Dispatches - 4oD - Channel 4

Landlords from Hell

First Broadcast: 8.30PM Mon 5 December 2011 Channel 4

As the numbers of homeless rise, Dispatches goes undercover in the property rental market again to find out what really happens when you're without a roof over your ahead and desperate.

Local councils are supposed to look after you, but now the housing minister wants them to sort the problem by working with private landlords. But how suitable are the landlords they send you to? And what checks do councils make on the rooms they rent?

Jon Snow, with a team of undercover reporters, returns to investigate the reality of life for people at the mercy of private landlords, and finds families with young children sent by local authorities to live in filthy, bed bug-infested properties, while their rogue landlords make a fortune out of public money.

Have you been affected by the standard of your rental property? If you have a story about your housing situation and want to share it with Dispatches, you can email us at dispatches@channel4.co.uk.

All Episodes

1. Landlords from Hell Mon 05 Dec 2011
  
  As the numbers of homeless rise, Dispatches goes undercover in the property rental market again to find out what really…
2. Britain's Sex Gangs Mon 07 Nov 2011
  
  Research suggests that thousands of children are potentially being sexually exploited by street grooming gangs. This…
  - Descriptions of sexual violence that some viewers may find upsetting
3. Murder on Honeymoon Mon 11 Jul 2011
  
  What happened to Anni Dewani while on honeymoon in South Africa in November 2010? Why did the life of this young woman…
4. Landlords from Hell Mon 04 Jul 2011
  
  In this undercover investigation, Jon Snow reports on the return of the slum landlord in 21st-century Britain. At a…
5. Train Journeys from Hell Mon 21 Mar 2011
  
  The taxpayer has been spending billions to upgrade the British rail network yet many passengers have complained of high…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
  - 3 days left
6. Lessons in Hate and Violence Mon 14 Feb 2011
  
  Dispatches goes undercover to investigate allegations that teachers regularly assault young children in some of the…
7. The Battle for Haiti Sun 09 Jan 2011
  
  On the night of the Haiti earthquake something happened in downtown Port au Prince - the Haitian capital - which would…
  - Contains personal accounts and scenes of violence some viewers may find disturbing
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
8. The Kids Britain Doesn't Want Mon 29 Nov 2010
  
  Every year, thousands of children come from all over the world to Britain seeking refuge from persecution, terrorism…
  - This programme contains scenes and descriptions some viewers may find distressing
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
9. Iraq's Secret War Files Mon 25 Oct 2010
  
  Dispatches exposes the full and unreported horror of the Iraqi conflict and its aftermath. The programme reveals the…
  - With descriptions and scenes of killings, torture and bloodshed which may disturb some viewers
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
10. City of Fear Fri 22 Oct 2010
  
  For one year, Dispatches follows the police and people of Islamabad as Pakistan's capital battles to overcome an…
  - This programme contains images which some viewers may find upsetting
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
11. Bravo's Deadly Mission Thu 07 Oct 2010
  
  In February 2010, US Marines launched the biggest operation since the start of the war in Afghanistan: Operation…
  - Very strong language from the start and throughout and scenes of warfare that may disturb some viewers
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
12. Britain's Secret Slaves Mon 30 Aug 2010
  
  Over 15,000 domestic workers leave their families to come to Britain every year. Charities claim that many are not only…
  - Contains images that may distress some viewers
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
13. Africa's Last Taboo Mon 12 Jul 2010
  
  Gay people in Africa are facing increased persecution in a continent where two thirds of countries retain laws against…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
14. How to Save £100 Billion - Live Mon 21 Jun 2010
  
  Filmed live on the eve of the emergency budget announcement, Dispatches sets out controversial cuts that could save…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
15. The Lost Girls of South Africa Sun 23 May 2010
  
  In South Africa a child is raped every three minutes and AIDS continues to spread with epidemic ferocity.
  - Contains scenes some may find distressing
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
16. Tracing the Marathon's Millions Fri 09 Apr 2010
  
  In a Dispatches episode originally broadcast on 9 April 2010, journalist Ben Laurance looks at what it costs to stage…
17. Kids Don't Count (Part 2 of 2) Mon 22 Feb 2010
  
  In the second half of this two-part special, maths specialist Richard Dunne returns to Barton Hill Primary School, with…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
18. Kids Don't Count (Part 1 of 2) Mon 15 Feb 2010
  
  In 2009 more than one in five children left primary school having failed to grasp the basic maths skills required by…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
19. Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines Mon 01 Feb 2010
  
  While most new troops stationed in Afghanistan head to the volatile south of the country, a new frontline, operating…
  - Contains images of war and dead bodies which some viewers may find upsetting
20. The Slumdog Children of Mumbai Thu 21 Jan 2010
  
  Dispatches reveals the brutal reality of life on the streets and in the slums of Mumbai, following the daily struggles…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
21. The War Against Street Weapons Mon 03 Aug 2009
  
  Last year, as chair of Channel 4's Street Weapons Commission, Cherie Booth QC said that the use of guns and knives…
  - Contains graphic images of stab wounds which some viewers may find disturbing
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
22. Terror in Mumbai Tue 30 Jun 2009
  
  The untold story of 2008's terrorist attack, in the words of its victims and the gunmen. The programme contains graphic…
  - Contains graphic images and descriptions of the atrocity which may upset some viewers
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
23. Orphans of Burma's Cyclone Mon 01 Jun 2009
  
  As Burma's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, faces trial by the country's military government, this timely and…
  - Contains images of dead bodies which some viewers may find upsetting
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
24. The Westminster Gravy Train Sun 19 Apr 2009
  
  In May 2008, freedom-of-information campaigner Heather Brooke won a court battle that should have prompted the release…
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
25. Afghanistan - Mission Impossible? Mon 06 Apr 2009
  
  As war in Afghanistan persists and British soldiers continue to lose their lives fighting an insurgency that many…
  - Includes frank descriptions of violence and scenes of an operation that some viewers may find distressing
26. Pakistan's Taliban Generation Mon 16 Mar 2009
  
  Award-winning Pakistani journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy investigates how the war on terror is creating a generation of…
  - Contains images of terrorist atrocities
27. Congo's Forgotten Children Fri 06 Feb 2009
  
  Deborah Davies examines how the children of Congo are being affected by the latest fighting that is tearing their…
  - Frank descriptions of violence and surgical scenes that some viewers may find distressing
28. Unseen Gaza Thu 22 Jan 2009
  
  Is what has been presented on our screens and in our papers a true reflection of events on the ground in Gaza? And how…
  - Contains disturbing images of the victims of the violent conflict, including children who have been killed
29. China's Stolen Children Mon 08 Oct 2007
  
  More than a decade after producing The Dying Rooms - a powerful film about the neglect of abandoned babies in Chinese…
  - Contains harrowing images
  - This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
30. Beneath the Veil Thu 26 Jul 2001
  
  Beneath the Veil follows freelance journalist Saira Shah as she travels covertly through her father's homeland of…
  - Contains footage of executions and attrocities which some viewers may find disturbing
31. Gordon Brown's Missing Billions
  
  In an edition from 2005, economist Andrew Dilnot looks at where Gordon Brown's policies have gone wrong, and examines…