0:00:02 > 0:00:04There is a failure to provide enough housing
0:00:04 > 0:00:06for the people of this country.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09But landlords haven't made this problem,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12they've just got wealthier on the back of it.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Once a nation of homeowners,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18there are now over 11 million people renting in Britain.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And most of the rent is being collected by private landlords.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28My philosophy is buy low, rent high.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32The truth is, we buy property for one reason and one reason only,
0:00:32 > 0:00:33and that's to make money.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38But many landlords have no idea what it's like
0:00:38 > 0:00:41to live in the properties they profit from.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I think the expression "let it and forget it" springs to mind.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46When you walk in the house,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48first thing you can smell is the mould from this room.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51For pensioners to sleep in these kind of conditions,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53I think it's just disgusting.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56And they can't always rely on the tenants to speak up.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57If I kick up that much of a fuss,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00it's going to be easy to get new tenants, isn't it?
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I can't make it better for you till you say something.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08So to experience it for themselves,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11these landlords have agreed to swap their home comforts
0:01:11 > 0:01:14for a week in their tenants' shoes...
0:01:14 > 0:01:17It's very easy, as a landlord, to completely detach yourself from your
0:01:17 > 0:01:20property, not even to think about what it would be like to live there.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23I'm quite excited. It's like going on holiday.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Oh, goodness.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27..to see the properties through their tenants' eyes...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Oh, it smells a bit!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Oh, my goodness! What on earth is this?
0:01:32 > 0:01:35We should have been packing for the blasted Arctic.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37..and live on their budgets.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38Money, money, money.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40How are we going to eat on 54 quid?
0:01:40 > 0:01:44And once they've lived the realities of renting for themselves...
0:01:44 > 0:01:46We feel like we've lived like paupers.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Bit upset, really. I think it makes me feel vulnerable.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53..will it make them change their properties
0:01:53 > 0:01:55or how they view their tenants?
0:01:55 > 0:01:57What's been building up underneath the surface
0:01:57 > 0:02:02is knowing that I'm responsible for somebody else's living conditions.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10People say that there's a housing crisis at the moment.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Perhaps there is a housing crisis, but as an investor,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15that becomes an opportunity, not a problem.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Birmingham-based landlord Samuel is just 25,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24and already has a property portfolio worth over £1 million.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Basically, mate, you're going to be
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- ready to rent this out, I would imagine, next week.- Yeah.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29From my property business,
0:02:29 > 0:02:34we earn a profit of between £10,000 and £20,000 per month.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39I guess some people would probably say we do live a lavish lifestyle.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We have a lot of time and we drive nice cars.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44She has the Audi, I have the Range Rover Evoque.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45We do take a lot of holidays.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48We were in America, went to San Francisco, Las Vegas...
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- We went to LA.- Oh, it was amazing.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Beverly Hills Hotel, which is where all the celebrities stay.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I guess it's all relative - what is lavish?
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Samuel acquired his first property just after his 18th birthday.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04The economy was very different back then.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08It was all about buying below market value.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11He was so young that, to secure the finance,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14his early properties had to be bought in his brother's name.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18I borrowed £100,000 cash, bought it outright.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20When I got a mortgage on it,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I got the mortgage back up to its true value.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26It was worth 120, so I made £20,000 overnight.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Money in the bank! Ay!
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- Money in the bank!- Ay!
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Samuel has never had a regular nine-to-five job.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40- Boom!- He and his wife, Amanda, live off what they call a passive income.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Passive income is an income that comes in whether you work or not.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Oh!
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I probably spend less than five minutes a month
0:03:48 > 0:03:49managing my portfolio.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I don't keep in touch with my tenants,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I don't keep an eye on the property whatsoever.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59In fact, most of them, I haven't visited in years.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03We are not all made to be rich and successful and make money,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06but I believe you are and that is why you are here,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08because you are a king, a royal priesthood,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12called out of darkness to walk in the wonderful light.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16A devout Christian, when Samuel is not spending money,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19he's spreading the word that there's no shame in making it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22We teach how to buy properties with no money.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I'm a living, walking, testimony proof of that.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28When I started buying properties, as a young Christian,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I got elbowed out of the Church,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34because people thought, "Money? Money is... Money is evil!"
0:04:34 > 0:04:38If you sell out your integrity, sell out on your values,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40then that's a big problem. But if you...
0:04:40 > 0:04:44if you let money serve you, then that can be really powerful.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46So I set up a Christian business network,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50and it's become my mission to educate people in this subject.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53If you sign up tonight, it is...
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- £95! - SOME WHOOPING
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Good?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03But now Samuel's going on his biggest mission yet.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- Have we got chargers, darling?- Yes.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- And just everything? - SHE LAUGHS
0:05:07 > 0:05:11He's going to spend one week in the shoes of his own tenant.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I think what I'm really interested in discovering is,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I know that I'm a good property investor,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20but am I also a good landlord? We'll find out.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Though they don't know it yet,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29the couple will be spending their week in this three-bed terrace
0:05:29 > 0:05:31in a village in County Durham.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- Got to go.- The current tenant is 44-year-old single mum Marie.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39She hasn't always lived in rented accommodation.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42When I bought my first property,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I was queen of my own castle. It was mine.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Come on, girls, we've got to go!
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I divorced the kids' dad
0:05:49 > 0:05:52to go back from being a house owner to a tenant.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56It's a stopgap.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59After a rent rise priced her out of her previous home,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Marie and her two daughters moved here three years ago.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05It was disgusting, it was horrible.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08The walls were all covered in...faeces.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Cats', dogs', children's.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16This carpet, there was a massive hole in the middle of it,
0:06:16 > 0:06:17and maggots were living in it.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20It was two beds in the living room.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24- Yeah.- Massive, mouldy beds with rubbish and mattresses and chairs.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25It wasn't fit to live,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29but as far as the estate agents were concerned, it was liveable.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Samuel has set a low rent of £400 a month,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35if Marie would manage the property herself.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41He also refunded her £1,000 deposit to help cover any work.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The £1,000 paid for the carpet and the skip,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47but it didn't pay for any of the little things.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50But it's the little things that are really expensive.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53In this corner, we have slugs' paradise.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56The slugs will come up through the holes in the floor.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57You can see in the morning,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00because they leave, like, a sticky, snotty trail.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02This is a plastic splashback.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05It's a gas ring and it's melted.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07We have very few door handles.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Big holes in them.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11They're broken.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13This wall is massively damp.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16It's mouldy. And it's all just coming away.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21But now there's one problem that can't be ignored any longer.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23The roof's got a bit of a leak.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30It was hanging off in great big lumps.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32I'd been for a bath, and I opened the door,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35bit of plaster cracked me right in the head.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Just didn't know what to do.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I don't think I went to the toilet the rest of the day!
