Reporting Hoarders? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: where to stay, apartment, to rent)

[DR2012]

If I shared a wall, I'd be worried about fire risk or the spreading of pests. I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to protect yourself from that.

[scratchNsniff]

So if a stack of clutter somehow fell on the person and buried them or killed them, that's their own business? I would think it would be your neighborly duty to keep an eye out for a person in this situation. What about calling the police (non-emergency line) and having them do a welfare check then they can take it from there...

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by scratchNsniff

So if a stack of clutter somehow fell on the person and buried them or killed them, that's their own business? I would think it would be your neighborly duty to keep an eye out for a person in this situation. What about calling the police (non-emergency line) and having them do a welfare check then they can take it from there...

I beg to differ, it is not anyone's neighborly duty to report someones lifestyle inside their own home (unless it is s crime) or putting you at risk or not allowing you to enjoy your own property. The neighborly thing to do is mind your own business, however, if you had to butt-in, the best thing would be to approach the person (or a family member of the hoarder) and see if they need help or if there is anything they would let you do.

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by LS35a

I know someone who lives in a condo that is a serious, serious hoarder. Yes, like those people on the tv show. If this was a stand alone house, I'd not really care. But this person is putting their neighbors at serious risk.

Would the Fire Marshall be the person to notify about this situation?

I would let their neighbors take care of it, if it bothers them I'm sure they will say something.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

I would let their neighbors take care of it, if it bothers them I'm sure they will say something.

Rereading the thread, I agree with this. You "know" this person, if you don't feel you know them well enough to try to get them some help, leave it alone.

[Betula]

Think about all the reality shows on TV. If they didn't show the worst of everything, would there be viewers? The show, "Hoarders," shows homes that are loaded with feces be it human, animal or bug, dirty diapers, roaches, rotten walls, unusable toilets that are overflowing with waste, like watching a train wreck. You want to believe nobody lives this way, you want to look away yet you can't.

Hoarding is a mental "disease" like drug addiction, alcohol addiction, etc. I believe it also can be learned and or genetic. A hoarder has a "use" for everything a "normal" person would throw away. It could be a sentimental item, a piece of wood (gonna build a birdhouse), a cup, anything can be justified as useful to a hoarder. This is not something new, just something getting more exposure.

Yes, a hoarded house is full of "stuff" but that does not mean it is also full of feces, bugs, rodents, old food, etc. A family member comes from a long line of hoarders, not one house had any of the above. When grandma died, her house was full of old newspapers that she planned to read. Soaps she made back in the depression and other items that had sentimental value to her. Her family were immigrants with nothing so everything had a purpose. She lived to be 102 years old, never taking meds nor needing a doctor till she was 100. Her home was not infested, was no "smelly" and she bothered nobody.

Hoarding can and is an eyesore. Before you "turn" in your neighbors or family members, try talking to them. You may have no idea what prompted the problem, could it be health related, a huge loss in their life, trauma, etc. A good person would ask if they could do anything to help. Yes there are those who will probably yell at you to mind your own business but there are others who do not like to live this way and would welcome a helping hand.

A fear of loss, a fear of someone "taking your stuff" is difficult to the hoarder. Things will not go as fast as you may wish they would. Therapy is a big help to assist the hoarder in seeing things in a different light. Don't assume the spouse is happy or wants to be in the situation either. Spouses really have no "control" over the hoarder. Why do spouse stay? How about they LOVE their spouse? The "problem" may not have been apparent when they married but has gotten out of hand yeas later. A spouse can feel helpless and trapped. What can one do? Leave them or stay and love them and try to get it all resolved.

So in ending, please consider everything above before you go calling the powers that be. If the neighbor is not hurting you or their family, if there is no oder, etc. you could open a huge can of embarrassing worms. Nobody wants someone else to tell them how to live. Period

[stephen431]

We had a hoarder in an apartment complex I managed. If you met her, you never would have known. She held down a professional career but she lived in only about 100 sq ft of a 2 bedroom apartment because the rest of the space was crammed floor to ceiling with stuff. We gave multiple warnings, and we would see her carrying multiple loads of magazines, newspapers & boxes out to the trash after we spoke, but it wouldn't make but a small dent and her apartment would fill right back up again in a month. We had a fire inspection after one of her neighbors called and someone from the department went to speak with her.
Fire departments seem to know how to deal with this because about 3 weeks later her apartment was finally cleared and the clutter never got that bad again.

[stephen431]

If this were someone living in a home where there wasn't much risk of fire hazard to others, then I'd say leave them alone. Since this is someone living in a condo, I'd suggest giving the Fire Department a heads up. If the person wants to live like that, it is totally their right... until it endangers others (their neighbors).

Calling the fire department isn't the same as calling the police. They don't haul people off to jail or bring guns and handcuffs. They'll take a look around and either say it's dangerous or it isn't.

[LS35a]

Originally Posted by stephen431

We had a hoarder in an apartment complex I managed. If you met her, you never would have known. She held down a professional career but she lived in only about 100 sq ft of a 2 bedroom apartment because the rest of the space was crammed floor to ceiling with stuff. We gave multiple warnings, and we would see her carrying multiple loads of magazines, newspapers & boxes out to the trash after we spoke, but it wouldn't make but a small dent and her apartment would fill right back up again in a month. We had a fire inspection after one of her neighbors called and someone from the department went to speak with her.
Fire departments seem to know how to deal with this because about 3 weeks later her apartment was finally cleared and the clutter never got that bad again.

There's a story with a happy ending. A bad situation got better and firemen and neighbors lives were less at risk.

I have a neighbor who is a fireman and he's told me how much more dangerous it is trying to deal with a fire when you can't walk through a home or see who or what is there.

[redvelvet709]

Originally Posted by LocoAZnative

Hoarding is no joke and the worst would be living next to a trash hoarder(rotting food/adult diapers) that would not just bring a horrific smell, but tons of roaches.

Tempe firefighters encounter hoarding during blaze

Roaches and other bugs will easily spill over into the adjascent units, so yes, everyone else around them will eventually be at risk.