0:00:02 > 0:00:05An estimated one in six people in Britain live in social housing.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07And in the current economic climate,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09the waiting lists are growing every week.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11For every person you make happy,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15there's probably three or four times as many who are disappointed.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19- Britain's housing officers are on the front line. - Jeanette, can you let me in?
0:00:19 > 0:00:22It's just like nothing like you've ever smelled before.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26They deal with over 11 million tenants day in, day out.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Oh, I don't believe you've let him out.- Most are good tenants,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33but a few risk everything with their antisocial behaviour.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35His tenancy is on a knife edge.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39If they want to take it, they'll have to take it with me on it.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Eviction is the last thing that we want to do.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45And we've got to do it for the sake of the community.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Every week there's a different set of problems.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52MUSIC BLARES
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Bloody ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, nobody can go to sleep with this noise, can they?
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I can't stand him any more.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Either he goes or I go.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04She arrived in a taxi with the black bags, I just said to her,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07"We've only got one bedroom, it's going to be a bit tight."
0:01:07 > 0:01:10My heart goes out for people like that,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12cos you know they're in genuine need of houses.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Quite shocked, really.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Our contractors had advised us that it was bad in there,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19but I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Have you seen the rubbish that's in there?
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Rice pudding, February 1999. Before the millennium.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Three million Britons are estimated to suffer noise nuisance from their neighbours,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50but only a third of those ever confront the perpetrators.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53MUSIC BLARES: "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
0:02:03 > 0:02:06In Stalybridge, east of Manchester,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09one 48-year-old tenant won't stop partying.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13# Baby, I was born this way... #
0:02:15 > 0:02:17MUSIC STOPS
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Stephen has been referred to tenancy enforcement officer Ivan Wright
0:02:24 > 0:02:28after a series of interventions have failed to curb his behaviour.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32He's had a written warning the back end of 2010,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35he had a warning the back end of last year in September
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and he's also had a warning this February.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41So I'm going today to see what he's got to say
0:02:41 > 0:02:43about these other incidences,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46but ultimately he will be looking at further tenancy action.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Stephen, a former painter and decorator,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52lives in this low-rise block.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57Ivan has arranged to confront him with police officer Mike Devine.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Stephen? Can you open up?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07All right?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- It's all right to sit down, there's no needles or anything.- All right.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13My job is tenancy enforcement.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Right, I work for the tenancy support services.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21You've now had three warning letters since your tenancy commenced.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24As a result of that, we've then had further complaints, yeah?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27So that's why I'm here, that's why I'm involved and that's my main job.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29They complain... They complain when I'm not here.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- How can I make noise when I'm not here?- OK.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35So when you've had a few, do you usually put on loud music?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37I put it on as quiet as I can.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Do you want to try it now?
0:03:40 > 0:03:44- So what number? Is it on numbers? - It comes on, on 50, yeah?- 50?
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- Yeah, well...- And what number do you normally play it at?
0:03:46 > 0:03:4850, because that's...
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- MUSIC BLARES - That's obviously too loud, isn't it?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Yes, yes, well, I know that. But I like to hear the words.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Well, we can't allow you to continue to annoy your neighbours.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I know, well, I don't want to continue.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Cos I've got a responsibility for everybody else here as well.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06I know that, yeah. But I am trying me best.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Stephen has lots of friends and his door is always open.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Come in a minute cos I want to speak to you anyway.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17His tenancy is on a knife edge,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20if he continues to get complaints from all the other neighbours
0:04:20 > 0:04:23about people coming and going, down the line he could be evicted.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28- That's why I don't... - What you and all his other mates need to know is exactly that.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I have said it to him as well, ain't I?
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I have sat him down and told him, you know?
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- All right, just remember what I've said, all right? - No music. Have a quiet drink.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39And clean this gaff up, I've told you, as well.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Thank you. It is actually tidier than the last time.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45I'm 48. I'm a free spirit,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47I just party 24/7.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51If we continue to get complaints
0:04:51 > 0:04:54about his loud music and disorder at the property
0:04:54 > 0:04:58then he's not going to keep his tenancy for very long.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Each week in England, there are at least 1,500 new applications
0:05:02 > 0:05:05for social housing and each one is individually approved.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09In Ashton-under-Lyne, one housing association
0:05:09 > 0:05:13has started a system of home visits for new applicants.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Rita Ward is checking on a family claiming severe overcrowding.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20A give away is if the children's things are there
0:05:20 > 0:05:22cos if you've got two children, you've got a lot of clutter
0:05:22 > 0:05:24and a lot of things to take with you,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and also if she's got any correspondence going there,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31bank statements, documents like that to say if she's registered there.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Vicky and her two children have told the housing association
0:05:37 > 0:05:38they are living with her mum and dad
0:05:38 > 0:05:40in their privately rented one-bed flat.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Before we start filling out the form,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46could you explain, like, a bit of your circumstances
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and we can take it from there? How you ended up here?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Yeah, I was living with my partner,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54we split up and I had nowhere else to go so I had to come here.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Rita needs to assess whether Vicky and her children
0:05:58 > 0:06:00are in fact staying with her parents, Brian and Joan.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03What I'm here to do, is we come out and do a home visit.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Now, this is a new thing, it's not been going that long,
0:06:07 > 0:06:08and it's to check that people,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11when they say that they're in the situation that they're in,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14we've got to make sure, you know, we verify the points.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19It's just for yourself and your son and daughter, isn't it, for rehousing?
