a Virgin Media account.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- They're clearly living there, aren't they?- Exactly. The tenant can't get around that.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05She's not making any payments for the Virgin,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07like the internet and the telly herself.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It's in a totally different person's name.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- You can't explain that away, can you?- No, you can't.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14So far, Lee had found solid evidence
0:12:14 > 0:12:16of at least two men living at the flat.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18And then we done checks into the actual tenant,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20which actually showed she had no credit at the property
0:12:20 > 0:12:24where she should be living and all of her credit, well, bank accounts,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28were actually at the family home, her mum and dad's.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Oh, so that's where she was living?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32That's where, yeah, she was living there, yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35And while the woman was unlawfully subletting her flat,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37she was effectively getting it for free.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40She was claiming between £60 to £80 a week,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44which is the average price that the council normally charge tenants
0:12:44 > 0:12:47for the rent, but that was being covered by the housing benefit
0:12:47 > 0:12:49that she was claiming, based on a single person.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- So, basically, she wasn't really paying anything?- No.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55With the evidence stacking up,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57investigators were determined to
0:12:57 > 0:13:00reclaim the flat and re-let it to someone in genuine need.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Later, Lee discovers more damning evidence.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06There's a big space on the living room floor.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09There was a double mattress up against the wall.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11If there are a few people living in a one-bedroom flat,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13you're going to need somewhere to sleep.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25Emma Reynolds MP grew up in a council house in Wolverhampton.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26These days, she represents
0:13:26 > 0:13:28the Wolverhampton North East constituency,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31where the housing crisis is hitting people hard.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32Week in, week out
0:13:32 > 0:13:35in my constituency surgeries, people come to see me
0:13:35 > 0:13:37because they want a council property
0:13:37 > 0:13:39and they're getting very frustrated
0:13:39 > 0:13:42because they've registered to be on the waiting list
0:13:42 > 0:13:43and it may have been months,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48it may have been years and there are just simply not enough council homes
0:13:48 > 0:13:51for the people that need and want them in Wolverhampton.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54So, you know, there are heartbreaking stories.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57And here, as in many cities across the UK,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01the properties most in demand are family homes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05In Wolverhampton there are nearly 9,000 individuals and families
0:14:05 > 0:14:07on the waiting list. Deciding who's
0:14:07 > 0:14:09at the top of that list is a difficult task,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11made all the more difficult by
0:14:11 > 0:14:14dishonest tenants trying to cheat their way
0:14:14 > 0:14:15to the top of the queue.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18In this next case,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20a Wolverhampton tenant tries to jump the queue
0:14:20 > 0:14:23by pretending he had five children living with him
0:14:23 > 0:14:25in an overcrowded two-bed flat.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I established that there was the applicant
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and an adult female and I only ever saw two children.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36It was always the same two children and I didn't see any others that
0:14:36 > 0:14:38appeared to be part of his family.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43In 2013, suspicions were aroused at Wolverhampton Homes
0:14:43 > 0:14:47when they received an application from one of their existing tenants.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Counter fraud manager Elaine Morgan was called in to investigate.
