Inside Britain's 'slum-like' social housing crisis
Vicky Spratt meets the social housing tenants, living in conditions so bad they say it is making them unwell.
UK housing often suffers from poor construction and insulation. Statistics show those living in social housing are twice as likely to experience damp and other associated problems than those who own their homes.
Dr Amy Clair, from the University of Essex, has studied links between health and poor housing conditions and warned “slum-like conditions” in some social housing in the UK is leading to long-term health problems for adults and children living there.
In March 2022, Vicky met some of the South London tenants suffering from poor housing. Read the article here: inews.co.uk/news/inside-uninh...
🏠 Read more of her housing coverage here: inews.co.uk/author/vicky-spratt
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Watch our feature on how one community in Grimsby is dealing with its housing problems head on. kzhead.info/sun/g9ZxY95toaZsl3k/bejne.html
I could probably buy a row of houses in Grimsby for what I have in my current account. There are so many charities out there claiming to be helping the poor but not actually trying to do anything long term about poverty. It is a bit like making washing machines- it is possible to make them to last for many years at not a much higher cost. However, this is bad for business as you would not go on selling them. If charities that helped the poor did it properly, the number of poor would gradually decrease and in the end they would not be needed. Not good if you are the CEO!
Firstly how can a housing association get away with this. As far as I am concerned these properties should be condemned.
They need to be burn down it's not livable ‼️😡
It's not just housing associations, it's also council properties as well! The usual excuse is "condensation" as to the cause of mold. It's a bs excuse for them to do nothing about it. The problem we have is that moisture comes up through the floors and the radiators are all on outside walls. The reason I know it's coming up through the floors is because I had to pay out of my own pocket for some sealant to seal the floor tiles in my hallway and now there are no water droplets forming on them. Before that the council surveyor tried to say that it was condensation forming from water in the air by drying washing on radiators which I don't do. I live above an archway so the cold comes up through the floors and so does water. They tried to say it was condensation as there was some on the windows (in-between the double glazing which to me showed the seal on the windows was worn out as well). All they offered was some stuff to treat the mold and some anti mold paint but it still keeps coming back.
We use to live in a council flat with far worse mould than anything on here.
@@samanthahardy9903 as some one who works in the construction industry. Firstly humility extractors need to be put in to draw the damp out, then follow by a damp course the surveyor should know this if he doesn't then his not a good surveyor. I live in a housing association flat I am lucky it's gorgeous . It's sad that social housing seems to be ignoring the fact is a human right to live in a decent home 🏡
@@ywiggan One surveyor from the Council stated, "I wouldn't even rate value these blocks of flats above 2 pence per flat as they are poorly designed and poorly built. But you didn't hear that from me."
The worst of all this is that it’s preventable with good ventilation and it’s easy to fix! I live in a not so nice neighborhood, on what you call fixed income in Sweden and we don’t have those kind of mold problems because of building regulations. Much cheaper to do it properly from the start, than to repair again and again after each tenant.
These buildings are way pass the expiration and Britain just won't improve anything, its always been like this
yeah lots of BAD builds by bad property developers and many not designed to last as long as they have. Councils have allowed this to go on for too long.
@@sarai5467 Do you know anyone who is living on poor condition property because we can help them with compensation amount depend on damages.
@@farazvfx Do you know anyone who is living on poor condition property because we can help them with compensation amount depend on damages
This will be compounded this winter as the heating doesn't go on and mold takes hold.
I have rented out my property in Wales a beautiful newly renovated cottage. The first tenant in less than a year damaged the kitchen and dismantled furniture. The current tenant has not allowed access to do basic maintenance and when appointments had finally been arranged by contractors on the day turned them away at the door. It has been almost impossible to communicate with the tenant and the letting agent doesn't care. I should also say I have had good tenants in past. I am told new regulations mean from December 6 months notice to tenants will be required. I have now decided I will sell this property and am not interested in being a landlord, it brings after expenses virtually no income and meanwhile i have watched my property deteriorate. In the future the only people interested in being landlords will be those with slum properties which are run merely for profit. Expect more of these problems.
The housing system for buying / renting / building has been a disaster in the UK by rotten politicians who can't solve anything
My other half is in a very similar situation with a lovely big house in a fantastic location in Hertfordshire!
So sorry to hear your property isn’t cared for . Very disrespectful of those tenants and not to allow contractors in 😞
So you didn't let you place out 'merely for profit' then?
