ELS Legal instrumental in possession of property involved in undercover ITV scandal
The team at ELS Legal have been instrumental in acting for a landlord to take back possession of a property involved in an ITV undercover report.
The property was being used to house homeless residents in Birmingham, but undercover filming revealed appalling conditions at the residence.
The scandal sparked the landlord to take back possession of the property, leased by supported housing charity Expectations UK.
The landlord’s solicitor, Richard Spector, Managing Partner at ELS Legal, said the conditions the homeless residents lived in were “inexcusable”.
ITV secretly filmed residents and staff at the hospital for several weeks, revealing “a bullying culture” by residents, drugs openly being used, bed bug infestations, abusive security staff, and chaotic “support sessions”.
The hostel claimed to offer 24 hour support to residents, while demanding as much as £200 per week for housing them.
The Charity Commission took formal action against Expectations UK in December 2016.
It said the charity failed to meet the requirements of the Home standard, adding that there are concerns regarding widespread non-compliance with the Government’s Decent Homes standard.
