With 1.8 million people on England's social housing list, this series looks at how Tower Hamlets and Manchester councils are dealing with the problems caused by a lack of affordable homes.
Each episode follows the stories of people competing for these few homes. Some people's hopes are answered but most find themselves with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of more suitable prospective tenants ahead of them.
The series also observes the issues through the eyes of the council officers on the front line.