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- INTERVIEWER:- And Samuel knows this?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I don't think he knows the extent of it.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45He thinks it's a hole.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49And do you tell him?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Probably not to the extent I should have done, no.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Why is that?- I don't want him to think that we're ruining his house.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57It was agreed between Samuel and myself
0:07:57 > 0:07:59that we would deal with this ourselves.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01If I kick up that much of a fuss,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04it's going to be easy to get new tenants, isn't it?
0:08:07 > 0:08:09It's worrying. This house is so nice,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and we actually feel at home in this one.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13We've been here for so long now.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16If he does come here and realises the potential of this house,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20and pumps the rent up, that's going to be a fun one.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- You all right?- Yeah. Hi.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28This will be the first time Samuel has set foot in the property
0:08:28 > 0:08:31since Marie and her daughters moved in three years ago.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33I think it's going to be a bit of an eye-opener for him.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37I think he's probably going to feel sort of, like, you've been let down.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38I feel like I've let him down.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- Why?- Because we were doing the maintenance.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Yeah. Decorating, painting and stuff like that, it makes sense,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- but mending a hole in the ceiling? - Well, you know...
0:08:46 > 0:08:47That's a bit beyond light maintenance!
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- There's no ceiling. - It's not your fault, as such.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53But that's just it, I do feel like it's my fault.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Look at the state of it. It does get you down, it can't not.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02This is my home.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04He doesn't know the state this house is in.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09- PHONE PINGS - Oh, this is it.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Oh!
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We're going to County Durham!
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- No way! - That has really surprised me.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21It's, like, a proper, decent, good-sized house.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And I've not been to that property for years.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Boom! Right, let's get our things.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31For the next week, Marie will move to a holiday cottage nearby
0:09:31 > 0:09:35and will meet with Samuel before he leaves.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40I think this is actually going to be an absolute bash.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41I'm quite excited. I can't wait.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- Are you really excited? - I am really excited.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It's a bit like going on holiday?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Yeah. Yeah, it's like a little week away, isn't it?
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- It is a bit like going on holiday. Yeah.- It really is.- It is, a bit.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I hope that she's kept it nice.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Oh, it's warm.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58While Marie settles into her new home for the week...
0:09:58 > 0:10:00It's beautiful. It's really nice.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I think Samuel might want to swap.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Oh, home, sweet home.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09..Samuel's about to get a first taste of his tenants' life.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- Oh, it's so nice. - Oh, I like this!
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- This is really nice.- Oh!
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- Nice.- Yeah, kitchen's good.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- Yeah.- It's OK.- Yeah.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Carpet's OK, as well, isn't it?
0:10:21 > 0:10:23It's not bad. It's not bad condition.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Oh, my goodness!
0:10:27 > 0:10:29What on earth is this?!
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- What's up?- Look at this!
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Oh, goodness!
0:10:35 > 0:10:40- What?!- It looks like it's falling apart.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- Oh, my goodness!- That is crazy.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- She's not mentioned this, has she? - No, no.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49How can like the wall just fall off, like...?
0:10:49 > 0:10:50That is crazy.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52And it looks like it's still coming off.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- Yeah, yeah. - There's still bits on the floor.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- Yeah.- I don't like that.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04Why is it like it, and why did we not know until now?
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Hold the other end like a proper wife.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15300 miles away live two more landlords who have agreed
0:11:15 > 0:11:18to give up their home comforts for a taste of tenant life.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- I think we're a good team. - Yeah, we're a good team.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26When she puts your stuff away and I can never find it, we just go and buy more.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31Former city trader Paul and his wife Sharon have made millions
0:11:31 > 0:11:35through renting their properties over the past 30 years.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39That's a Macronesian white gin.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Oh, that is absolute amber nectar, that.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46We spend about £1,000 a week.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Such a bad thing to say!
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Well, it's only 50 grand a year.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- It'll all be...- Oh, God! "That's only 50 grand a year!"
0:11:54 > 0:11:56A lot of people earn 50 grand a year now.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58Don't they?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04The majority of their rentals
0:12:04 > 0:12:07are in the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09How much do you want for that chrome table and chairs?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13- £25.- Rethink that, and when I come back, let's start negotiations.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18Our portfolio consists of 85% to 90% benefit tenants.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19No other landlords are taking them.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23If we get sent a decent one, then why wouldn't I take them?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25The Council pays.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30And Paul and Sharon have done very well out of their business model.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Our portfolio is probably worth in excess of 10 million.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37We own 44 flats on the seafront.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40We bought in Weston because it was cheap.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43So we own the back half of St Margaret's Terrace.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47And we also own all the flats in Beach Court Apartments,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49which runs all the way down there.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51With over 100 tenants,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Paul and Sharon have heard every excuse in the book
0:12:54 > 0:12:56when it comes to not paying the rent.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Had one that's gotten mugged at the cash point.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01You would be astonished at the amount of tenants
0:13:01 > 0:13:03who had their bank raided by a mystery person.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Oh, have you? Of course you have, yeah, of course you have.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10You don't want to be this person that just doesn't believe anybody.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12But I don't.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- Do you?- Not any more. I used to.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17I don't think I could be a better landlord.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21I think my tenants think I could be a better landlord,
0:13:21 > 0:13:22cos I think my tenants think
0:13:22 > 0:13:24that I should come round and change their bulbs.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I do the maintenance,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30and I keep my properties legal, warm and a nice place to live.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32So I don't see how I could be a better landlord.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40Paul and Sharon are swapping their four-bedroom home on the beach front
0:13:40 > 0:13:45for this two-bedroom flat in the centre of Weston-Super-Mare
0:13:45 > 0:13:49to step into the shoes of tenants Chris and Courtney.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54They moved into this two-bed flat
0:13:54 > 0:13:57just after their baby son, George, was born.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59The flat we were in before was very small.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Everything was in one room. So when George came along,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04we definitely needed somewhere bigger.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Paul and Sharon have, like, bent over backwards to help us,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09but the only problem in here is the storage.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12When we first moved in, George was only a few weeks old.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14We didn't have time to unpack everything.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16That's why everything's starting to build up.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18George takes up all the wardrobe space,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20so it makes our clothes go everywhere else.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21We haven't asked for more storage
0:14:21 > 0:14:24because I don't want to come across as I'm nagging Paul and Sharon.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27You know, they have the power to evict people.
0:14:27 > 0:14:28I can't risk it with George,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30and a lot of landlords won't take housing benefit.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32So...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36When they moved in, Chris and Courtney
0:14:36 > 0:14:40were given two new mattresses, but the old ones are still there.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43This one was in George's room, just left up against the wall.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46And this, it was the one that was on our bed.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Asked for this one to be removed and...still here.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Hello! How you doing?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55The rent is £650 per month,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58which includes eight hours of heating a day,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01set and controlled by the landlords.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03We have no control over the heating.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05It's controlled in another area of the building.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Can't just say, "Oh, it's cold, turn it up."