@@primordialpouch565 we moved to Poland and so wanted to keep our UK property (a Welsh cottage) in case we wanted to return. Also I had spent a lot of time renovating the property which was very beautiful, fully furnished, the rent only £600pcm of which I received after the agents cut just £500pcm. Then deduct costs. My hope was that the tenant would appreciate the property. Unfortunately this did not happen. Legislation changes makes renting out such a property unrealistic as the landlord has all the responsibility/liability for very little income and an inevitable deterioration in their property.
As if this isn’t bad enough, these poor people also now face being charged £5,000 a year for their energy bills. This stupid country is falling apart.
That is HORRENDOUS ❗❗❗❗ Are they trying to throw these people away ❓❓❓❓
I got blamed as a tenant for structural caused mold in the states. They were seriously trying to pursue damages bc we "didn't report it in time" but we indeed did a year prior during the renewal inspection (3 years total). The floor in the kitchen would seep with puddles and eventually the boards came off the floor making everything a slipping hazard, mind you the landlord told us to "call your rental insurance, not our problem" and I had a 4yo, 3yo and a 5 month old at the time. My husband was furious we were in that position of having to live in a house falling apart for a day but going to a hotel wasn't an easy proposition when you have young children who take awhile to adjust to disruption to routine so going to a hotel, even when rental insurance covers it, it's just not ideal, your school bus doesn't go there and going from a semi + completely private to communal sleeping arrangement with young kids WHILE MOVING ON NO NOTICE is so difficult. We waited till we found a new rental, but as things were hostile between us and the leasing agency manager, even though the inspectors clearly said it was caused by STRUCTURAL damage that had been going on for years and were never fully resolved beyond a temporary fix when we first moved in 3 years prior with a fresh coat of paint "renovation"... But we found a decent home in a much more ideal neighborhood+part of town (just more convenient and located close to the "hub" of town and downtown, but it's a quiet and family residential area. You know, it's not perfect but it's comfortable enough. Anyways, I live in NC but I'm sure the damp is much worse in the UK. Oh yeah forgot to mention how my kids would get these relentless coughs especially during and after head colds. It was not great at all. It explains a lot. We also had to throw out a couch bc it covered and precipitated a moldy wall and floor (obviously we didn't move it there if we saw damp or damage, it looked fine at the time but the fridge piping eventually leaked into the wall (we didn't install that, they did) and it just destroyed the wall and we had no idea until it was too late. The carpet covered a lot and unless you're intentionally looking for it, you will become blind to it.
I bet the real population of "America " never had much problem with mould until the economic migrants and asylum seekers came?
Hi Helen I work for housing disrepair I can send out inspectors to your home drop your number and we will get it sorted out
I will not watch mold grow and flourish
As an ex builder a lot of damp is closed up fireplaces and sealed double glazing , total disaster on old housing stock. And don`t get me started on internally vented tumble dryers or people boiling whites ...
Boiling Whites?
@@Stringbean421 some people still put there whites to boil on the stove (sheets) apologies if that's a woosh and your thinking `boiling whites` lol
@@MyKharli haha,..no, you're ok, I wasn't thinking that. Lol. Didn't think people were still boiling their sheets, towels e.t.c. I remember my mum leaving soiled nappies to soak in boiling water in the 70s when my younger brothers and sisters were babies but that's before all these throwaway nappies came into being.
You can contract repairs privately and recoup the costs through the courts from the housing association. I know this might not be helpful for tenants with little income, but might be useful to some.
It is deliberate in many cases. They left an old person without hot water or heating for 2 years in our area they leave it til the person gets angry then say they can’t do it because the person got angry. The only way to get repairs done is for people to take legal action and most social tenants do not have the knowledge, money or ability to take action. It is the same old story: the vulnerable being taken advantage of. It happens if people become ill. That is when the DWP cut their benefits off and let them starve or freeze to death. Thousands have died this way. In the UK we are all entitled to benefits if we are sick because we have The Welfare State paid for by our National Insurance contributions and taxes. We are all entitled to benefits if we are sick and to free care and medical treatment at the point of use. That is why people pay into the system. 99 percent of Social Housing Landlords are shocking. 99 percent of private landlords are actually very good.