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So it's just got one bedroom in this property.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- So where do you sleep? Is it...? - On the floor, on an air bed.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Right-o, have you got the... where the airbed is, cos what I do,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I've got a camera and what I do I take pictures,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and I take it all back and this'll be saved on your file, Vicky.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- So this where your mum and dad sleep?- Yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Do you want me to get them both out? Me daughter's got the single one
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- and then me and me little boy share the double.- Aw.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Aw, look! - SHE LAUGHS
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- Got no more.- Got no more?
0:06:49 > 0:06:52So all this, is this all your clothing and the kids' stuff
0:06:52 > 0:06:56and stuff like that, cos that all helps when I take it back.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58This is the bathroom.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Is this your bedding? - That's me bedding, yeah.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05- CAMERA CLICKS - Right, that's smashing.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07You climb back on there, sweetheart.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- Well, it's nice to meet you. - You, too.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- All right then. See you now.- See ya.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18You knew straight away when you walked in.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19You kind of, like, know.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22As soon as you see the amount of like the children's clothes there,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26there was toys there. Like, she had the television there.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28You, there's certain things you look out for
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and you can spot when you walk in. She couldn't have set that up.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Especially the little boy, when he pulled the airbeds out
0:07:35 > 0:07:38from under the grandparent's double bed.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42You know for a fact, you know, they were genuine...
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and my heart goes out for people like that,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47cos you know they're in genuine need of houses coming back.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Now, with any doubts removed,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54the household are officially classed as overcrowded.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Leyton, sit down, now.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Vicky, three-year-old Leyton,
0:07:59 > 0:08:0312-year-old Sasha, grandma and grandpa
0:08:03 > 0:08:07all share the open-plan one-bed flat.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11She arrived in a taxi with the black bags and that was it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14We moved her in and, well, we just thought,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17"We've only got one bedroom, it's going to be a bit tight."
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- Right, you're going to get your covers, Leyton.- No.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- No.- Come and help mummy get your covers.- No, I'm not going.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24You are, it's bedtime.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28It's been a struggle, but...
0:08:28 > 0:08:30hopefully...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33she will find somewhere, you know?
0:08:33 > 0:08:35- You do your homework now?- Yeah.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40Grandpa Brian has been recovering from an operation.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44'Me dad's not long been out of hospital having a tumour removed,'
0:08:44 > 0:08:46so I didn't want to be in this situation
0:08:46 > 0:08:50cos I don't want to stress him out any more than what he already was.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53I mean, he's got to go back in January to have it checked again
0:08:53 > 0:08:55to make sure it's not come back. But if it did,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57I'd feel like it was me to blame.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59And for the last five weeks,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Sasha has been doing her homework amongst the chaos.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07It's just dead crowded so I'm trying to, like...
0:09:07 > 0:09:10And I keep getting headaches so I can't do as much as I want to,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13but like if I was in my room on me own, I'd be able to get higher level
0:09:13 > 0:09:15because I could concentrate more,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and then I'd be able to do a lot more,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21but I can't help that, so I just try me hardest.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Come on, sweet.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27In the evening, no-one can settle until Leyton is asleep.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33And then the beds can be inflated.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Over in Stalybridge, it's 10:30 in the morning
0:09:46 > 0:09:48and Stephen's been shopping.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Good excuse, that. I can go quicker backwards. Come on.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56DOG BARKS
0:09:57 > 0:10:01It's the cheapest cider on the market, I think,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and it's never seen an apple, it's all chemicals.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08The lyrics to this... Listen to this. MUSIC BLARES
0:10:10 > 0:10:12I'll turn it up slightly.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16You can't listen to this one quietly, it has to be...
0:10:16 > 0:10:18VOLUME INCREASES
0:10:19 > 0:10:2150, 50.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Directly above Stephen, in one of the other 12 flats,
0:10:34 > 0:10:39is 70-year-old Tom, who's suffered 18 months of Stephen's partying.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42BASS RUMBLES
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Type of music at the moment is bass drums.
