Return to site

Handling Hoarder Tenants

broken image

Hoarders have been the source of fascinating reality television shows for years. While it's one thing to watch a person confront their mental health challenges, it's another thing entirely to be their landlord. In many cases, the tenants are lovely people who struggle with serious mental health issues. While you might not be a mental health expert, you likely recognize that the problem is bigger than you are. Cal Bay Property Management's Scott Safadi recommends handling such challenges with sensitivity and empathy.

With that said, however, hoarding often results in serious property damage. If you're eager to protect your investment, you simply can't turn a blind eye to the potential breach of your lease. In many cases, you may have the grounds to evict a person who is unwilling to change their habits. Anyone blocking entrances and exits, interfering with the sprinkler or HVAC system, or keeping old food that could attract mice and roaches is definitely worth considering evicting.

Of course, sometimes you'll just have to deal with housing dirty tenants. If their mess isn't directly impacting your rental or other tenants, you'll likely have to put up with the way they choose to keep their living space. If you're eager to make a plan, though, consider documenting a problem tenant's ongoing choices. Also keep track of any warning letters or written complaints you send to such tenants. They'll come in handy should you need to build a case against them.

Perhaps the kindest option when dealing with a hoarding tenant is to offer your support and assist them in getting the mental health treatment they need. Not everyone is open to changing their ways, but talking with their loved ones and family members about your concerns is also a good idea. Offer help finding professional help and a cleaning service who can help get the ball rolling on a cleaner lifestyle.

However you choose to help hoarding tenants, doing so with grace and kindness can ensure a bad situation doesn't make a turn for the worse. While hoarders may be hard to sympathize with, they deserve your respect and understanding. They do not, however, deserve to damage your property. Finding a balance between these two ideas can be difficult, but strike the right balance and everyone can win.

- Scott Safaid, Cal Bay Property Management