He should move away arrive on a dingy and he will be looked after , this country has its priorities wrong
Definitely has ! Well said 👏👏👏
Yes my house is making me sick, this is a UK issue not a hyde issue this is a much much WIDER pandemic
Hi I work for housing disrepair I can send out inspectors to your home drop your number and we will get it sorted out at no cost to you we claim back our monies from the council
@@kayolindhanraj1378 there's nothing to inspect, I barricaded myself in one room, every other floor space is covered in boxes out of fear, I need somewhere to put the things I need, then throw out the 90% of what I don't need... THEN we can inspect... till then? I'm stuck until someone comes up with a space to place my things
She must of meant she empties the dehumidifier not fills it?
Part of the problem is that some people would rather live like this and moan than take action, because they see it as someone else's job to look after them. I don't disagree that the landlords should do more, but if I was unhappy I would do what I could to make my environment safer, especially if I was sitting at home all day...
Going to the council and raising awareness is taking action you're talking like they should learn how to repair damp and mold in a house they don't own.
@@nasr22 if it's affecting their health, and there is a waiting list to get things fixed then yes, they should repair the damp and mould themselves as well as they can. Given the amount of time and effort involved in chasing already overburdened councils, it would be quicker. I'm not saying that councils shouldn't be dealing with these things, but given a choice between waiting months and doing it myself, I'd do whatever I could to make my living conditions better. I knew someone that had a fence panel blow over, making their garden insecure, they informed the council and were told it could take up to 12 weeks to fix it. I offered to help them fix it but they said no, it was the council's duty, and why should the tenant have to do anything. They then moaned even more when somebody walked in and took a bike from their garden, that could have been prevented. There seems to be a sense of victimhood, people would rather sit in bad conditions and moan, than make life more comfortable for themselves, because so many want so much from the council for so little. It's a counter-productive mentality.
Repair of this type is a very cost over (£10k). Expecting them to pay is not realistic as the are allowed social housing and therefore have low income.
@@jace8861 All that is needed is some bleach, or anti-mould cleaner, and some paint. Maybe some waterproof tape to temporarily stop any leaks. Some old rags, and a couple of bin bags Then good ventilation to keep the moisture levels down. I've had similar problems that I've fixed myself for a few quid, and it has taken a couple of hours hard work. I've no idea who told you it would be over £10k, that's ridiculous, and sounds like an excuse to do nothing.
@@shh_you_are_wrong That’s not realistic many of these housing association have whole department with repair services if it was that simple that would send in of there trainee apprentice to fix the problem. I seen this issue before I had a problem with an investment property I was looking into and survey (they not fake the amount) and specialist quote me that amount for that amount of work. When I say £10k I am not talking about London or the whole house from what I seen in this video.
Yeah if only people could do cleaning themselves or something...
All of them have asked the council for a cleaner , twice a week!
@@whyohwhy3407 and they don't work at all, have so much spare time to do what?
@@Bogna1 oh come on Joanna, they are busy checking out who in their estate they can have another baby with! Stops them from contributing to society!
Hilarious you two 🤣🤣 But you missed out the nail and eye extensions and lip fillers so they can upload to insta all day long!
It s terrible in one of the richest country
These landlords need to be prosecuted so do the council workers
So do the feckless tenants that expect everything to be done for them, and half the time it's not them paying for anything, it's tax payers!
It's social housing
I’m in America and this looks totally like the old tenement slums!!! Tell me what is the difference??? 😢😢😢
Central air and a half decent HVAC system would fix this. But then again, only 5% of homes in GB have air conditioning. That’s got a lot to do with it.
Single mum crisis. No men to help. And those that are are products of single mums so never had a father like I had to teach me a man’s role. Women are abandoned to a world they can’t deal with. When my sister dressed up and learned to run a household I worked with my dad and uncles to build a household. That’s the problem. Broken families.
And government willing to pay money to single mothers with many children by multiple partners that never really worked.
What a load of absolute BS! Single mums get more help than anyone in this country! I’m a single woman and do everything myself. Most women think its everyone elses job, they don’t want to get their hands dirty, they would rather spend their time taking selfies all day. Stop talking bollocks.
Stop talking shite, I'm a single mom to a 21 year old, raised him alone. He works drives. I didn't need a man ffs.
@@savannahglebe5165 Well said!!!
@@rw6391 Respect to you 🙌🏼
Is it rising damp or penetrating damp ? Cures : rising damp -: is the damp roof membrane sound ? Penetraying damp -: treat walls outside with silicone based water proofing , treat more than once
These housing complexes might as well be destroyed; and rebuilt using newer composite materials with energy efficient insulation.
They have RAAC too. Noise nuisances and rodent or insect infestation plus many other disrepair ongoing issues. Disgusting.
