Last summer a homeless man contacted the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority as he believed he was a victim of modern slavery.  He was being paid the equivalent of 74p an hour to live in a disused office block in London to prevent theft and damage to the site.  

This vulnerable man was contracted to a security company, and was regularly moved to buildings around the UK. His employer forced him to be in the building around the clock, only allowing him to leave it once a day in search of water and food.  

Empty properties such as an old school or office block, usually in city centres, are often without electricity, heating or running water. A security company would be contracted to secure the building, while a `property guardian` is found to take on the building in the longer term.  

‘Property guardians’ are people who move into these empty buildings, pay rent to the property company, and in return agree to provide security for the building.   The result is that vulnerable people, who are often homeless, are able to reside in city centres, where normally they could not afford to live. The living conditions in some of these buildings are, at best, poor.

Click here to read the full story of this man's rescue.