Marks Out Of Tenancy Featured on BBC One London
On Friday 2nd August, BBC One London aired a powerful segment as part of its “For Rent” series, diving deep into the capital’s worsening housing crisis. This episode “For Rent: Rooms Under the Radar”, available on BBC iPlayer, uncovered the alarming scale of unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) operating in plain sight - often without oversight, safety checks, or accountability.
We’re proud to say that Marks Out Of Tenancy played a crucial role in the programme, helping expose the extent of the issue with vital data supplied through OccupID - our internal data tool built to support councils, researchers, and housing enforcement teams.
About the BBC Programme
The BBC One London investigation uncovered how thousands of people across the city are living in hidden HMOs - rented properties that should be licensed and monitored by councils, but aren’t.
Key revelations included:
- Newham: The estimated number of unlicensed HMOs exceeds licensed ones by nearly ten to one.
- Tower Hamlets: Hundreds of properties operating as HMOs with no licence at all.
- Southwark: Entire streets like Old Kent Road are flooded with hidden HMOs that have never been through legal channels.
The result? Vulnerable renters - many of whom are migrants, students, or low-income workers - are being crammed into poorly maintained, unsafe homes, often paying high rents for the privilege.
How Marks Out Of Tenancy Helped: The Power of occupID
The BBC team asked Marks Out Of Tenancy to help uncover where unlicensed HMOs were likely operating - and we delivered.
Using OccupID, our internal data-matching tool, we provided the BBC researchers with:
- Anonymised tenancy data
- Insight into property occupancy patterns, including excessive turnover and subletting flags.
- Analysis that pointed to clusters of likely unlicensed HMOs - especially in boroughs like Southwark, Newham, and Tower Hamlets.
This data enabled the BBC team to identify properties with high risk scores and document conditions first-hand.
What Is OccupID?
OccupID is a housing intelligence tool developed by the team behind Marks Out Of Tenancy which helps to identify:
- Unlicensed HMOs
- Overcrowded properties
- Empty properties
- Single person council tax
And much more! And it has already been used in collaboration with:
- Local councils conducting licensing enforcement
- Universities protecting their students in private rentals
- Legal advocates preparing cases for Rent Repayment Orders (RROs)
Why This Matters
The BBC’s programme showed what many renters already know: bad landlords hide in plain sight, and local authorities often lack the data or resources to track them down.
That’s where Marks Out Of Tenancy steps in. By generating housing data, we empower not only tenants - but also councils, journalists, researchers and legal teams fighting for fairer housing.
Get Involved
Whether you’re a local authority, researcher, campaigner or journalist, OccupID gives you the insight to take action. Want to know how OccupID can support your work?
Get in touch with us at Marks Out Of Tenancy. We’d love to show you what we’re uncovering. Find out more - https://occupid.com