0:14:51 > 0:14:57We received an application from a single male applicant who had listed
0:14:57 > 0:15:01that he'd got five young children living in the household.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05The man wanted to upgrade from a two-bedroom flat
0:15:05 > 0:15:06to a three-bedroom house.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Sympathetic to this family's seemingly desperate situation,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13the council immediately considered his application.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17The applicant was given higher priority on the waiting list.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22His band was a band one priority and that was given
0:15:22 > 0:15:24because based on the information that he provided,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29he was short of one bedroom and he was living in a property
0:15:29 > 0:15:31with no private access to a garden.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Band one is reserved for applicants
0:15:33 > 0:15:36who are deemed to have an urgent need to move.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40As a father living with five children in overcrowded conditions,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43he appeared to fit all the criteria and in December 2013,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47the family were offered one of the council's larger properties.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49The property was a three-bedroom house
0:15:49 > 0:15:51in the Castlecroft area of Wolverhampton -
0:15:51 > 0:15:55a very sought-after area, very popular area.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Good schools.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03People who have lived in this area want to stay in the area.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Three bed houses hardly ever become available,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10so to be fast-tracked to a house in Castlecroft
0:16:10 > 0:16:14made him one of the lucky few. But before handing over the keys,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16investigators decided to check out his story.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19The point of allocation,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22that's when we look at the information they've provided.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25We check to see that they can provide all the documents
0:16:25 > 0:16:29they are asked to provide, that their household circumstances
0:16:29 > 0:16:34are still the same and that they are eligible for that property.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37It was under that close scrutiny that Elaine became suspicious
0:16:37 > 0:16:39of the tenant's claim - that he was bringing up five young children
0:16:39 > 0:16:41on his own.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44We were concerned at the ages of the children.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The youngest one at that time was listed as being seven months old
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and the next one up was only a few months older.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52So there weren't...
0:16:52 > 0:16:56It wasn't possible they could be from the same mother.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59A man bringing up two babies from separate mothers,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03along with three other children, sounded very unusual.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08Because there wasn't any mention of an adult female,
0:17:08 > 0:17:13we were a bit concerned and curious more than anything to begin with
0:17:13 > 0:17:16that there might be something not quite right with the application.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Wolverhampton Homes decided to investigate further.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The tenant had not yet been given the keys to his new house,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26so was still living in a two-bedroom flat in a tower block.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The block had a control key fob entry system.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Each time a tenant entered or left the building,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34an image was captured on CCTV.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38It was using this system that Louise Humphries
0:17:38 > 0:17:41started to check on the tenant's living arrangements.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44As we get a bit nearer to the door,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46you can see there's a camera on the right-hand side,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48which in the CCTV control room,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51it will be showing that I'm walking towards the block.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55This is my door entry fob, so I'll use that to enter into the block.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58As you can see, the camera will pick me up now.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59The images are stored and can be
0:17:59 > 0:18:01used in investigations like this one.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09As I enter into the block,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12there's another camera up here that will show me on the CCTV.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17There are also cameras here that are showing me.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Control room supervisor Ian Rawlings
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and his team often help investigators
0:18:23 > 0:18:25with gathering evidence.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28We work very closely with other teams within Wolverhampton Homes,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30in particular the lettings team and the fraud team.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32If they believe they've got some issues,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34they'll guide us in the direction of
0:18:34 > 0:18:36where they might want some footage recorded.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37In recent years,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Wolverhampton Homes has spent over £1 million updating their CCTV
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and key fob system.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47This particular system is really useful for the fraud team
0:18:47 > 0:18:50because we can monitor who are coming and going into the properties.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Any reports of housing tenancy fraud that we have where somebody's living
0:18:55 > 0:18:58in one of our blocks that has CCTV footage,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01we will always use that as a tool to investigate.
0:19:03 > 0:19:09Later - the tenant tries to turn the tables on housing investigators.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13He accused us of manipulating evidence.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17He accused us of not displaying evidence and not exhibiting evidence
0:19:17 > 0:19:19that showed other children.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24He said that we had deliberately withheld evidence
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and he wanted to go to the High Court.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Earlier, we met Kusheema Nurse,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44who'd been allocated a one-bedroom property in London by Brent Council
0:19:44 > 0:19:47when she declared herself homeless in 2010.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50From that time going forward, the council was very much of the opinion
0:19:50 > 0:19:51that she was resident there.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53There was nothing to indicate she wasn't,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55and the rental payments came in as expected.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59It wasn't until the spring of 2014 when following a serious fire
0:19:59 > 0:20:03at the property, council investigators were told
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Kusheema Nurse hadn't been living there for some time.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11The subtenant was very clear in what he told us about Miss Nurse.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Firstly, that she was not living at the property
0:20:14 > 0:20:18and that, soon after being awarded the property by Brent,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21she'd actually moved to Bristol to do a degree in law.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28So you've got a student here, studying law, pretty intense degree,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30prestigious university,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33you would think if anyone studying that kind of subject,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36that they would know the difference between right and wrong?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Well, that would be our expectation, yes.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Counter fraud manager Dave Verma immediately began an investigation.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45He was able to access bank statements
0:20:45 > 0:20:48showing Kusheema Nurse's spending habits.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I'm sure that's extremely useful for a case like this.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53What did you discover from looking at those statements?
