"Housing conditions in the private rented sector are the worst of any type of housing. In a recent survey conducted by housing charity Shelter, more than 90% of environmental health officers said they had encountered cases of severe damp, mould, electrical or fire safety hazards in private properties they investigated in the last year. While most landlords maintain decent standards there is a minority – as the Channel 4 Dispatches programme Landlords from Hell laid bare – at the bottom end of the private market that are getting away with letting properties that are unsafe and in appalling states of disrepair." - M F

"Like most councillors who represent wards containing pockets of severe deprivation, I've seen at first-hand some of the effects of overcrowding, dilapidation, damp and cold on public health. Poor housing is intimately linked with poor physical and mental health. It also comes with a heavy social cost, including an estimated bill of £600m a year for the NHS. For the children unfortunate enough to suffer at the hands of sub-standard accommodation, there is an increased risk of childhood illness, disability, behavioural and mental health problems, as well as a deadening impact on life chances." - M F

I saw some appaling rooms and flats in London and I cannot understand why these landlords are still allow to be landlords. I know of people who complained to the local councils and absolutely nothing was done against the landlords even if on paper they were breaking several major laws. - M F