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's meant to come on two, three times a day,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14but it just hasn't been coming on recently.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I've had to put three, maybe four blankets on George,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19as well as a jumper, because he just gets so cold.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Give me your hand.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Time for a bottle?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Went round to speak to Sharon about how cold the flat is,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28she said she'd send her maintenance team around,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30but, as far as I know, that hasn't happened yet.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Sometimes it feels like the heating's not even on.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35What else do we pay?
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Before they leave, Chris and Courtney work out their weekly budget.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- Just on food and electrics, £70. - Yeah.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46We're hoping that Sharon and Paul will see how difficult it is
0:15:46 > 0:15:48to get by on such a small budget
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and how little storage there is for everything.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53How cold it can get here as well.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- I'm hoping they're going to get somebody to take mattresses away! - That'd be nice.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- I think they'll struggle on £70 a week.- You reckon?
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- They're going to have to use some heaters.- Yeah, that's true.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Courtney texts Paul and Sharon
0:16:07 > 0:16:10to let them know where they'll be staying for the next week.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14That's Courtney and Chris.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17They're both unemployed. She's obviously a mum now.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Neither have got a job, if I remember rightly.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23They're both definitely... They're on Housing Benefit.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Shall I text back? "No, not for us."
0:16:31 > 0:16:32Hurry up!
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Paul and Sharon will be staying here in Chris and Courtney's flat
0:16:36 > 0:16:38for seven days.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Do you think you packed enough?
0:16:40 > 0:16:43No. Because there's hardly anything here.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47This is all her beauty stuff!
0:16:47 > 0:16:50# Welcome home! #
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Now I bring the rest in.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Why is there mattresses everywhere?
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I don't know. I don't know.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Maybe, are there people staying?
0:16:58 > 0:16:59Maybe to get the cot in?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- A letter.- Ah!
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Welcome, Paul and Sharon, we hope you enjoy your stay in our home.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10We have left you some space in the wardrobe, too.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11Thank you.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Paul and Sharon have been given Chris and Courtney's weekly budget.
0:17:15 > 0:17:1720, 40, 60, 70.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20£70 for food and electricity.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Well, it's doable.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23Is it how you like to live?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Absolutely not. I'd go and get a job.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- I think we should move this mattress.- I think so.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Just put it in situ.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- There's not going to be anybody in here.- No.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Where I'm going to put my stuff, I don't know,
0:17:38 > 0:17:39there's so much of their stuff in here.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42They do seem to be, for some reason, short of storage.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44No bedside tables. We've got loads of bedside tables.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47So this is through lack of asking if they wanted it.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50I mean, my daughter stores most of her clothes on her floor.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- INTERVIEWER:- Do you think tenants
0:17:54 > 0:17:56might be scared to ask for more things?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- Not us. We're very approachable. - Not us, yeah.- I mean...
0:18:01 > 0:18:04We just live out the suitcases, I think.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07How does this compare to where you keep your clothes?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11She's laughing because there's 109 shirts in a cupboard,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14all colour co-ordinated and set out, ready for me to wear.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15But that's how I like to live my life.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I like shirts and I like cupboards.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22It's not just with storage that Paul has high standards.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I thought that was humidity on the windows,
0:18:24 > 0:18:25but actually it's just muck.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I don't wish to look like Hyacinth Bucket,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31but if you're unemployed, you really could get some cleaning done.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Just put this on top of that.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37See what it looks like.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Once you are in the benefits system,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43it starts to make people lose a bit of spirit.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46A lot of them feel that they can't get anywhere.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48You know, I've only got £70 a week.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Well, if I was only doing £70 a week,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I'd be up at all hours cleaning this up.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56My house wouldn't say I've got £70 a week.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58It'd be mint, absolutely mint.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Courtney and George are settling into
0:19:06 > 0:19:10the serviced apartment they are calling home for the week
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- and waiting for Chris... - Hello.- ..to get back from work.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Hey! Hey, you!
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Daddy's got cold hands.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Chris has recently returned to work, against doctor's advice,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23after two years signed off for a back injury.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Have you been making the home your own? Yes?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It's been quite a difficult time being signed off of work,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30not bringing any money home.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Couldn't wait to get back to work.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- What do you think? - Wasn't expecting this.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35But this is lovely.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37- I'm playing with the heating. - Cos you have control of it?
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Yeah. I've been, like, pressing the buttons!
0:19:39 > 0:19:41It was very important for me to go back to work.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45The money that I was getting from benefits, I just felt I didn't earn.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- Right, see what you think.- Got to test the comfort.- Test it out.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- Yeah, I've just come home from work. - COURTNEY LAUGHS
0:19:52 > 0:19:54THEY LAUGH
0:19:54 > 0:19:56This is it!
0:19:56 > 0:19:58See you tomorrow morning!
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- SAMUEL:- Oh, money! - In Durham, Samuel and Amanda
0:20:07 > 0:20:11are adjusting to life on their tenant Marie's budget.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14£62.72.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Very precise. - Yes, I know, right to the penny.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21At home, the couple prefer to eat out or live on takeaways.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24If we've only got £62,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27it means that we're not going to really be able to order food in
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and get takeaways, because our money will run out very quickly,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34so we're probably going to have to go out, get food, cook it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Do you want to add up some of this stuff as we go?
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Oh, man! Do I have to?
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Wait, wait, we're not finished yet in this aisle.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48This shopping experience
0:20:48 > 0:20:51has probably taken more concentration than usual.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I mean, usually we just order online and it gets delivered.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Now we're, like, looking out for the best deals
0:20:56 > 0:20:58just to maximise the amount of money that we've got.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Could have curry one night and then sweet and sour another night.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Why don't we get rich tea biscuits?
0:21:05 > 0:21:0850p. Come on, you can't moan at that!
0:21:08 > 0:21:09And then some Rocky bars.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11That's all right, isn't it?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13And that will be, like, our bad stuff for the week.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15We could possibly do with some puddings.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Quavers. Yeah, Quavers, we love Quavers.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21They have just £62 to last the entire week.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- £47.87.- Oh!
0:21:24 > 0:21:29So we literally have got now less than £15 left in the world.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34It's just crazy, isn't it, how fast £62 can run out?
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- I know.- Welcome to the real world! - THEY SCOFF
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Toilet roll. Chicken for tomorrow.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- Two days, that will last us for. - Great.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50In Weston-Super-Mare, Paul and Sharon have also been shopping.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Tinned tomatoes.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58I would never be satisfied with simply what's in front of me here.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I think it's a really easy option, staying on benefits.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03It's about what you're happy with.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06After putting £12 aside for their electric meter,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10they have allowed themselves a food budget for the week of £58.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14What would you spend £58 on normally?