0:20:53 > 0:20:54She was spending her money here.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56There was a multitude of transactions
0:20:56 > 0:20:58showing her regularly spending money here,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00but more so, she was working here.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04We discovered she was very much living her life here in Bristol.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Back at Brent Council offices,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Dave showed me the evidence he'd compiled.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12So we're seeing all kinds of payments being made in Bristol.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And secondly, it shows salary payments
0:21:15 > 0:21:17for a nightclub in Bristol...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22..and also that she has various transactions
0:21:22 > 0:21:25showing that she is living in Bristol.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Brent Council contacted the nightclub
0:21:27 > 0:21:29to confirm she'd been working there.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36This is a letter that we obtained from her employer in Bristol.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39This is from a nightclub
0:21:39 > 0:21:46and this confirms her employment, that it started in June 2010
0:21:46 > 0:21:50and that they hold an address for her on file, which is in Bristol.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55This showed she'd been working in Bristol for more than 18 months
0:21:55 > 0:21:58at the same time that she had her council tenancy in London.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00From piecing all this together,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04it's pretty clear that she's not living in London and that, you know,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08a job working in a nightclub, it's late nights.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Well, clearly. That was confirmed to us by her employers
0:22:11 > 0:22:13that she was often finishing in the early hours.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It's not easy to be coming back and forth to London
0:22:17 > 0:22:20if you're working in a nightclub late at night.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21Well, it's completely implausible.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24With a university degree in law going on at the same time,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26- it would be implausible.- It just doesn't make sense, does it?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28No, not at all.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Investigators were convinced that whilst studying law
0:22:31 > 0:22:32and working in Bristol,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Kusheema Nurse couldn't have been using her flat in Brent
0:22:35 > 0:22:37as her main place of residence.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41It transpired to the team here that it was very ironic indeed
0:22:41 > 0:22:46that Miss Nurse had travelled to Bristol to study law when in fact
0:22:46 > 0:22:50everything being conducted down in London was highly regular.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52At the start of 2014,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Brent had over 3,000 households living in temporary accommodation,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59while the number of homeless people in the borough had risen five-fold
0:22:59 > 0:23:01in the previous three years.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04With such a dire need of social housing in the borough,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06it was imperative for Brent Council
0:23:06 > 0:23:08to reclaim their flat from Kusheema Nurse.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12She was called in for an interview under caution.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14At the interview, Miss Nurse decided to give
0:23:14 > 0:23:16what we call a no comment interview.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19This means that questions were asked of her,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21but her standard response was no comment.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Her demeanour at the start of the interview was somewhat confident
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and she seemed very happy to give a no comment interview.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31However as the interview progressed,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33it appeared that she was becoming more and more nervous
0:23:33 > 0:23:36as she was learning the amount of evidence
0:23:36 > 0:23:38that had been gained about her.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Yet even now, Kusheema Nurse still wasn't admitting anything.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46In my personal opinion, someone who is studying law,
0:23:46 > 0:23:51one would hope that one would know the legal system and that the weight
0:23:51 > 0:23:54of evidence was definitely stacked against her in this instance.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02In August 2016, Kusheema Nurse appeared before Harrow Crown Court.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Miss Nurse decided to go with a not guilty plea,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09where she gave explanations that the subtenant was just a person
0:24:09 > 0:24:11decorating for her,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14that she was actually resident at the flat in London
0:24:14 > 0:24:16whilst undertaking her degree.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18She didn't divert from that at all.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22She was very, very stalwart that that was the case.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24The judge didn't believe her claims
0:24:24 > 0:24:26that she was commuting between London and Bristol
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and found Kusheema Nurse guilty of offences
0:24:29 > 0:24:32under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act of 2013