0:10:48 > 0:10:55I would say a type of music that is consistent with the Zumba dancing,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59as they call it, and this, at the present moment,
0:10:59 > 0:11:06does actually sound quite loud and it's now ten minutes to 11.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19If you're subjected day after day after day to anti-social behaviour,
0:11:19 > 0:11:20especially if it's in the form of noise,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23it really, really can drive people to distraction.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28It can affect their health. They'll lose sleep, they become stressed.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30If it's continuing, continuing, continuing,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I've known people actually try to take their own lives
0:11:33 > 0:11:35because they can't stand it any more,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37so, for me, that is very, very serious.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41In cases of persistent anti-social behaviour, the housing association
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- have the authority to covertly gather evidence.- Simon, you OK?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- 'Yes, OK.'- Right, thanks.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52This morning, Ivan is installing noise-monitoring equipment in Tom's flat.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57It'll hear what you're doing, obviously,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00but we'll only play back what you instruct us to play back,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05so if you say there's an incident at ten o'clock on Monday, for instance,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07then we'll record that incident.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09This equipment...
0:12:10 > 0:12:14..takes the onus off the victims, if you like, off the witnesses,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17because it's not an easy thing to do, giving evidence,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and sometimes there's a necessity to attend court and things like that.
0:12:20 > 0:12:26To have noise recordings, it just kind of negates that.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29If you... If you have any issues, then let me know anyway,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- but, hopefully, fingers crossed... - Fine, yes.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33..it's done the trick and we'll see.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Take care, bye now.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38As Ivan leaves, he bumps into Stephen.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42I've let a lad move in with me, he's homeless. And he's been in t'army.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Not only are his mates coming and going,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but he's now moved in a new lodger.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53- And how do you know him?- I met him in Stalybridge and he took me for a pint, really nice lad.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I think he's got issues, like, but don't we all?
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Do you think that's very wise, considering what position you're in?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02He seems all right and it's all shipshape and Bristol fashion.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Did you get the caution I sent through in the post?
0:13:05 > 0:13:10The letter to say anything, change of circumstances...? Yeah.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13It'll be, like, legal action next.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16You've got to be more than careful now
0:13:16 > 0:13:19cos I don't want to end up evicting you. But that's what'll happen.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23I don't want to end up on streets again. I know this.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26If I hadn't have been in, it wouldn't have happened.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Cos you can't afford to have any complaints now.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Well, I've been doing... I've been making precautions.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I'm a good boy now, I'm trying to be.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It's about time - I'm 48.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- About time I pulled me finger out, isn't it?- It is.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41See's you in a bit, yeah?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Stephen's new lodger, Col,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48joins the growing circle of friends who congregate in his flat.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Bumped into him in the centre, he said, "What you up to, Col?"
0:13:52 > 0:13:56I said, "I don't know where to go. That's what I'm up to."
0:13:56 > 0:13:58He says, "Here, come stay with us and all this lot,"
0:13:58 > 0:14:02so, yesterday, I moved here and here I am.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06I've still got people here, but...
0:14:06 > 0:14:09What on Earth is that supposed to be all about?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Like a dog's back leg, but it's straight, you know, like.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15You can get a right good...
0:14:15 > 0:14:17LIGHT SHADE RATTLES Gee! Oh.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Certainly worries me a little bit
0:14:19 > 0:14:21cos he doesn't know anything about them,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23he doesn't know how loud or not that person is
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and he's responsible for them.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26'He's been pretty foolish, really,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29'but I couldn't have spelled it out clearer to him last time.'
0:14:29 > 0:14:32He's sober today, he was sober then,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34so he's got no excuse, really.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It wasn't too bad last night, just freezing.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I keep waking up in the middle of the night with it being colder,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55it's absolutely freezing.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59In Hyde, Vicky, Sasha, Leyton, Grandpa and Grandma
0:14:59 > 0:15:01are getting ready for another day.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Sasha gets the eight o'clock bus
0:15:03 > 0:15:06and we start clearing everything away,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09getting the living room back to a living room.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Six weeks tomorrow, yeah.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15Don't come in!
0:15:18 > 0:15:19- Love you.- Love you, see you later.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I'll stand here and watch her, then she'll start messaging me,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25then when she gets to school she'll tell me to ring her,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27so I ring her until she gets in school.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30I feel that's just me being paranoid!
0:15:30 > 0:15:32SHE LAUGHS
0:15:33 > 0:15:37All I want is just a roof over me head, that's it,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39I don't ask for nothing much, you know,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I don't want a castle or anything, I just want...somewhere to be a home.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Probably miss 'em when they've gone anyway, miss having them around,
0:15:49 > 0:15:54but we'll be glad, yeah, we can get everything back to normal.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Vicky's housing association allocate their empty homes
0:15:59 > 0:16:00through a bidding system.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Each week, applicants put their names down for anything suitable.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09I just really, really need to find somewhere, yeah, just hoping.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12The rules state that Vicky can only bid for three-bed homes,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14as the children must have separate rooms.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18It's a three-bedroomed house in Dukinfield.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Not seen anything else in there, though.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Three-bed homes rarely come up and, when they do, they're very popular.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- Hiya.- I want to put a bid on that one, please.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38OK, you want to put your bid on Armadale Road?
