Our own Ben Reeve Lewis will be starring tonight in a new series on Channel 5 – ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’.
Finally, you will be able to see what Ben gets up to all day!
Make sure you are in front of you TV tonight at 9.00 tonight and for the following five weeks.
Here is the official trailer:
Popcorn at the ready!! Can I have your autograph please Ben?!
The Mother who is living in South London with her daughter. The place does have damp but look at the mess she is living in and having lived there rent free for 18 months why can’t she use that money for a deposit to live somewhere else rather than rely on the council to house her? This is what makes me so mad about people- so reliant on the state to sort out their problems.
Louise, TV doesnt tell the full picture. Lola was an NHS nurse working in a TB ward for 9 years. She contracted TB herself and had to be signed off work. As she was working on a self supported right to remain she couldnt claim public funded support when she ran into trouble.
The property conditions were so bad we slapped an emergency prohibition order on the flat, we rarely do this. Her TB was getting worse and her daughter’s health was suffering as a result of the landlord’s tacit refusal to a) put floorboards under the stairs by the toilet or b) deal with the damp that was exacerbating Lola’s TB.
If you had been in that position would you have carried on paying the rent?
Ben,
What is “self supported right to remain” google returns no exact matches. Does it mean she had no money at all once she was signed of from work? TV always distorts the facts, 24hr tenant removal!, but the things I don’t understand are:-
1) Why did she stay in such a dump for 3+ years before being signed off?
2) Could she not have got have got free help to eradicate the bed bugs?
3) Why did the landlord take 18 months to evict her when she wasn’t paying rent?
4) Damp is one problem but the associated black mould which was exacerbating their health problems is easily removed with bleach and a sponge. Why would a nurse not know this?
Think Ben is referring to her immigration status, presumably she had no recourse to public funds.
I think you’d be surprise how many people live paycheck to paycheck.
You are seriously saying that despite the water entering the house from outside a bit of bleach + cloth would have solved the problem?
Ben – do you think the upcoming revenge eviction legislation have prevented this eviction from happening?
“You are seriously saying that despite the water entering the house from outside a bit of bleach + cloth would have solved the problem?”
The damp problem – no, but the associated black mould problem that was affecting their health – yes.
Good first episode. Nice shirt.
All this talk of storming hash farms in a stab vest but you’re a big softie really Ben ;)
Hopefully you’ll go to town on the scumbag landlord and have the resources to launch HHSRS inspections on every property he owns.
I noticed the agent/landlord’s(?) response – “you don’t pay rent for 18 months, what do you expect the landlord or managing agent to do?”.
Well, for starters I expect them to be aware of their damn statutory obligations, or failing that, how about just some good old fashioned humanity? Just because a tenant stops paying the rent, those responsibilities don’t end.
This must drive you insane Ben. It’s amazing you can stay so calm. I think I would have turned to vigilantism a long time ago!
I liked your plea about landlords just providing a reasonable standard of housing for fellow humans to live in.
Sorry all, I’ve been training homelessness staff down in Dorset for the last 2 days, got back late last night (5 hour drive, more than half of it just getting across London aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh)
Answers are
Lola’s immigration entitlement until recently was that she could stay in the UK as long as she worked and as she was a nurse they were happy to have her. She stopped paying rent to influence the landlrod to repair the flat, during that time she also contracted TB so couldnt work in the TB ward, then at the point where the Home Office were about to give her indefinate leave to remain her status stopped over a clerical error. Having no status she couldnt claim homelessness assistance.
The calls I was making were to our ‘No recourse to public funds’team who jumped in because of the child and rehoused. since moving out the clerical error has been rectified and she’s alright, so I’ve been told.
Lola was shouting at the landlord because it was the first time she had seen him for 5 years and was simply venting. Some of you have commented on why she didnt just move out. If my memory serves that two bed fglat was £1,200 a month. deposit of 6 weeks rent £1,800, rent in advance £1,200, total £3,000 to move not including moving costs – she’s a nurse, go figure.
She wasnt waiting on a council house because until very recently she couldnt claim assistance from the state.
@Jamie No it doesnt drive me insane, it just annoys me. After 25 years of this its just normal day job stuff. Remember I only work in the arse end of the PRS, so it’s all I see and god knows there enough of it about.
And I can promise you a feast of lairy shirts as the series progresses!
I am watching nightmare tenants Ep 5 pn raiding a property it is found to contain illegal immigrants . Apparently the home office have ‘ no resources to deal with it today ‘ .I was under the impression that illegal immigration is a crime !!!
Ben, is Lola’s new place much nicer for her and her daughter? I do hope so and well done for helping her!