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and the Fraud Act of 2006.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39She was sentenced to 130 hours' community service,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42deferred for three months so she could complete her exams.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45When we first questioned her about all this,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49that was her opportunity to come clean, hand the keys back,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52sign a tenancy termination form
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and throw herself at the mercy of the process.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Later - despite the guilty verdict,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01the fight goes on to get the property back.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03And that's causing us some frustration
0:25:03 > 0:25:05because we've got deserving people on our waiting lists
0:25:05 > 0:25:07who we very much would like
0:25:07 > 0:25:09to get into this property in particular.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Across the UK, local councils are coming up
0:25:17 > 0:25:21with innovative ways of getting people off the waiting list
0:25:21 > 0:25:24and into some decent, affordable accommodation.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25In Lewisham, south-east London,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28there's been an 89% increase in the number of people
0:25:28 > 0:25:32registered as homeless and living in temporary accommodation.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34In Lewisham, it's a real struggle. So every single day,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37we're seeing more families come to the council because they've been
0:25:37 > 0:25:41made homeless, and that's because landlords are increasing rents.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Rents in Lewisham have doubled in the last decade.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47It's meant over 1,700 households
0:25:47 > 0:25:49are in temporary accommodation in the borough -
0:25:49 > 0:25:53an experience Lewisham councillor Damien Egan knows all too well.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I went through homelessness when I was growing up
0:25:56 > 0:26:00and it's something you never forget. For our families today,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04they can be homeless for over a year, that's not uncommon,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and the impact on those families is huge.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Many of these families are forced to live
0:26:08 > 0:26:12in bed-and-breakfast accommodation in other parts of the capital.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15But recently, Lewisham has found a novel way
0:26:15 > 0:26:17of alleviating the problem -
0:26:17 > 0:26:21the UK's first pop-up social housing village.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Co-designed by architect Andrew Partridge,
0:26:23 > 0:26:28it's enabled the council to almost instantly create 24 new flats
0:26:28 > 0:26:33for homeless families by using these prefabricated modular components.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35What's so good about pop-ups is that they can happen very quickly
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and respond very quickly.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42For them, it was a quick response to their immediate problem of families
0:26:42 > 0:26:44in temporary private accommodation.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47The overall scheme was around £5 million,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50but the scheme pays for itself in less than ten years
0:26:50 > 0:26:52because we get rents from the properties but, also,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57we're not paying for the emergency bed and breakfasts and hostels.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Each home comes in two pieces.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03One's the living area and the second provides the bedrooms.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05They're made of timber stud panels.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08So, walls, floors, ceilings,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10put together in the factory and then fully finished.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15All the power in, lights ready to go, toilets flushing, everything.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Armand Moulet is a bilingual customer advisor
0:27:18 > 0:27:20at St Pancras International station.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24For him, this pop-up social housing has been a godsend.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29The average cost for a two-bedroom flat in London is £1,700 a month,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33so Armand and his two daughters could not afford to live and work
0:27:33 > 0:27:35in the capital if not for social housing.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37When we looked at the market,
0:27:37 > 0:27:43what was affordable for what we needed was not affordable for us,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46based on my wages and things like that.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49My big worry was to end up on the street with no place to go
0:27:49 > 0:27:53with the child, the children, and be homeless.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The family were previously housed in cramped temporary accommodation
0:27:56 > 0:27:58in Woolwich, East London.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01We spent about, what, over a year over there.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04On a daily basis, a stressful time.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07And even, I couldn't sleep at night sometimes.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09I was waking up around one, two o'clock in the morning.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13But then, in August 2016,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Armand and his two daughters were allocated a flat
0:28:16 > 0:28:18in the new pop-up development.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21It was more than they ever dreamed of.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25The house was, er, looking very bigger.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27I say, "Wow!"