0:16:38 > 0:16:43It usually takes a couple of weeks, two to three weeks,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45but, in the meantime, if you continue bidding,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48it won't affect the outcome of this bid, anyway.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Yeah, that's gone on fine for you. - Thank you.- Bye.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Just got to wait a couple of weeks, see what happens on that bid.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04'That's all I can do really, just wait, just carry on bidding
0:17:04 > 0:17:05'if there's any more next week.'
0:17:08 > 0:17:09I don't know.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14There is a problem with demand and supply of family homes.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We don't have enough properties and the biggest demand on our properties
0:17:17 > 0:17:20are on our two, three and four-bedroomed properties.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Once families move in, they tend to stay,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and they can stay for as long as they like,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27we don't force people to move on.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30We have an ageing population so you can end up with elderly people
0:17:30 > 0:17:34living in family accommodation and taking that up.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39We also have a growing population, which has added to the problems
0:17:39 > 0:17:43and we just can't build enough properties to meet our demand.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Government legislation ensures that housing associations
0:17:50 > 0:17:53should keep their homes safe and up-to-date.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57In Ashton-under-Lyne, a former mill holding 159 flats
0:17:57 > 0:17:59is having new heating.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03But one 80-year-old man is holding up the process.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Housing officer Lyndon Pugh is visiting the reclusive tenant,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Gerard, who has a problem with hoarding.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19The problem we've got at the moment is all this stuff in your flat.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23We've not got much area to work within.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I don't know what I've got, to be quite honest. It needs sorting.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29If you see where your heaters are at the moment,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31the contractors are going to need access.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36- There's one here and there's one on the wall.- There's one there, there's one in the wall.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- On the left, on the right-hand side. - Yeah, yeah. Clear.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43As Lyndon starts to examine the flat, there's another issue.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46But these are a bit close to this heater, here,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49so we need to move those away from the heater.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51What are all these newspapers for, are they...?
0:18:51 > 0:18:53No, I was going to throw them out, wasn't I?
0:18:53 > 0:18:54I was looking for something.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57If you were to have a fire in here there's a lot of paper,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01there's a lot of boxes and things that, you know, could catch alight.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Right, can we go through to your bedroom?
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Just get past you again.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11You have got quite a lot of stuff in here, haven't you?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13And you can't use it as a bedroom
0:19:13 > 0:19:16because of all the stuff that you've got in here.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- Cos you've... Is your bed under there?- Yeah.- Right.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Right, let me just have a look in your bathroom.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25Bloody hell.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30How are you in terms of washing at the moment? How do you have a wash?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32- Oh, I can use it here. - Do you use the sink?- Yeah.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36We do home fire risk assessment, with all our tenants
0:19:36 > 0:19:39to make sure the properties are safe to live in.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Yours, at the moment, being cluttered,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45is putting yourself and your neighbours at risk,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49so that's why we need to make sure that we get everything in order
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and again, you know, it'll help you to live better.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55All right, so you take care. OK?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Lyndon will need to work carefully with Gerard
0:19:58 > 0:20:00so they can get to a point where the contractors
0:20:00 > 0:20:03can install his new heating system.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- See you again.- See you.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Gerard has been living alone for 18 years.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14When his parents died, he inherited all their belongings.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Look, what's in that one?
0:20:20 > 0:20:22I haven't got a clue what's in there!
0:20:28 > 0:20:30That's not mine, that's my father's, that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34I can tell you that cos I haven't wear... That's my father's.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36There's me dad.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39If they saw how I was living, me father would... He'd go mad.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42But me mother would - I know she would.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45She'd, she'd go... Well, she'd go mad.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Gerard's mother was a strict Christian
0:20:49 > 0:20:52and often donated the family's possessions to those in need.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Even when I was a youngster, you know, toys and that, they'd go.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59I'd have nothing. She'd just give them away.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02She'd do it with your shoes as well and, you know,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04there wouldn't be any there.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08So now Gerard keeps almost everything.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25In Stalybridge it's 10pm,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and the housing association's warnings to Stephen are having no effect.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33His neighbour, Thomas, is having another sleepless night.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35BASS RUMBLES
0:21:35 > 0:21:38I can't stand him any more. Either he goes or I go.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It's got to be... It's got to be one way or another,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45but I'm here at my flat, I've been here 20 years
0:21:45 > 0:21:47and I don't want to be driven out.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Hello? Gordon?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- 'Yeah.'- Yeah, I'll let you in.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56ENTRY PHONE BEEPS
0:21:57 > 0:22:02Gordon lives 20 metres away and is also fed up with the noise.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05MUSIC BLARES
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Oh, my God.- Terrible isn't it?
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I know, I've just been on the phone now.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13That's been half six, half past ten now.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Well, we've just got back from Scotland,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17just pulled up, heard this noise.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I mean, nobody can go to sleep with this noise, can they?
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Bloody ridiculous, isn't it?
