tenant is a hoarder - Landlord Forum thread 336822

tenant is a hoarder by please advise (FLORIDA) on July 1, 2015 @13:51

I went for a repair of utilities and found that the renter has stuff all over the place. Although the stuff seemed a little orderly, there was barely an available path to walk through the condo and I would not consider it to be clean in my view. No way can anyone vacuum a carpet or clean anything with stuff everywhere. Every room was like this including the garage no way to even park a car in there.
Other than that, this tenant gives me no trouble- rent is on time, etc. What can I do about the cleanliness issue? Or do I have the right to say anything?
Am I able to put anything in the next lease to prevent this?

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Re: tenant is a hoarder by Garry (Iowa) on July 1, 2015 @17:52	[ Reply ]

If there was evidence of ants, roaches, other bugs, rodents, food or their containers lying around, etc, then that would be a health issue, and yes, you can tell the T to clean it up. If there is not any way to get to all openable windows, or to other exits in case of a fire, or there were piles of flammable items all over the place, then it is a safety issue, and you can make the T correct that. But if their "stuff" is not creating a health or safety issue, then there's not much you can do to change the T's way of living. Remember, a tenant's level of cleanliness is NEVER going to match yours.

Re: tenant is a hoarder

Re: tenant is a hoarder by MrDan (Georgia) on July 2, 2015 @12:16	[ Reply ]

Hoarding is a mental disability in which case, Fair Housing law requires the landlord attempt to reasonably accommodate. The first step is to understand that the landlord must offer a reasonable accommodation even if the hoarder does not ask for help or does not admit they have a disorder. A landlord should determine how to address the most severe violations (fire and health code infractions) first. Make a written plan as to how they should start to remove the objects that are causing the violations. Outline specific standards for defined areas of the house such as doorways, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. Create a timeline for each step with a distinct deadline. List who will do the removal, who will check on the progress and how often, which parts of the plan the resident agrees to participate in, and methods to be taken that will help ensure permanent resolution of the problem. Don’t be accusatory or use words like 'junk' 'trash' or 'clutter' as hoarders don’t view their possessions as such. Simply cite the issues that are in direct violation of their lease. Then, if the hoarder is unwilling to work with you to remedy the situation on a permanent basis, seek legal intervention sooner rather than later. Here is a great education video on Tenant Hording that outlines steps a landlord can take without violation Fair Housing Laws. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=33&v=vNVD3l89Yq4

Re: tenant is a hoarder