0:28:27 > 0:28:31The living room, combined with the open-plan kitchen,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34is, I will say, one of our favourite rooms
0:28:34 > 0:28:36because we spend more time here.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41We watch the TV all together, we have our meal, we cook here.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46And, yeah, we spend time, precious time, I will say.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49From here to my college is just 30 minutes.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53It's better than before because before,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56I was taking one and a half hours.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Yeah, sometimes, I sleep.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02I'm grateful because I've been lucky enough
0:29:02 > 0:29:05to receive the support at the right time.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Armand is among the many thousand public service workers
0:29:09 > 0:29:13who could not afford to live in London were it not for social housing
0:29:13 > 0:29:15and yet are important to the economy of the capital city.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21Anything that we can do to reduce the number of homeless families
0:29:21 > 0:29:23on our waiting list is a good thing,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26and that's why we're looking at more schemes like this
0:29:26 > 0:29:28that we can replicate across our borough.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33In five years, this pop-up social housing will be dismantled
0:29:33 > 0:29:35and moved to another brownfield site in Lewisham.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37The current site will be used
0:29:37 > 0:29:40for a more permanent retail and housing development.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Housing officers are responsible for the day-to-day running
0:29:49 > 0:29:51of council estates and, as such,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55they are the eyes and ears of tenancy fraud investigators.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Many of them are trained to spot telltale signs
0:29:58 > 0:30:01that a property's being unlawfully sublet, like...
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Earlier, we heard how housing officer Jo Green
0:30:13 > 0:30:16became suspicious during a supposedly routine inspection
0:30:16 > 0:30:20of a one-bedroom flat in Sandwell in the West Midlands.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21When there's more things there,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25male toiletries in the bathroom and you're expecting to see only,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29you know, toiletries for a female lone occupant,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31it does raise your suspicions
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and it's pointing to something more untoward
0:30:34 > 0:30:36going on at the property.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Backed up by credit checks
0:30:39 > 0:30:41that showed at least two men living at the property,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43investigator Lee O'Malley made an appointment
0:30:43 > 0:30:47to visit the tenant at the flat, where she was supposed to be living.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49We knocked on the door, there was no answer.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Erm, luckily, we'd taken the tenant's phone number out with us.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56We give her a call, obviously told her who we were.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Erm, she was a bit worried about what the...
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- I bet she was.- ..what the visit was about.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02She was there within about 15 minutes.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06So obviously, she was quite close to the area, wherever she was.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09She seemed nervous which, obviously, if you're doing something wrong,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- you would feel a bit nervous. - Yeah.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Almost immediately,
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Lee saw first-hand the evidence
0:31:15 > 0:31:17that had concerned housing officer Jo Green.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20We walked in. On the right-hand side, there was a cupboard.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23So we opened the cupboard, there was welding gear in there.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Erm, there was male shoes, work clothes.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28You'd look at the tenant and you would think,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30"You wouldn't be using that yourself."
0:31:30 > 0:31:34You're walking into that property, you're seeing male shoes,
0:31:34 > 0:31:36welding shoes, equipment that just
0:31:36 > 0:31:39doesn't fit with the original tenant.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41Yeah. She stated that it was her friend's.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45OK. And I'm sure you're thinking, at this point, "A likely story."