0:22:22 > 0:22:26I can't do any more than what I'm doing at the moment.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- No, I know you can't. - I can't go any further.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29None of us can go any further.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33If it goes on much longer, we're banging on his ruddy door.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34Right.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37So I'll come back and give you... See you afterwards, all right?
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- OK, I'll see you later. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41MUSIC BLARES
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Listen to this bloody lot out here, eh?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55MUSIC STOPS
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Five past 11.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59MUSIC BLARES Ooh, I was just going to say then,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03we might be getting a little bit of a lull, but not much chance.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07PARTY-GOERS SHOUT
0:23:11 > 0:23:13They've now started to argue.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Quite loudly.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Following the recent incidents, Ivan is collecting the evidence
0:23:30 > 0:23:33from the sound-recording equipment at Tom's flat.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37What I plan to do is I'll swap the DVR over,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39for once I can get those recordings off there.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43But for now I just need to get some details, really.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Just about, you know, how it's affecting you.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Extremely depressed,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52er...not feeling well at all,
0:23:52 > 0:23:58and when it's quiet, I seem to feel it more
0:23:58 > 0:24:04because I'm ready for anything else that's going to happen.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09And these incidents don't happen only in the evening -
0:24:09 > 0:24:12sometimes they can go on well past midnight.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Yeah, yeah. I'll do everything that we can to get him to stop.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19I'll then take that to our legal department
0:24:19 > 0:24:23to see what legal action we can take following this.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Because we've got a number of residents
0:24:26 > 0:24:28that are happy to give evidence for us,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31to say what they've been exposed to...
0:24:33 > 0:24:37..and the effects, unfortunately, that it's having on the resident above,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I think we've got a very strong case to get a civil injunction,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43potentially with a power of arrest attached to it
0:24:43 > 0:24:47because of the mental damage it's doing to the chap above.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50But, two days later,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52before Ivan has the chance to get the injunction issued,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Stephen is partying again.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57MUSIC: "Never Have To Be Alone" by Ultrabeat
0:24:57 > 0:25:01# So full of sparkle and such light
0:25:01 > 0:25:04# Let me remind
0:25:05 > 0:25:09- # You'll never have to be alone - Never, ever be alone... #
0:25:09 > 0:25:12MUSIC BLARES
0:25:12 > 0:25:16# Never have to be alone... #
0:25:16 > 0:25:19He's got worse lately.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It's been happening again, but he's gone worse.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29# Never have to be alone... #
0:25:32 > 0:25:36In 2011, housing associations in England
0:25:36 > 0:25:39built fewer than 40,000 new homes.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44One home for every 45 households on the waiting list.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49In Hyde, Vicky and her children are desperate for a home.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51They've now been staying with her parents
0:25:51 > 0:25:54in their one-bed flat for nine weeks.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57In Vicky's housing association,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00they have completed the weekly allocation of homes.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Unfortunately, Vicky, I've got a bit of bad news
0:26:02 > 0:26:04about the properties that you were bidding on.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06The tenant of that property gave us the tenancy,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10but now she's decided to retract it.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Right. I checked first thing for you and there's no three-bedroom houses.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Keep in touch with me, I'm always here if you need a bit of advice
0:26:18 > 0:26:20or a chat, just give me a call.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24All right then, see you, love. Bye-bye, now. Bye.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Vicky's in a situation where she might not...
0:26:26 > 0:26:29There might not be a three-bedroom property come back in the areas
0:26:29 > 0:26:31that she's bidding on for quite a while.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And I do feel for her, you know, like, having a daughter and a son
0:26:34 > 0:26:37sleeping on an airbed, especially at this time of the year,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41but the good thing that Vicky's done is widen her choice of areas.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43She's not just bidding on Denton now,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45she's bidding on surrounding areas,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47so that in itself gives her a better chance.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Vicky has been forced to look for a home
0:26:51 > 0:26:55further and further from her mum and dad and Sasha's school.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I've had to go further afield than what I wanted
0:26:58 > 0:27:03because there's so little three-bedrooms coming available to actually bid on,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06so, yeah, I've had to broaden my horizons at bit.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11But I've bidded on the property, new development one, in Ashton.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Three bed, which is what I need.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18So just...fingers crossed. Just sit and wait and see what happens.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23But Vicky is concerned that living in a different town
0:27:23 > 0:27:25would prove an added pressure for the family.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Knowing Sasha's got to go further afield, it worries me
0:27:28 > 0:27:32that I'll end up taking her to school, meeting her after school.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I just keep waiting for Wednesdays to come to see what there is
0:27:37 > 0:27:39and then once there isn't nothing,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43that's another full week of waiting, hoping, and if there's nothing again,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46you just keep getting dropped back down to square one.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50# Jingle bells, jingle bells... #
0:27:58 > 0:28:01In the centre of Ashton, Lyndon is checking on Gerard.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Hello, Gerard. How are you doing?