0:22:14 > 0:22:15Gin.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20Like many of their generation,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Sharon and Paul got on the property ladder early.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25I've never rented a property.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29I didn't leave home until I was 22.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31I bought my own house, my first house.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Had lodgers in it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I managed to get a 99% mortgage.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41But then, the property was only £32,000.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Unlike Paul and Sharon,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46it's predicted at least a third of Chris and Courtney's generation
0:22:46 > 0:22:49will still be renting when they're 60.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Are you kicking your legs about again, George?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The way things are at the moment, saving's just not an option.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Any money that we get coming in,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01it literally pays for us just to keep living.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03There's no way we can save up for a life at the moment.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07I haven't looked into buying a home yet.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09It just looks like such a...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12..hard thing to be able to do.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Demand for rental properties in Weston-Super-Mare is high,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21pushing up rental prices and making it
0:23:21 > 0:23:25one of the most profitable seaside towns for landlords in the UK.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30I think there's so much of it. Look! I've eaten like a king tonight!
0:23:30 > 0:23:31That's another meal there.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35That was the cheapest spaghetti ever.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It was, like, 30p or something for that whole pack.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Quite nice, isn't it?
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I don't think it will be harder than we thought,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46because we always thought it was going to be hard.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I was once told that the first three days in a prison
0:23:50 > 0:23:53is the hardest three days and then once you fall into the routine,
0:23:53 > 0:23:54the rest of it just falls in.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Have you found it cold?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- Gosh, no!- We are boiling up. We've got windows open.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- But we don't sleep with the radiator on at home anyway.- No.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07It might be something to do with being old, wrinkly and fat.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Look at this! What on earth?!
0:24:24 > 0:24:26That looks like dog scratches.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28That must be dog scratches.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31But then, how big's this dog?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33In Durham, Samuel's noticing
0:24:33 > 0:24:36the hole in the roof isn't the only problem.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Interesting that the door handles aren't on.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44There just seems to be a lot of little things peeling and falling.
0:24:44 > 0:24:50I bought this house almost five years ago and it did look nicer.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Despite the property increasing in value,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Samuel only makes £25 profit a month from Marie's rent.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02One of the reasons she got such a cheap rent was because there were things that needed doing.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Now, the hallway's a different story, that's a massive thing.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08But when it comes to things that aren't necessities but just a bit shabby,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11the kind of arrangement was that she'd sort that out.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18What's this stuff, babe, do you know?
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Here.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Eugh!
0:25:22 > 0:25:23What? What is it?
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Slugs! Slug slime!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- No!- Oh, that is so gross.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- No, it isn't.- Yeah, it is.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Oh, my goodness, that is...
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Oh, it's disgusting. I wish I didn't see that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- Ew!- Right on the hob as well.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38- Oh.- Oh, no! When did that happen?
0:25:38 > 0:25:42It must have happened overnight, cos it wasn't there last night.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43I'm going to the living room.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Oh, that's so gross.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Anyway. Yeah.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49That's kind of put me off my food a bit.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52If I had that problem reoccurring, I would sort it.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Yeah. That is not cool.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Babe, seven days will be enough here!
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Yeah.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07# Our God is a great big God... #
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Devout Christians Samuel and Amanda have escaped to the local church
0:26:11 > 0:26:13to find out more about the area they invested in.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16# ..And he holds us in his hands... #
0:26:18 > 0:26:20The town where Marie lives
0:26:20 > 0:26:23was once the lifeblood of the British steel industry.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26When the local plant shut down in 1980,
0:26:26 > 0:26:303,000 people lost their jobs, before house prices slumped.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35How long are you living in the area?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I'm in County Durham for one week.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40- Right.- I mean, I bought the house without even looking at it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- Oh, did you?- I bought it blind, because it was a good price.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46- Yes.- My friend told me about it and said it's a good price.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50I bought it. Renting it out, I've only ever seen it once before.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52- Right.- So I don't know the area at all.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54It's actually come up-market, believe it or not.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- Has it?- Might find that strange.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- Right.- Because... Because when the steelworks closed,
0:27:00 > 0:27:06it was about 35% unemployment in the area.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Right. That's quite high.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10So, is the tenant working?
0:27:10 > 0:27:13No. It's a mum and two daughters that live there,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and she pays via housing benefits.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- Right, right.- Yeah.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I think, to be a landlord, as a Christian, might be very difficult,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24because if someone hasn't paid the rent, after a while,
0:27:24 > 0:27:29you might have to evict them and that must be very hard.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31When you're faced, you know, with that situation,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I think they must have a social conscience.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I think when she first moved in, she had a job,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41but then she got a bit sick, she moved...
0:27:41 > 0:27:43She asked me if it was OK if she moved to benefits.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I said, "Look, you know, as long as you pay your rent on time, it's fine."
0:27:46 > 0:27:47So she went on benefits.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50But a few months ago, her benefits stopped
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and she said that she'd be able to get it sorted,
0:27:53 > 0:27:54but it's just been dragging on.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57We haven't had rent for that property,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01I think it's...been at least three, I think it's been four months.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- I can't believe that. - Yeah, it has. Yeah, it has.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07When do you think, though, it'll get to the point where you're just like, "Hmm"?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Or do you think you're just going to be patient with it
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- and just wait until...?- Well...
0:28:14 > 0:28:18I think... I think if it's not sorted by the end of this month,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20then I'll start having some firm words.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Marie was a paying tenant, working as a theatre nurse,
0:28:30 > 0:28:32until an injury forced her to retrain.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37I fell and damaged my back, which resulted in a few surgeries,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40which meant stooping over patients became very difficult
0:28:40 > 0:28:42and I just really struggled.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45She's now studying full-time to be a social worker,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and is dependent on student finance and housing benefit.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50But four months ago,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54we got a letter through the door stopping my housing benefit,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56as I was being reassessed.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57So I can't pay the rent.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Over the last five years,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03there has been a steady increase in the number of households
0:29:03 > 0:29:07facing homelessness due to problems with a housing benefit claim.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11It's going to take the Council as long as it's going to take them.
0:29:11 > 0:29:12And I think that's what's more scary,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14because I don't have any control over it.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23- I'll bring it in.- OK, darling.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25In Weston-Super-Mare, Sharon and Paul
0:29:25 > 0:29:28want to get to the bottom of why Chris and Courtney
0:29:28 > 0:29:30said they were cold in their welcome note.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35There's never been an issue, for anybody that's ever rented here.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39The tenants here pay £10 a week for central heating,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41but the boiler is locked away
0:29:41 > 0:29:44and only Sharon and Paul can set the timings.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47When this young couple came to us, they had nothing.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49They had no furniture, they had nothing.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Um, you know, I believe they were living in the YMCA
0:29:53 > 0:29:55and they had absolutely nothing.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57No deposit, no nothing.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59So we took them in, yeah?
0:29:59 > 0:30:02And, in a way, we gave them the opportunity
0:30:02 > 0:30:07to live within what they were getting from the benefit system.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10We've got two working people in the other flats, OK,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13so they don't moan, they're quite happy. Everybody is happy.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16I think... Yeah. So, when people come and view these flats,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20when you turn round and say that eight hours of heating
0:30:20 > 0:30:23- is included and the... - Continuous hot water.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24The continuous hot water, yeah.