What to do if your landlord is your relative? They can get away with even more because they know you won’t tell on them. I have leaks, damp, mould, no heating, no hot water, no properly working toilet, unsafe stairs, no cooker because of electrical issues, a broken window, and so, so much more.
Hi I work for housing disrepair I can send out inspectors to your home drop your number and we will get it sorted out at no cost to you we claim back our monies from the council
If the problem is not fixed within weeks, escalate your repair to a complaint. You will get far faster action and they can not close your complaint until you are happy.
Somebody give me free living accommodation I'd just sort the mold out myself
It is not free you still pay rent and for what?
@@kathryngannon485 kind of free. If it was renting they would have moved
@@kathryngannon485 You get the rent money given to you free though FFS.
Why is it free? I pay rent plus service charge and contribute with all taxes I've paid.
Its the energy bills that make life miserable for many . Just hot water and heating is diabolical. Very sad times for many .
I had a serious rat infestation in my kitchen several years ago and my housing association refused to do anything until my brother, a retired Vice Principal Environmental Health Inspector, got involved.
Hi I work for housing disrepair I can send out inspectors to your home drop your number and we will get it sorted out
I've worked in social housing since 2005 and the number 1 cause of damp and mould is tenant lifestyle 90% caused largely by overcrowding- people having 6 -9kids whilst living in a 3bed flat and not a window is opened or extractor fan switched, 6people in a 3 bed flat is a lot of moisture in the atmos. This squalor is mostly tenant made, most of them like living like dirty pigs. And it's not a 'housing crisis' is a demand crisis! Toom any people in the country and too many of them what social housing. there is 69million people in this country now and it's growing5 fold. Where do they built houses on green belt and fields meant for agriculture..?
Finally, someone with sense, mentioned the elephant in the room! We all know what causes poverty! Look at Tower Hamlets and Newham! Can’t feed? DON’T BREED! Spend that time getting better education, in turn, a better job!
@@whyohwhy3407 And many single women with many children by multiple partners who have never worked.
Spot on!!
@film fan Thats the same for everyone
So the 10% is leaking roofs , broken baths and seeping rusted pipework?
Uk weather look suck, to much moisture means bad health and negativity.
They haven't fell 15% or 20% YET there is always a lag on intrest rates to hit the market, the 3.9% they have dropped is ridiculous they have dropped far more then that, you try putting you house up for sale and getting 3.9% lower then the asking price, they aren't done putting rates up yet, also mortgages the monthly payment has over doubled there for houses have got to come down 50% to pay the same amount monthly that you were paying before intrest rates went up, also like to add houses went up 20% during covid when intrest rates were low do you really think that they are only going to drop 5 0r 10% clearly you know nothing about the housing market
You will pay some £25 for a GP certificate for rehousing and you will just get that ignored, pay a bit more about twice, and get an EPC man in for a certificate of energy performance, they need a D to rent it out to you. They will have to fix it and you have no need to move. my turn has just come but you can bring that forward and they will get a few months to fix it for you. No solicitors who will not help you, the medical will be just bypassed but with that, they will be sunk. European law, use it. ask them for your EPC certificate and if they ignore you get your own. about £40 i think.
Im in Wales and west housing association in Wales got mould in the bathroom im on the ground floor flat in the front of the property Paranoid schizophrenia cars drive past alot affect my health
What is social housing?
Mold is part of nature and sees no socioeconomic class. The problem is that you people do not have the money to deal with it. Mold will be around forever, same as pollen. The issue is do you have enough money to buy Zyrtec?
Why don't we put then up in hotels like asylum seekers give them 3 meals a day and money to spend
This is why i insisted on a property direct from the Council. These Housing Associations are just a tax con, parading as charitys whilst making huge profits.
Council housing is usually disgusting and dangerous too. FYI.
The problem with the system in the UK, is similar to the US. The governments, have made the poor too dependent on receiving handouts. We should be educating these people. They dont know how to support themselves
Scene from "Money Pit" Tom Hanks asks his kitchen contractor : "How long will this job take ?" Contractor : "Oh , about 2 weeks ." 1 MONTH LATER , Hanks : "When will you be finished ?" Contractor : "Oh , about 2 weeks ."
In England we spell it Mould not Mold
Important subject, but please leave off the melodrama-style music in the background, it really doesn't help credibility and makes it quite difficult to watch for me.