0:28:06 > 0:28:09He's hoping to encourage him to remove some of his clutter,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12ready for essential updating in the flat.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Right, let's have a look.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Gerard clearly needs help and support,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22but it's a delicate situation and Lyndon will have to tread carefully.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25- What's that there, Lyndon, there? - Where? Where are we looking?
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- No, next to the bag?- This?
0:28:27 > 0:28:29- No.- This?- Come down, come down.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31- That?- No come down again.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33- That?- No, next to it.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36- This?- No, with the wire... Oh, it's the iron, isn't it?
0:28:36 > 0:28:38- It's the iron.- Oh, ah.- Eh?- Yeah.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40What about this fan? This looks really old.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44- Yeah, it works, that.- That works? - Yeah, no problems with it.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47In your kitchen now, this is quite cluttered at the moment.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51I think that's congealed, that Cif. It's solid hard, by the look of it.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54No, it's still good, it's just the top. I can use that.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56- You can use that?- Clear the top out.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58- Lime juice?- There's some there.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- There's some in there. - Yeah, I still use it.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02May 2011.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07And tins have quite a lengthy lifespan, but these have expired.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Rice pudding, February 1999. Before the millennium.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17The build-up of clutter has meant Gerard cannot use his bed.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21It's all underneath there. The bed.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24It's all underneath there and it's that way.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And I sleep on there, on the air bed, there.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30I've been there now since about four year.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34At the moment, you can't use your bed in your bedroom
0:29:34 > 0:29:37cos of all your stuff, so we need to get those two rooms
0:29:37 > 0:29:41back in operation, because it's no good you sleeping on the floor
0:29:41 > 0:29:44- in your living room, is it?- No.- No.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48I don't think you're going to be able to move all this on your own
0:29:48 > 0:29:51cos there's a lot of stuff. It's a tall order for any fit person.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55How would you feel if I referred you free for some support?
0:29:55 > 0:29:59Then they can either help you or point you in the right direction,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02- so how would you feel about that? - Yeah.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Yeah? So if I make a referral and we'll be able to, I'm sure,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08give you some assistance with, you know,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10sorting your flat out and things.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Lyndon's housing association has recently seen
0:30:12 > 0:30:16a significant rise in tenants whose collecting gets out of control.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21Out of my teams, we have about five or six cases at any one time
0:30:21 > 0:30:23and they are very difficult to resolve
0:30:23 > 0:30:28because it's taken years and years of time and effort
0:30:28 > 0:30:32for some of our tenants to collect all this material,
0:30:32 > 0:30:37whether that's papers, items of furniture, whatever it may be,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39and that's going to take us years and years
0:30:39 > 0:30:41to try and change that type of behaviour, and often
0:30:41 > 0:30:45we're never going to be able to resolve that type of behaviour.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50This morning, Stephen is visiting his elderly mother.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05No matter what happens, Beryl is always there for him.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Sometimes I'll give him a couple of tins of something.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14Corned beef or baked beans or anything that can make a meal.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Underneath it all, there's a good lad,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22and we used to say, "You'll break somebody's heart one day,"
0:31:22 > 0:31:24not realising it'd be mine.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27What you on about, me breaking your heart at some point?
0:31:30 > 0:31:34First one of t'day, first of many, usually.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37There's no light at the end of the tunnel, Stephen,
0:31:37 > 0:31:41so what I do, how much I lend you, sort you out,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46- I've paid your bills, haven't I? - Yes.- Well, at 73, I don't want this.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50I should be having peace of mind now, not all this aggro.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59That's a pound. There you are, Stephen.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Make that the last today.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Ta, love.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09The injunction to curb Stephen's partying
0:32:09 > 0:32:11has now been presented to court
0:32:11 > 0:32:14and Ivan needs to serve the papers in person.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18I want respite for the neighbours as soon as possible,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21and there's a weekend, you know, looming
0:32:21 > 0:32:25and if he doesn't get served, then there's every possibility
0:32:25 > 0:32:27that the date for court will get moved,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29which means we won't get the injunction,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33which means ultimately the neighbours will have to endure
0:32:33 > 0:32:36what they've had to endure for a long time now.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38- Ivan's tracked him down to his mother's.- We're here.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56We've come... We're going to court on Friday to get a civil injunction.
0:32:56 > 0:32:57Right.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59So it's an order from a civil judge which would say,
0:32:59 > 0:33:05if granted on Friday, that you're not allowed to do certain things.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08Similar to your tenancy agreement.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10I'm trying to get this back in order.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13If you do do those things, then you'll be seen
0:33:13 > 0:33:16as being in contempt of court, and that judge can then sentence you
0:33:16 > 0:33:18to up to two years in prison as a result of breaching his rules.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Yeah, I'll do it. I'll do it, yeah, two years is a nightmare.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25So the conditions there are about noise, nuisance, causing harm and stress,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28but also it's about the number of visitors you have at your property.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31You're no longer allowed more than two visitors to your property.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Oh. Um...