0:30:24 > 0:30:265.30 this morning, I did the washing-up.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28- Hot water.- They absolutely love it, you know?
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Doesn't seem to have a bleed nipple on this one.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35- Not quite sure why. - But it doesn't matter
0:30:35 > 0:30:38how many hours of heating you have if the radiators don't work.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41So I just heard it click on there. Just heard the water start to go.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- You can hear it pumping round, dripping and what have you.- Yeah.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's getting hot at the bottom and not at the top.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48There's not a hole in there, is there?
0:30:48 > 0:30:50- Did you check that? - No. A hole in there?!
0:30:50 > 0:30:52It would be pouring out all over the place!
0:30:52 > 0:30:54No, I meant is there like a little leak, a leak...?
0:30:54 > 0:30:57If there was a leak in that, sweetie, we'd all be covered in water.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59So it's not causing a problem with the flow.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Just check the pressure is sitting at about 1.6.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05I'm going to go around the radiators and let the air out of them.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07AIR HISSES
0:31:07 > 0:31:08I can hear massive air coming out of that.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12It's getting warm right through now.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14People need to stop thinking we're hoteliers,
0:31:14 > 0:31:17and they need to start thinking, "This is my home
0:31:17 > 0:31:19"and, actually, I could bleed a radiator."
0:31:19 > 0:31:20Now, in this instance, it would be difficult
0:31:20 > 0:31:23because they couldn't repressurise the boiler.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25We don't want them to bleed the radiators, we want them to tell us.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Oh! Ah! Ooh! That's very hot.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32But not every tenant finds it easy
0:31:32 > 0:31:35to report a problem to their landlord.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38I don't think that you could approach Paul and Sharon
0:31:38 > 0:31:39- if you had a problem.- No.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42If I ever did try to approach Sharon with a complaint,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45I'd be worried that she would tell me off for something.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48I've got no problems going to people,
0:31:48 > 0:31:49telling them there is something wrong,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52but I suppose there is the worry that, complaining too much,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55if they decide to take it the wrong way one day,
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- they could ask you to move on.- Yeah.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Like the majority of people renting in Britain,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Chris and Courtney are on an assured shorthold tenancy.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07After the fixed term of six months ends,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10they can be legally evicted for no reason.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21In Durham, Samuel is facing the consequences
0:32:21 > 0:32:24of not being told about a problem before it's too late.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30Why is it there, why has Marie not told me about it or anybody about it?
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Yeah, so... Also, how much is it going to potentially cost to fix?
0:32:37 > 0:32:38- Hey, how's it going?- Hi.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41I'm Samuel. Come on through.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44To get a quote, Samuel has called out a builder.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46See up there, there's grass in the gutter.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50- OK, yeah.- That grass in the gutter, the water is coming down the roof,
0:32:50 > 0:32:51and it's saturating the grass.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54You need to clean that gutter out, water seal the whole wall,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57and then do the plastering inside, it will stop it from leaking.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59What do you think the cost would be?
0:32:59 > 0:33:01About 700 quid, that would see that finished.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Sure. And then inside, plus £150, maybe, for a day.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Yeah, so... £220.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10- You're talking about £900 for the whole thing?- Yeah.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Do you reckon if, when we first saw it,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14if it was just a little bit bad,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16would it still cost the same to fix it?
0:33:16 > 0:33:18No, because you just would have took that grass out,
0:33:18 > 0:33:20it would have alleviated all the bother.
0:33:20 > 0:33:21- Really?- Aye.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Jeez!
0:33:23 > 0:33:25That's really annoying.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27- I've got your card, so I'll give you a call.- OK, no bother.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29- Cheers.- Thanks.- Bye now.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Not great news. For the whole thing, it will take four days
0:33:32 > 0:33:36and he can do it for 900 quid. Even if we are getting our full rent,
0:33:36 > 0:33:38we are making less than £100 a month.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40And we're not getting any rent, so it's costing us...
0:33:40 > 0:33:43- Yeah.- ..almost £400 a month, and now there's this.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46If we don't get some rent in before we have to pay this out,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49I'm not going to... I'm going to be furious.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50We need rent...now.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02Look at the books? Or newspapers, I haven't seen the newspaper today.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04In Weston-Super-Mare, Paul and Sharon
0:34:04 > 0:34:07are determined not to spend any of their precious budget.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- Health and wellbeing. - Cooking On A Budget.
0:34:11 > 0:34:12THEY LAUGH
0:34:12 > 0:34:15- Here's some nice papers. - Let's have a little read, then.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Have a look at that one.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Lot 207, planning permission for ten dwellings.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23In there, good tenants, nice income.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Always on the lookout for a property bargain,
0:34:26 > 0:34:31the couple first bought in Weston-Super-Mare in 1999.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34We knew that Weston was pretty much on its knees,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36but so were a lot of other seaside towns,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38such as Hastings, such as Margate.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41We kind of decided Weston was the place to be
0:34:41 > 0:34:44because there were bound to start regenerating it soon.
0:34:44 > 0:34:45The others have been regenerated,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48Weston is still sitting there on its knees.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52We were going to do the properties up to a really good standard.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55We put telephone boxes in them, put launderettes in them,
0:34:55 > 0:34:56pictures on the walls.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58We made them absolutely lovely.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02They smashed the machines up, they stole the pictures.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04- And the phone box. - And the phone box.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Our business model became more to the DSS line.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11We had to go bare minimal.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15We catered to the needs of the mentality of our clientele, basically.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19- It is what it is. We are not going to walk away...- Paupers.- ..paupers.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Landlords like Paul and Sharon who rent to benefit tenants
0:35:24 > 0:35:29have received over £9 billion from the public purse since 2015.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33- Got two millionaire's desserts. - Or not so millionaires!
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Not so millionaire this week, that's for sure.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39This week, however, they have limited themselves
0:35:39 > 0:35:42- to their tenants' budget of £70. - And I'm still 20 quid up.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47And we are all mealed up till the day we go.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49It's very important to stick to our budget,
0:35:49 > 0:35:51and hopefully have some left over.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54- It's a challenge to us. - Next time a tenant says to me,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56"I've only got 70 quid to live on,"
0:35:56 > 0:36:01I can turn around and say, "Well, I had 70 quid to live on and I had 20 quid at the end."
0:36:01 > 0:36:06My life outside of here is 100 times more stressful than living...
0:36:06 > 0:36:08This is glorious!
0:36:08 > 0:36:11This is like a bad camping holiday.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14- Up your bum.- Cheers.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19- No, no, no...- When Paul and Sharon
0:36:19 > 0:36:22meet their tenants Chris and Courtney tomorrow,
0:36:22 > 0:36:27it will be the first time they have all met each other face-to-face.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31I think when we see Paul and Sharon it's going to be general questions
0:36:31 > 0:36:34of how they have found it, sort of, living on our budget.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36They might say they didn't find it too difficult,
0:36:36 > 0:36:38mainly because they haven't had to do it for very long.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Looking forward to see how they got on with the heating as well.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43- It's a double wrap. - We have said about it before,
0:36:43 > 0:36:49so is there any chance, now you've lived it, that maybe it will change?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54OK. Let's go.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Never met Chris and Courtney,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59so everything I learn about them today I will learn about them today.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01But what hasn't happened is
0:37:01 > 0:37:04they haven't reported that the radiators need bleeding,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06maybe we will need to educate them.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Today may be a bit awkward at times,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11as if we are having a sit-down with our parents.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20How did you find living in our flat for the past few days?
