It should be required reading for anyone thinking of becoming a landlord
"Ms Penston said there were holes in the walls, a downstairs toilet was missing, a bed had been cut in half, there were mattresses in the garden which was covered in rubbish, and copper piping and floor boards had been removed. Many windows and all the doors in the house had been damaged and were off their hinges.
There was "blood and other fluids on the floors" while any furniture was either damaged or missing, she said.
The floors were covered in material ranging from needles and broken glass beer bottles to broken toys. There were no furnishings left, and the upstairs toilet did not function."
...
"Represented by Denis McDonald SC, the council denies it nominated the tenants. The councils says they were in occupation prior to April 2008 when the tenancy agreement was entered into between the council and the landlord."
So it appears that they were initially private sector tenants.