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Yeah. Erm... Obviously, alarm bells start ringing with us.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50We've heard it all before.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Lee suspected this one-bedroom flat
0:31:52 > 0:31:57had been converted into an HMO - a house of multiple occupancy -
0:31:57 > 0:32:00a common way of maximising rental payments.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02There was a big space on the living room floor
0:32:02 > 0:32:04and there was a double mattress up against the wall.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06The space was big enough for the mattress to be laid down.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08If there are a few people living in
0:32:08 > 0:32:10a one-bedroom flat, you're going to need somewhere to sleep.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- That's a classic sign of subletting, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Using that space in the living room for someone's bedroom,
0:32:15 > 0:32:16for someone to sleep in.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20Exactly. Each person, I'm guessing, would have been paying our tenant,
0:32:20 > 0:32:24- erm, some rent.- Yeah. When she's not actually paying anything at all.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27That's right. She was getting her rent covered by the housing benefit.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28In the kitchen, Lee found evidence
0:32:28 > 0:32:30to suggest that the unofficial occupants
0:32:30 > 0:32:32were in fact East European.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37There was a lot of Polish cookery books, Polish ingredients.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Your tenant isn't Polish.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43- No.- So, why is all this stuff in the kitchen?
0:32:43 > 0:32:46She told Lee that a friend
0:32:46 > 0:32:48was teaching her how to cook Polish recipes.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50It's almost laughable, isn't it?
0:32:50 > 0:32:51It is, yeah. To be honest,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53we probably did laugh at that point
0:32:53 > 0:32:55when she started coming out with the excuses.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58How do you keep your cool in those situations?
0:32:58 > 0:33:02You just have to let them talk.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Obviously, people talk and they trip themselves up.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Lee spotted another single mattress on the bedroom floor.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10If there's one person living at an address,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12that's a double mattress that you've got in the living room,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15you got a single mattress in the bedroom, plus a double bed.
0:33:15 > 0:33:16- What's going on?- Yeah.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18What was her excuse for that?
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Her excuse for that was that was for when her nephew comes and stays.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23The web of lies continues.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26And not only was there men's clothing in the wardrobe,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Lee also discovered men's toiletries in the bathroom.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31There were three male razors
0:33:31 > 0:33:34and then there were two male deodorants,
0:33:34 > 0:33:36and she said they were her own.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39- She said they were hers?- Yeah.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42She's getting progressively more nervous, surely, at this time.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44You know, cos as you said,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46it's hard for her to keep up with her own lies and the evidence
0:33:46 > 0:33:49is all around her. It's stacking up, isn't it?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Exactly, yeah. If it was me and I was in their position,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54you'd feel really embarrassed, wouldn't you?
0:33:54 > 0:33:56If you're saying that you live there by yourself,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59but then we're looking and finding all these belongings,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02she's saying that all this Polish stuff's her friend's
0:34:02 > 0:34:05but there's more Polish stuff there than anything else,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07you'd start feeling a bit embarrassed.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10A number of the neighbours backed all this evidence up, didn't they,
0:34:10 > 0:34:11by giving statements?
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Yeah, that's right. We were grateful
0:34:13 > 0:34:15that there were three or four neighbours who came out,
0:34:15 > 0:34:16gave statements.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19Quite unusual that you get neighbours do that
0:34:19 > 0:34:23because some people have got a fear of repercussions from the tenant.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26But to this day, since I've been doing this job,
0:34:26 > 0:34:28I've never, never seen any repercussions.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30But it just shows that the neighbours are a community
0:34:30 > 0:34:33and wanted the flat to go to someone who should have it.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36In July 2015 at a civil court hearing,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Sandwell Council was granted possession of the property
0:34:39 > 0:34:42on the grounds that it was being unlawfully sublet.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46There was myself, one of my colleagues, a housing officer,
0:34:46 > 0:34:47we all gave evidence.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49But the judge looked at all the evidence
0:34:49 > 0:34:51and before he made a decision,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54the tenant conceded the property and handed it back to the Council.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00The tenant was ordered to pay £2,500 in rent arrears,
0:35:00 > 0:35:06and to repay £1,600 in housing benefit overpayments.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Thanks to the efforts of counter-fraud manager Oliver Knight
0:35:09 > 0:35:11and his team, the flat has since been allocated
0:35:11 > 0:35:14to someone on Sandwell Council's housing list.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Does it ever cease to amaze you guys just how brazen
0:35:16 > 0:35:21some people can be to hang onto properties like this
0:35:21 > 0:35:24and not give them back to the system?
