Tenants with hoarding problems are often difficult to deal with—both for property managers and their neighbors. If you suspect a tenant is hoarding, be careful. Starting a conversation with them may seem harmless, but you have to consider their mental capacity to make decisions. For instance, a hoarder may not be capable of recognizing that their situation is hazardous to their health, safety, or the health and safety of others, so your conversation may end up being very one-sided.
Any property manager knows that hoarding, the excessive collection of items, is a nuisance that can reduce a home’s value and create health and safety hazards. If you suspect that a resident is hoarding, it is important to handle the situation with the utmost care and sensitivity. The following tips can help you assess the situation, communicate with the resident about the problem, and deal with the situation in a way that protects you from liability and keeps the situation as private as possible.
Here are some tips for handling a hoarder tenant at the property.
Proceed with Caution
As you’ve probably guessed by now, hoarding behavior is more than just a nuisance. In fact, hoarding behavior is a mental disorder characterized by the excessive collection and keeping of objects to the point where it interferes with your everyday life. It is one of the most common reasons elderly people are placed in nursing homes. It can be difficult for them to keep up with the sheer amount of stuff they have, and they can be in danger of trips or falls. Hence, hoarders are protected under the federal FHA (Fair Housing Act). Property managers, HOAs, and landlords must make sensible accommodations for hoarders before considering eviction.
Understand Your Responsibilities
The landlord or owner has a duty to give a habitable dwelling. This responsibility is usually referred to as the “warranty of habitability” and is signified in nearly every standard lease contract. In exchange, a lot of states need tenants to keep the units “clean and hygienic.” If someone’s hoarding hinders either party’s powers to carry out their particular duties, it is time to take the step.
Contact the Tenant ASAP
If you suspect an individual is hoarding, get in contact with that tenant as soon as possible, before the issue becomes more pronounced. Just like you would do with any other tenant issue, you can write a letter to the resident and include a reasonable amount of time for them to fix the problem. Hoarding can present a multitude of problems for a landlord, so it is important to identify the problem early on and take the appropriate steps.
Offer Help
Many hoarders are fiercely independent and manage their own finances, so there may be no easy way for you to offer help. But if the situation seems dire, try offering to help the hoarder address the problem. Offer to call social service agencies for your tenant. If your hoarder’s condition is so severe that he/she is now a public nuisance, and you are concerned for his/her health and safety, you may be able to report the situation to the local fire department or code enforcement agency.
Final Words
There is no fool-proof plan to avoid hoarding. But one of the best safeguards to avoid hoarding is by screening tenants closely before signing a lease.
To know more about how to handle a hoarder tenant at the property, attend the Compliance Prime webinar.