0:33:33 > 0:33:35They've all started staying away anyway.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37That wasn't the case yesterday. I was there,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40there were three guys there yesterday and you weren't there
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and they were letting themselves in and out of a door you'd left unlocked, so that's not the case.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46There's no key. I've lost the keys.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48I've told you before, you need to change those locks.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Me mate said he had a barrel for me.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Well, get on it, cos it's very important.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Is that all of it? Do you need your PE kit doing?
0:34:01 > 0:34:02No, you did that the other day.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04My blazer's in my bag.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07It's now four months since Vicky and her children
0:34:07 > 0:34:10started sleeping on the floor of her parents' flat.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Although she would be happy with a two-bed home,
0:34:13 > 0:34:17regulations mean she can only apply for a rare three-bed house.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20So far, she's been unsuccessful.
0:34:26 > 0:34:32For the last few days, Rita has been struggling to contact Vicky.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34PHONE RINGS
0:34:35 > 0:34:36'Hello?'
0:34:36 > 0:34:38- Hiya, Vicky, it's Rita.- 'Hiya.'
0:34:38 > 0:34:42How are you? I've been trying so hard to get hold of you lately.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43'I know, yeah.'
0:34:43 > 0:34:45I've been trying to give you some good news.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48You've been matched up to the three-bedroom house,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50you know, that you were asking me about.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54'Yeah, yeah. Well, the thing is, I was looking at a private rented one.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56'Now, the thing is, the one with the private one,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59'they've also offered me mum and dad one next door to the same house,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01'so I think I'll be taking that one,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05'so I'm not too far away from them in case they need me.'
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Right. You are aware though, Vicky,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10you know with the private rented accommodation,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12you've not got a secure tenancy there,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15and if you were to decide that, you know, it wasn't for you,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19- private renting, and you come back on our waiting list...- 'Yeah.'
0:35:19 > 0:35:21..it'd be very unlikely you'd be matched to a property
0:35:21 > 0:35:23because you were adequately housed in our eyes then.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25'Yeah, yeah, I know that.'
0:35:25 > 0:35:27So I want to make sure that you're 100% positive
0:35:27 > 0:35:30that you want to go down the private and rented sector.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34- Yeah, yeah.- So shall I just close your application down then
0:35:34 > 0:35:37and say you, you know, you've found housing elsewhere?
0:35:37 > 0:35:40'Yeah, I think it's best, so nobody else is hanging around,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42'you know, who needs the houses.'
0:35:42 > 0:35:43- Right.- 'You know, who's next in line,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47'but I do appreciate everything you've done for me, I do.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49'With not being able to drive and stuff,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51'I've got the chance of being next door
0:35:51 > 0:35:53'so I would prefer to do that so that I'm near them as well.'
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- All right, then. - 'All right, thank you, bye.'
0:35:59 > 0:36:02The decision to take a privately rented house
0:36:02 > 0:36:03was difficult for Vicky.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06- Now don't eat them all.- I'm not!
0:36:06 > 0:36:10I know what you're like, I need to put padlocks on the cupboards.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15It was a couple of days before we had to sign for this, so she just sat there, thinking and thinking.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Situation of not knowing what to do and I thought
0:36:17 > 0:36:21one minute I haven't got anything and the next minute I've got to choose and it was just really hard.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25I was trying to please everybody, just make sure everybody's happy
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and I think I've made the right choice to make sure that everybody's happy, anyway.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32The privately rented house is close to Sasha's school
0:36:32 > 0:36:34and right next door to her mum and dad.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Got to think of the kids as well as me mum and dad, do you know?
0:36:37 > 0:36:39I don't what to be dragging them around
0:36:39 > 0:36:41while I'm trying to look after me mum and dad,
0:36:41 > 0:36:45it's just so much easier the way that it is now, with them just being next door.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Yeah, this is mine and Leyton's bedroom.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53We've just got our own space. Getting decent sleep.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57I've had a couple of my friends staying over,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59and they'll come round and it's just...
0:36:59 > 0:37:01It's better cos I can have more friendly time,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04because, like, I can have my own little time upstairs
0:37:04 > 0:37:08instead of, like, everyone running around and it all being hectic.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18In Ashton, Lyndon has referred Gerard for extra support
0:37:18 > 0:37:22and, with his cooperation, they're planning a dramatic approach.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26I need help and support, you know, to get rid of the stuff.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31Gerard's support workers have organised a big clear out.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32Some of the stuff's got to go, ain't it?
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Some of the stuff is just complete rubbish
0:37:35 > 0:37:37as far as I'm concerned, but all me clothing -
0:37:37 > 0:37:39I've got clothes of clothing that needs to be washed,
0:37:39 > 0:37:42you with me? I don't even know... I bet, I've got somewhere...
0:37:42 > 0:37:44There's a coat and I think it's in the...
0:37:44 > 0:37:48Me mother had a fur coat and that's still there,
0:37:48 > 0:37:49and I seal it all up in bags, you with me?