Terrible.. I’ve got a good idea.. let’s allow more ppl to come and live here that will help!!
what about giving them house to live in but don't expect them to pay rent. instead they can look after the house themselves like any other home owners not expecting anybody to pay for anything...then we would see proper mold and dump:)
what about not 'giving', but letting them look after themselves like the rest of us have had to do
Very ignorant, its a landlord and tenant relationship. Completely different to home ownership.
@@sarabb2056 perhaps, but if you were living in intolerable conditions, and you didn't want to wait for things to be done, wouldn't you improve your own situation by taking action, and making the house more liveable? Or would you rather continue to suffer and whine that things weren't happening as quickly as you thought they should?
the sad music tho... so over the top
We may need to 'remove' certain parts of society. Seriously. There's no more money left. A lot of these people are a deadweight loss.
More like sterilise certain parts of society. You can't just 'remove' them. That's a bit dystopian, Soylent Greenish.
@@damongirl66 Ahh you're in it for the long haul I see. China didn't go from a nation of rice farmers to the number 1 economy in the world by just breaking a few eggs y'all.
Regulate rent. Such an easy fix.
IDC
If you don't like your free accomadations, go private
Under the doctors 💊 walk past the drs and into a library
Stop foreign investment and immigration problem solved
House our own 1st end of. If uk was a dog's home it would be shut down 👎. Come here on a dingy get benefits,food,pizza,hotel,heating and still not happy. Do one I say ----->
4:40 wow things have really gone downhill for Andrew Tate.
They should move out and find another home. People aren’t forced to live they can move. If you cant live with it fix it but ow yr they all want things for free. They all moan about this that and the other but all they can do is complain.
A nation which turn his back against God will become a nation of people with all types of problems
In Africa we live better . Who could think … that’s funny .
If people opened windows now again instead of living in sealed tombs the mould would soon ease , the clown in the mask has learnt the art of swinging the lead
They already get free housing or massively below market value rent but still play the victim rather than doing something about it. Either move out and get somewhere better or fix the problem yourself
$$$
Welfare housing by any other name. Get a job!
Move out lol
This is nonsense. These people expect too much. They have a roof over their head what else do they want? Work hard and buy your own place….it’s as simple as that.
I think ppl expect to not get health conditions from living in their homes
@@addmin5487 Correct. The great motivator to change one’s life instead of expecting the state to do it for you.
@@davey2363 tell that to the single mother or disabled. "She shouldn't have had the kids then" No shit, but what do we do now? Allow kids to be homeless? I wish it were that easy that everyone can just get their life together but its not always possible for some.
@@addmin5487 we all have our burdens to carry. Life is neither simple or easy.
@@addmin5487 their homes?
well maybe these people should of done better in life saved moaey so they do not have to be in these situations lol like get real
If that's what yoh believe then fine but Then why provide housing in the first place? If you can't provide safe housing then don't provide it at all.
@@addmin5487 haha they should be so lucky its the ones that have nothing and won't work for it and fend off benefits that think they should be given the better then the ones that support them . They are super immature and probably they grew up on benefits and listen to mist of them the lame excuses they give not to work hahha its a down right joke! if they would stop procreating and having more loser humans then would would all be ahead in life
@@addmin5487 It is safe, and if they want better work harder to afford better like the rest of us!! Pleading poverty all the time, no shame!!
@Josh baker ONE of them!! So what’s excuses do the others have? I know a woman in a wheelchair who works full time? This isn’t what our current government sounds like though is it? Cos every time they try and make changes you half whits intervene not letting them get on with their job. Nobody owes you anything, roll your sleeves up.
@Josh baker hardly they can still fend for themselves. There are programs but they do age out and that is the law so deal with it . Educate yourself please law is law
Typical Winging Pommy's . at least you got a Roof over your head .
That's not the point though its reforming the law so the landlords of the properties have to do something about the conditions they subject their tenants to...
@@Muffinman6687 That will add cost to housing , so the rent goes up . than the Winging Pommy's will be boo hoo the rent is too high .
@@jimmyhvy2277 How will accountability and better renting regulation make housing prices go up... Supply and demand makes housing prices rise, look at the massive homeless problem in the UK there's a correlation there, you list a rented property and within a week you have a tenant in the UK
@@Muffinman6687 your telling Landlords to spend $100,000 on a property , the landlords knows that the Winging Pommy's can not afford the Extra rent to pay for it . If your Country is so poor that you can only afford to live in a Rat Hole , Than you should realizes Life is NOT Fair .
Congratulations ! The stupidest effing thing i've read in a long time.
1:55 O.. Whose cat scratched her face😮😂😂