0:37:20 > 0:37:24I love the flat, it's so tall and airy.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28- Definitely airy.- Well, yeah, because I put the windows open,
0:37:28 > 0:37:30- so it's going to be airy. - I found that it was...
0:37:30 > 0:37:33There was a lot of disarray in your flat, for me,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35with lots of clothes everywhere and everything else.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37I didn't quite understand that.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39You've seen how we are struggling for storage.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42We've not only just moved ourselves in, we are moving in a new baby.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44On your note, you said you were cold.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46The problem is that the radiator needed bleeding.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49I put a radiator key in it, and the radiator started working.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51But you guys don't say you're cold.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52Well, we have been a couple of times
0:37:52 > 0:37:55and said that it mainly is during the day. Obviously,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- Courtney is home all day... - I'm home all day.- ..with George.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00The gas obviously costs money. Yeah?
0:38:00 > 0:38:02If you had the capabilities
0:38:02 > 0:38:07to be able to have the boiler on full steam ahead, yeah,
0:38:07 > 0:38:11the price would increase from £10 a week to £40 a week.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Would you be able to afford £40 a week?
0:38:14 > 0:38:18Because it is the health of a young child more than anything,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20it would be something that would have to be afforded.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Where would you get that out of your 70 quid?
0:38:22 > 0:38:25May have involved borrowing money and things.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27You couldn't think it was a great idea
0:38:27 > 0:38:29to borrow money to heat the flat.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31You came to us because that was an inclusive price
0:38:31 > 0:38:33and that's what you could afford.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35What you have to do is cut your cloth to suit your coin,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38and the way you do that is by putting jumpers on,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40making sure the radiator works.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43The biggest issue here is that you have not said anything.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47I've come in a couple of times, may not have been written down, but...
0:38:47 > 0:38:48That's what you need to say.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51"I'm coming in to make a maintenance report.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53"Please can you sort it?"
0:38:53 > 0:38:55I don't really leave the house a lot, do I?
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Courtney finds it very difficult to approach people.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59So...
0:39:00 > 0:39:02OK. You're fine, sweetie.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05You're fine. There's nothing to be scared of here.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08- Big breath. Don't be frightened. - You're all right.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17We have said countless times, and it's not done.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20I'm finding it very difficult to talk over him.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22I don't want to be made out to be a liar.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24If anything, we are the ones that should have the issue.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26And it feels like we are just being attacked.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30All right?
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Don't worry, you're fine.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34There's nothing to be scared of.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Courtney finds it a bit difficult to approach people with...
0:39:37 > 0:39:39- That's fine, seriously. - ..any problems that we have...
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Seriously, if you have a communication problem, write it down, then.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44When we first moved in, you had a member of staff round
0:39:44 > 0:39:48to do the inventory of what's there, what's not there, what's broken, what's not broken.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51- What are those mattresses?! - The mattresses were there when we moved in.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52Have you asked for it to be removed?
0:39:52 > 0:39:54We have been in and asked for it to be removed.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55You haven't asked me, then.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59I can only apologise 100% for that, because that is not...
0:39:59 > 0:40:01- It was on your inventory as well, was it? - It was, it was written down.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04I can only say this is disgusting.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07I pride myself on keeping my tenants happy, as you know.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09If it's not happening, then you have every right
0:40:09 > 0:40:12to turn round and say, "Come on, guys."
0:40:12 > 0:40:14The thing that is a little bit more difficult
0:40:14 > 0:40:17now that I am, very recently, gone back to work, driving,
0:40:17 > 0:40:21I don't have the free time to come into the office and speak to you myself.
0:40:21 > 0:40:22You're going back to driving now?
0:40:22 > 0:40:24I needed to.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28I've always worked, so to be signed off work was very difficult for me.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30I had a back injury a number of years ago.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I had to have a disc removed from my spine,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36it was a very painful operation and a very long recovery process.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Well, back pain is so debilitating.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40- It is terrible. - It is just so debilitating.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I mean, I get it as well, it's like...
0:40:43 > 0:40:46I didn't realise that Chris is getting back into work,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48which is absolutely fantastic.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50That's what our society should be today.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52We should be on benefits for when you need it
0:40:52 > 0:40:54and then, as soon as you can possibly work again,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56you should be out there, getting to work.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00And I didn't realise Courtney was quite as shy as she is.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02She may well have had difficulties
0:41:02 > 0:41:05in trying to get her issues across to us,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07but unfortunately, our crystal ball broke.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11It was difficult at times to get a word in edgeways, but...
0:41:11 > 0:41:13they can see that we've been struggling
0:41:13 > 0:41:14for temperature and things like that.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17I think the worst thing for us is if the problems don't resolve,
0:41:17 > 0:41:21if they are still there further on down the line.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Thank you, darling.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36In Durham, Samuel and Amanda
0:41:36 > 0:41:40are trying to stick to their tenants' weekly budget.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43These are like the sausages you used to get, you know at school?
0:41:43 > 0:41:45- Hot dinners?- Oh, man.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49You know when we got here and we saw her budget,
0:41:49 > 0:41:54and it was like, £62.78, and we said, what's with the pence?
0:41:54 > 0:41:57And now, we are desperate for a few more pence!
0:41:57 > 0:41:59I know, it'd make all the difference!
0:42:00 > 0:42:03We have got £2 left of our budget for the week.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05I have lost £1.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07- You have lost £1?- I have lost one of the pounds, sorry.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09He has lost one of the pounds!
0:42:09 > 0:42:13I can't believe how fast the money has gone.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16And we feel like we have lived like paupers.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- That's true.- Surely most people don't only have £62 a week.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- How do you...- It's weird, because... - How do you just live a normal life?
0:42:22 > 0:42:26What does Maria do? £62 a week was apparently her budget -
0:42:26 > 0:42:29not for food, it was her budget.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31What about the other things that we might have to spend on?
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Like a repair on the house,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36or just general stuff that you have to pay for, like parking?
0:42:36 > 0:42:39And she has got two kids to look after as well, on that.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Yeah, yeah.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43I don't know. I do wonder how people live.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48I don't understand why the bin keeps sticking.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Sticking, what do you mean?
0:42:50 > 0:42:54- Like it won't open.- Oh, it's because I keep putting my feet on it while I'm on the toilet.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Why would you do that?
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Who does that?
0:42:59 > 0:43:00The bin broke.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02I broke it. And we haven't got
0:43:02 > 0:43:05the money to fix it, which would be about £10,
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- because we're on the budget that Marie is on.- Yeah.- So maybe...