0:35:24 > 0:35:27You've got evidence stacking up against you.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Why they'd hold on to it and not just hand it over...
0:35:30 > 0:35:33There's a lot of greed in it as well. The subletting people get used
0:35:33 > 0:35:35to having the money from the sort of tenants
0:35:35 > 0:35:38and living the lifestyle of using that money.
0:35:38 > 0:35:39So, there's a lot of greed.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42I mean, Sandwell's got 7,000 people on the waiting list
0:35:42 > 0:35:44trying to get properties,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47so any property that we can get back on the market
0:35:47 > 0:35:51and get those people rehoused is obviously very, very important,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53so this one included.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00In Wolverhampton,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02antifraud investigations by the Council
0:36:02 > 0:36:07saved taxpayers an estimated £1.2 million in 2015.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Wolverhampton Homes lettings manager Pauline Evans
0:36:10 > 0:36:12says robust checks are carried out
0:36:12 > 0:36:14on every application for social housing
0:36:14 > 0:36:16before the keys are handed over.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18At the end of the day,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21we want to ensure that whoever gets that property,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24their circumstances is as on the application.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27A lot of people do play it correctly.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29They're very honest, they're very upfront,
0:36:29 > 0:36:31so it is wrong when somebody
0:36:31 > 0:36:34fraudulently tries to obtain social housing.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Earlier, we learned how an application for a larger property
0:36:41 > 0:36:44from one of Wolverhampton Homes' existing tenants aroused suspicions.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48He claimed to have five children
0:36:48 > 0:36:50living with him in an overcrowded flat.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54I questioned it because there wasn't an adult female
0:36:54 > 0:36:58as part of the family, according to his application.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03And because there was two children who weren't even yet one years old,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05it did make us a little bit suspicious
0:37:05 > 0:37:08as to what the situation was and what was going on.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11The man had been provisionally offered
0:37:11 > 0:37:13an upgrade to a three-bedroomed house.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16But with doubts over the number of children living with him,
0:37:16 > 0:37:21Wolverhampton Homes first had to be sure he was entitled to it.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Using a CCTV system linked to the entrance of the men's council block,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28fraud officer Louise Humphries closely monitored
0:37:28 > 0:37:30the family's movements in and out of the building.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35I would have to physically trawl for hours,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38looking at people coming and going out of the block,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41and then just getting a still image of who the person was.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45As she scanned the CCTV, Louise found no evidence
0:37:45 > 0:37:48that the tenant had five children living with him.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51I established that there was the applicant
0:37:51 > 0:37:54and an adult female and only ever saw two children.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56It was always the same two children,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00and I didn't see any others that appeared to be part of his family.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03With three of the children apparently missing,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Wolverhampton Homes call their tenant in
0:38:05 > 0:38:08to explain the family's living arrangements.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13He was adamant and he explained that four of the children
0:38:13 > 0:38:15live with him permanently, full time,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18that they didn't have any contact with their mother,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22and that the oldest child lived with her mother during the week,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24but spent weekends and school holidays with him.
0:38:24 > 0:38:30So, we went back and we double checked all of the CCTV footage
0:38:30 > 0:38:34and we continued to check that for another couple of weeks.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37During this further check by Wolverhampton Homes,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39there was still no sign of the three missing children.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44The lettings team then approached the applicant
0:38:44 > 0:38:46and said we were no longer going to be able
0:38:46 > 0:38:48to offer him this three-bedroom house.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50He wasn't happy at all.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54He asked if he could appeal the decision,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58and the appeal panel was assembled.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02The panel, after hearing all of the evidence
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and considering the information,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08they upheld the decision to withdraw the property.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12As far as the Council was concerned, this was the end of the matter.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15The applicant decided otherwise.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19He accused us of manipulating evidence.
0:39:19 > 0:39:20He accused us of...
