In the lobby of a new apartment block, built six years ago, the smell of fresh paint is stark, and both cleaning and maintenance staff rush past nervously. The tenants of this block smile wryly, pointing out that the cleaning staff don’t usually turn up on a Thursday, nor do they clean quite so thoroughly. The newfound focus on cleanliness and the sudden rush to complete a number of repairs that were requested long ago seem to have coincided with the building owners hearing that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is visiting.

The residential development in Wandsworth, southwest London, incorporated one block of social housing amid the surrounding luxury blocks in order to comply with British planning laws that require large projects to give back to the community somehow, through social flats, building public parks, or doctors surgeries. Too often, however, the social housing is built cheaply and maintained poorly — if at all. When tenants moved in, they were met with horrific damp, leaks pouring boiling water down walls, mold everywhere, and obvious fire hazards. One teenager I meet is reliant on an inhaler for damp-induced asthma and has panic attacks at night, fearing her family will be trapped in a fire. A plug in the cupboard next to her flat caught fire after a leak caused it to rust and short-circuit: the fire service told tenants the fire was put out only because of a stronger leak. Photos of the plug show both the blackened plastic and the rust.

Other accidents have luckily been avoided: two balconies have seen plate-glass panels fall onto the ground below, leaving no barrier several floors up, in flats with children as well as vulnerable people with learning difficulties.