0:43:08 > 0:43:10HE COUGHS
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Maybe there might be some things in the house that she would do,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16because there are some small things, aren't there,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18that we would probably do, if it was our house?
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- Yeah.- But the reason she doesn't is because she can't afford it.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27The budget he's had to live on, that's only for six days.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Can he even begin to imagine
0:43:30 > 0:43:34what the struggle would be to live on that 52 weeks of the year?
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Within that, there's birthdays,
0:43:36 > 0:43:40school holidays, there's... there's life.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44At the moment, Marie's oldest daughter works as a care assistant
0:43:44 > 0:43:47and is the only person in the household bringing in a wage.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51I give my mum money on a weekly basis.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55Sometimes, if it's like... It could be 20 quid, it could be more.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58It's just to help around.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Like, if she needs it for gas, electricity.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Food. Anything, really.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08Is he thinking, "Doesn't matter, I've got my bank card anyway"?
0:44:08 > 0:44:14There's no guarantees he's actually stuck 100% to our budget.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18We have run out of our budget.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21We have just been feeling hungry and tired and a little bit fed up,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24so we did go over our budget slightly.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26We have been a little bit naughty.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29And we got the Just Eat app,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32ordered a little bit of Chinese food.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36So...feel a little bit defeated, really.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39I feel bad, but just was too...
0:44:39 > 0:44:41too hungry.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- I don't know. What do you think, Amanda?- Yeah.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46We really wanted to stick to the budget as well,
0:44:46 > 0:44:48- but...- It's just so hard.
0:44:49 > 0:44:50And just so much cooking.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Every time you want to eat, you have to cook and stuff.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55- Yeah.- Oh, man.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Really tough. Ain't nobody got time for that!
0:44:58 > 0:44:59Ain't nobody got time for that!
0:45:05 > 0:45:07After meeting Chris and Courtney,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Sharon wants to get to the bottom of the complaints.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12I was put in a very embarrassing situation yesterday,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14to find out that they had these problems
0:45:14 > 0:45:16and they hadn't been rectified.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17I want to find out what happened.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Is everything they said accurate,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22or is there something that is not quite right?
0:45:22 > 0:45:26And she has asked her office manager to show her the maintenance reports.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Kitchen window, cracked inside.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31- We got that repaired, didn't we? - Oh, yes. That was done.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32Lino ripped.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36OK, hold on a second, it does say plus mattress, hallway.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39That might be my way of writing things.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42- What's all that, then? - That was me, noting it for me.
0:45:42 > 0:45:43OK, because what worries me
0:45:43 > 0:45:45is I think our maintenance system has slipped a bit,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47and we need to work on that system somehow.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51I think this one has got to be the most rarest exception,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54because of the fact of the baby, and we moved them so quickly.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Normally, as you say, the flat is pristine before anyone goes into it.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Never once has anything been brought to my attention,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03"We are not happy about this."
0:46:03 > 0:46:06They did say to me yesterday that they kind of had mentioned it.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09I just find it very strange.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11No, I'm a bit confused. Anyway, doesn't matter.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13For us, it shouldn't happen.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15- That's not what you and I pride ourselves on.- No.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Every now and again, communication breaks down.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22This seems to be one of those times, sadly.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25It is hard being a landlord.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27It has made me more cynical towards people.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30A lot of that is because I have been tricked
0:46:30 > 0:46:34by so many tenants that I try and help. I don't trust people,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36which is a bit of a sad thing, really.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40But that's what it has made me, unfortunately.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Before Samuel meets his tenant, Marie,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54he wants to find out how the rent he is charging
0:46:54 > 0:46:56compares to other properties in the area.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59She's only paying 400, and she's not even paying that,
0:46:59 > 0:47:00because benefits are paying it,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03and sometimes, not even benefits are paying it,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06so I think I am being very, very gracious on her.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08So, how many beds is yours?
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Three double bedrooms.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13And an office. And a dining room and a lounge.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16You will be surprised when you find out how much rent I'm getting.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18- Oh, really?- It's not much. - Is it not?
0:47:18 > 0:47:20400.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22- No!- Yeah, I know. It's bad.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25You could potentially get more to the 550 mark.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27- 550. That would be quite achievable. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Apparently, that road is very, very popular.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32I would need to change the doors, there are a couple of things
0:47:32 > 0:47:34I'd need to do to make it look a bit more modern.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37But I could definitely get a lot more rent for it.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44That house is in the best location I could have chosen to be.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48It's not far from uni, it's not far from your school,
0:47:48 > 0:47:49it's not far from Freya's work.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51We have got friends on the street.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54We have got everything on the doorstep that we need.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56We have moved quite a lot.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Nowhere has ever really felt like home.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01But here, it does. It does feel home, it feels like
0:48:01 > 0:48:04probably where I'm going to grow old.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06- Er... - SHE LAUGHS
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Thank you, see you later. Bye.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19I'm worried that he's going to make us homeless.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21And it is a massive worry that
0:48:21 > 0:48:25he is going to go away and make our lives more difficult.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28I still don't know why the benefits stopped.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31I didn't know about the hallway, I didn't know about lots of things.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33So we need to have a sit-down and a chat.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43It's been very interesting, living in the house for the week.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46But, yeah, there are some things that...
0:48:46 > 0:48:48um, aren't great.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49Yeah.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52- Yeah.- Did it shock you? - The hallway shocked me.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54I was just like, "Oh, my gosh!"
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Like, what on earth? How has that happened?
0:48:57 > 0:48:59So, I guess the thing I'm a little bit surprised at
0:48:59 > 0:49:02is you've not sort of mentioned it to me since it's escalated.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05- I don't know whether I even ever heard about it.- I told you.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07- Did you tell me? - And I sent photographs.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09- I e-mailed.- Did you now? OK.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11Maybe when you messaged me, maybe I was on holiday...
0:49:11 > 0:49:13You were, you were getting ready
0:49:13 > 0:49:16to go to wherever it was you went before California.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17- Oh, Africa?- Africa.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21Africa, then I was in California, then I was in Thailand.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24I probably just passed it on and forgot about it.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26I'd imagined you would be jumping up and down,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28sending me a picture every week, "Hey, don't forget!"
0:49:28 > 0:49:31I don't want to come across as a naggy tenant
0:49:31 > 0:49:33who thinks you've got nothing better to do
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- than deal with what's going on in my house.- Yeah.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38I appreciate you not wanting to be a naggy tenant,
0:49:38 > 0:49:40but you really, really should've told me.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42It's a big problem. It's something that, you know,
0:49:42 > 0:49:44definitely needs to get sorted.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47This really bothers me, you know.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50- What's that?- I know this is going to cost a lot of money for you.
0:49:50 > 0:49:51Yeah.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55I can't afford for you to put the rent up, I really can't.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Yeah. No, I'm aware of that. I mean, we have lived on your budget.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I love our house. It's our home.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02I've said that from day one.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05If you put the rent up, we will have to move, and...