0:37:49 > 0:37:52Are you going to keep all those clothes that...?
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Well, those... Well, I can't wear a fur coat, can I?
0:37:56 > 0:37:58I don't know what I'm going to do with that.
0:38:01 > 0:38:02Second floor?
0:38:05 > 0:38:07To create living space, the team will remove
0:38:07 > 0:38:10many of the items Gerard's held on to for years.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Have you seen the rubbish that's in there?
0:38:15 > 0:38:20One of Gerard's support workers, Margaret, is leading the clear-out.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Well, what we'll do... What they said they'd do is clear it
0:38:22 > 0:38:26and then we can always reintroduce it back in, what you need, is that OK?
0:38:26 > 0:38:28- Yeah.- All right then.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Now, we've cleared this of pretty much everything except rubbish,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39- which we'll put in a bag and take with us.- OK.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45- That's me mother's.- Is it?
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Yeah. I didn't wear them.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Is there something in it, was there a photograph?
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Is a stamp. It's an old stamp.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04There is a fine line between trying to enforce support on to people,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07because ultimately, you know, they have a choice,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10they don't have to accept our help and support and guidance,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13and quite often there's times when people say no.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16They don't want... They just won't open the door to us.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18But our job is to build that trust and spend the time
0:39:18 > 0:39:21trying to build that relationship with the tenant and their household,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23so that we can make a difference
0:39:23 > 0:39:25and try and turn that situation around.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30The clearance of Gerard's flat has finished and Lyndon is checking
0:39:30 > 0:39:33if the heating contractors can now begin work.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Well, this area's a real big improvement
0:39:35 > 0:39:39because you can noticeably see as you walk in, you know,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41it's pretty much clear, isn't it?
0:39:41 > 0:39:44And, you know, like, there's a lot of progress been made
0:39:44 > 0:39:48because, as I say, now this area, for the most part, is totally clear
0:39:48 > 0:39:52and there's a lot of items gone through this middle part of your living room.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Yeah, so there is real progress
0:39:54 > 0:39:59in terms of we'll be able to now access putting your heating in.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- Was you here when I was looking for me shoes? Couldn't find them!- Right.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05And they, anyway, and what they'd done,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07they'd put them in that bottom drawer.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Right, so they'd put them away for you.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13So it's... Ooh.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Real big improvement, isn't it? I can see your bed now.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Yeah, you might... You might need probably a new mattress
0:40:20 > 0:40:23cos it'd be nice for you
0:40:23 > 0:40:26to start using this room again as your bedroom.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29I'm sure you're sick of lying on the floor, aren't you?
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Well, he is starting to do a few odd jobs in the house
0:40:33 > 0:40:37and he's also, you know, clearing through some of the items himself
0:40:37 > 0:40:41and I think underneath he can see progress and there's signs
0:40:41 > 0:40:44that he does understand now that he needs to sort the issue out.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55In Stalybridge, the police have been called to Stephen's flat.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Hello, Stephen? Hi, you all right?
0:41:08 > 0:41:10It's the police, can we come in, please?
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- You know this court injunction that was served 27th April?- Yeah.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18That you're not allowed to have groups of people here
0:41:18 > 0:41:21who play loud music and so on? Well, we've got four statements
0:41:21 > 0:41:24to say that you've broken that injunction, so we're taking you in.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27- Already?- Already, yeah. We'll show you the statements
0:41:27 > 0:41:29when we get to the police station, OK?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Right, Stephen, up we get, mate.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Come round this way, mate.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- Let's go down the station and get you sorted out.- Yeah, come on then.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40In the back, mate.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42STEPHEN COUGHS HOARSELY
0:41:48 > 0:41:49On top of being arrested,
0:41:49 > 0:41:53there is now a real risk Stephen will lose his home.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56I don't know what's going to happen if he's turned out of that flat.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59I don't.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01I suppose it'll be down to me
0:42:01 > 0:42:04and then rest of t'family will fall out with me, then.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I'm between the devil and the deep blue sea, really.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Following the reduction in Gerard's clutter,
0:42:15 > 0:42:19the contractors have been able to update his heating...
0:42:20 > 0:42:24- Where are we going? - Just straight through here. It's easier going in the lift.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29..and Lyndon has persuaded the housing association
0:42:29 > 0:42:33to dip into the estate budget and replace Gerard's bed.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Wheels are at the bottom, so...
0:42:39 > 0:42:40- That's it.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43This is the first time I've made a tenant's bed
0:42:43 > 0:42:45and I'm sure it won't be the last.
0:42:45 > 0:42:46You know?
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Do you want to test that now and just see what it's like?
0:42:50 > 0:42:52I've still got my shoes on.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54It'll be fine. Is that a bit more...?
0:42:54 > 0:42:57- Yeah. Oh, yeah.- Yeah?
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Yeah?
0:43:01 > 0:43:03I could do with another pillow.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd