How to Get a Council House

This episode follows some of the council officers and families in Tower Hamlets in East London. Each week there are 24,000 people hoping to get one of just 40 properties available. - Strong language

This episode follows some of the winners and losers in the competition for social housing in Manchester, just as the introduction of the bedroom tax heaps more pressure on the system

This episode focuses on Tower Hamlets' Homeless service, the A and E of the council's housing department. Every year, 3300 people come here claiming to be in urgent need of a new home. - Strong language

In the London borough of Tower Hamlets, the council's housing office is facing a relentless stream of homelessness. How is it dealing with the growing housing crisis in one of the UK's most densely populated boroughs.

Meet some of the households at the sharp end of the housing crisis, who are facing eviction, overcrowding, upheaval, uncertainty and, above all, a very long wait.

The number of people making homeless applications to Portsmouth Council has risen by a third in one year, and government plans to extend the right-to-buy scheme are expected to increase the pressure on social housing even further.