0:39:22 > 0:39:23..not displaying evidence
0:39:23 > 0:39:27and not exhibiting evidence that showed other children.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30The tenant applied for a judicial review of the case.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32It was initially turned down, but on appeal,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34he was granted permission
0:39:34 > 0:39:36to take Wolverhampton Homes to the High Court.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Although we were disappointed and surprised,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41we were confident that the evidence
0:39:41 > 0:39:45that we'd gathered was accurate and it would stand up under scrutiny,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48so we weren't too worried in that respect.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52The tenant was granted access to all the information Wolverhampton Homes
0:39:52 > 0:39:54had gathered during their investigation into his application
0:39:54 > 0:39:57for a larger property.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Anything that we held in our systems,
0:39:59 > 0:40:00he was allowed to have a copy of.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02After hearing evidence from both sides,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05the judge ruled in favour of Wolverhampton Homes
0:40:05 > 0:40:08and ordered the tenant to pay £6,000 in costs.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12We were very pleased that the court did find in our favour.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Obviously, it's never nice to have to go to court,
0:40:14 > 0:40:16especially when you've got somebody accusing you
0:40:16 > 0:40:19of lots of different things that you haven't done.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23And when you're just doing the job that you're paid to do,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27to have somebody who we know has told lies on an application
0:40:27 > 0:40:31and has been given every opportunity to correct the information,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34chose not to do so but instead to stand by their story
0:40:34 > 0:40:38that they'd originally given and then take the Council to court,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42what we can't afford to do is to allow people
0:40:42 > 0:40:45who've not told the truth on applications to gain a property
0:40:45 > 0:40:48which they wouldn't otherwise be entitled to.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51And that in itself sends out
0:40:51 > 0:40:53A - the wrong signal to the genuine people,
0:40:53 > 0:40:57and it's not fair on the majority of people who are telling the truth,
0:40:57 > 0:40:59who aren't telling lies on applications.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08You can lie your way into being rehoused, I guess, which is, again,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10highly immoral because there are people
0:41:10 > 0:41:14who are homeless who really do need emergency housing.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15Certainly in my area,
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Wolverhampton Homes takes this issue very seriously
0:41:17 > 0:41:20and has been very successful in clamping down.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Back in the London Borough of Brent,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36law student Kusheema Nurse had been caught subletting her council flat
0:41:36 > 0:41:39and convicted of offences under the Fraud Act
0:41:39 > 0:41:42and the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45If you're studying the law, it would indicate to me
0:41:45 > 0:41:50that you're someone who should be of a certain standing, really.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53I think it's particularly upsetting
0:41:53 > 0:41:57because I'm aware of the waiting list in London
0:41:57 > 0:42:01and it's a prolific waiting list of very deserving cases.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Especially in Brent,
0:42:06 > 0:42:11where we're having to sometimes place people outside of the borough,
0:42:11 > 0:42:16so I think it's a very abhorrent crime.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21But incredibly, despite the guilty verdict,
0:42:21 > 0:42:22the Council was still facing
0:42:22 > 0:42:26a lengthy legal battle to get the property back.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29We believe very much that the tenant
0:42:29 > 0:42:33has been using delaying tactics throughout in this
0:42:33 > 0:42:37and that possession hearings have been delayed unnecessarily
0:42:37 > 0:42:39and that's causing us some frustration
0:42:39 > 0:42:42because we've got deserving people on our waiting lists,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46who we very much would like to get into this property in particular,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50so we are very hopeful our legal teams are going to get onto this
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and to get us the result that we very much want.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55For Brent Council,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58and for those next in line on the Council's waiting list,
0:42:58 > 0:42:59reclaiming the property
0:42:59 > 0:43:03and finally closing this case can't come soon enough.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16Housing investigators across the UK are cracking down on tenancy fraud.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18They're determined to stop the cheats
0:43:18 > 0:43:20and ensure that our precious social housing stock
0:43:20 > 0:43:23is in the hands of those most in need.