0:50:07 > 0:50:09..I can't. I can't afford to move.
0:50:09 > 0:50:10I can't afford to cope with
0:50:10 > 0:50:13the stress on top of that with university, and...
0:50:15 > 0:50:17- Yeah. I understand.- I hope so, I really do hope so.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19- Yeah, I understand. - Because it's our home.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22And regardless of the ceiling or anything, we love it.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25If we are going to be out on our ear, then...
0:50:25 > 0:50:27we are going to struggle.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29Yeah.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31So, why did your benefits stop?
0:50:31 > 0:50:36They reassess it. They call so many people in every year to reassess it.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Now they have gone back to university to get confirmation
0:50:39 > 0:50:43from them that I'm studying and I'm still at university.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45- So, it will get sorted?- Oh, 100%.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48I don't doubt for one minute that it will not get sorted.
0:50:48 > 0:50:49- Yeah.- It just happens that this year,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52I'm one of the ones that they've pulled in to reassess.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54Because, yeah, it's been a while. Obviously, we need to sort it.
0:50:56 > 0:51:01Samuel must now decide what he wants to do, before Marie returns home.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04It's good to have seen him again,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07but it's not alleviated any of my fears.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09If anything, I have come out of there now
0:51:09 > 0:51:12thinking I need to go and find somewhere else to live.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17At the end of the day, what we have got to remember is,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19this property business is not a charity.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Just by getting a new tenant,
0:51:21 > 0:51:26we are going to be increasing our profit by 700%.
0:51:26 > 0:51:31However, she is a good tenant, we like her, we know her, we trust her.
0:51:31 > 0:51:32- Yeah.- We could get rid of Marie,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35and then have someone who is a bad tenant that trashes it.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38It's a hard one. From a business point of view,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40everyone is saying, and the estate agents,
0:51:40 > 0:51:42it seems that the smart thing to do
0:51:42 > 0:51:45is get rid of her and get somebody else.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49And if she has chosen to study and live in this size house...
0:51:51 > 0:51:53..you have to pay for it.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55I didn't make the rules up. That's life.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Giving me a headache just thinking about it.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16After living in their tenants' homes,
0:52:16 > 0:52:18it's time for the landlords to leave.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Before they go, they write their tenants a note.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31What do you fancy for dinner tonight?
0:52:31 > 0:52:33I think I fancy something like salmon.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Salmon and hollandaise sauce.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Back to our beautiful own bed.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43I know. Back to no cold bedroom in the night.
0:52:43 > 0:52:44It's going to be nice.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Are you two packed upstairs?
0:52:47 > 0:52:49We are 100% worried about being kicked out.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51I do hope that's not the case.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55He did say he would take everything into consideration,
0:52:55 > 0:52:58he knows how much money we have, he's seen our budget.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01Hopefully, it doesn't happen.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03# We are going home. #
0:53:03 > 0:53:06What do you think it's going to be like, then?
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Hopefully, all sorted.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12Where's the dog?
0:53:15 > 0:53:16Hello!
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Oh, it's good to be home!
0:53:26 > 0:53:29- Home at last. - Yeah. There we go.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36There's a note.
0:53:38 > 0:53:39They have left us a note.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48Dear Marie, thank you for letting us stay in your home for the last week.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51I am now fully aware that the hallway
0:53:51 > 0:53:55is going to cost a lot of money to repair.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57This week has taught us that
0:53:57 > 0:54:01a direct personal relationship might not work for every tenant.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03We have set up a new system
0:54:03 > 0:54:06where any maintenance problems can be reported online.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Please use it.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10I am in the process of instructing workmen
0:54:10 > 0:54:13to get their scaffolding out and put everything right
0:54:13 > 0:54:15and then replaster the hallway.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20Having spent some time in your flat, we feel that you need more storage.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22We have found a few items of furniture
0:54:22 > 0:54:25which will enable you to declutter the flat.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28We have also removed the mattresses.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31- Thank God!- Yes!- At last.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34I am now fully aware this is a problem with the house
0:54:34 > 0:54:36and nothing to do with you.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37Phew!
0:54:37 > 0:54:40I would like to give full assurance that your rent
0:54:40 > 0:54:42will not increase for another two years.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45This should hopefully give you enough time
0:54:45 > 0:54:47to finish university and get a job.
0:54:48 > 0:54:49Wow.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54I didn't expect that, to be honest, you know that?
0:54:54 > 0:54:56This means so much more than anything he could have done.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Just to come home and know that it's still our home.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02For the next two years, at least.
0:55:02 > 0:55:03We are safe.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Yeah.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07We could have evicted Marie.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09But after spending a week in the house,
0:55:09 > 0:55:12I do think there's times when certainly, you can...
0:55:12 > 0:55:15you can not charge as much rent as you possibly could,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18just to maybe reward your tenant because they are a long-term tenant.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Handles.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26- What's that for? - To stop the slugs getting in.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30It does feel warmer in this front room.
0:55:30 > 0:55:31This was always the coldest room.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Now we have done this,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36I could go in and say to Sharon, something is wrong.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39It's a lot easier to talk to them now we have been through this.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42- Yeah, definitely.- And got to know them a bit better.- Yeah.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Oh.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48- There's another wardrobe.- Whoa!
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- We've got more space.- Oh, look, we've got side tables as well.
0:55:51 > 0:55:52- Oh, fantastic.- Sweet!
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Chris, he's certainly earned my respect.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58He's gone back to work, which I think is fabulous.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00With a bad back like he's got,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02a lot of people would drag that out. Well, he hasn't.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Wow.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07- I think it's cleaner now than when we left it.- What happened?
0:56:07 > 0:56:10I would like to see Chris and Courtney get their own little house.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13I always think children are much better with a little garden.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17I think they will manage it.
0:56:17 > 0:56:18I think they will move on and move up.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21They are certainly not sitters on their laurels.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24It's very easy, as a landlord, to completely detach yourself
0:56:24 > 0:56:26from your property, and not even to think about
0:56:26 > 0:56:28what it will be like to live there.
0:56:28 > 0:56:29Got a splashback.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Every six months, I'm going to have a survey go out to all my tenants,
0:56:34 > 0:56:37just asking them, are you happy with the house, are there any problems?
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Because it might be that I've got other properties
0:56:40 > 0:56:41where there's tenants in there
0:56:41 > 0:56:43and there's big issues, but they're scared to say.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48This thing that we all want to just throw them out on the street,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51it's just nonsense. What we want is longevity of tenancy.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53The way you get longevity of anything,
0:56:53 > 0:56:56be it tenants or relationships, yeah,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59is to make an effort with one another and compromise.
0:56:59 > 0:57:00It's strange, being home again.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03- It's nice. - It is nice. I've missed it.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Just being able to understand tenants better,
0:57:06 > 0:57:08I'll actually be a better landlord.