Handling Hoarding Cases

There has been an increase in cases involving tenants who struggle with maintaining an excessive number of items in their unit. Some of those tenants have true hoarding issues, which often leads to a lease violation and simultaneously is the basis for a disability related accommodation request. While each case is different, trying to address individuals with hoarding behavior can be difficult for everyone involved. Advocates struggle with how to protect their client against eviction while also ascertaining how to get their client to take the steps necessary to comply with their lease obligations. Hoarding behavior may trigger animal or insect infestations, fire hazards, state sanitary code violations, or even diminished quiet enjoyment. Housing advocates struggle with how to balance their zealous advocacy with the tenant’s reluctance or inability to modify their behavior. Tenants with hoarding behavior, particularly residents of subsidized housing, face the likelihood of homelessness, barriers for rehousing, and perhaps further health consequences. The Housing Court struggles with how to balance the interests of a disabled tenant with the interest of the housing provider and other residents. Despite evictions being adversarial proceedings, cases involving tenants with hoarding behaviors have a better chance of being successfully resolved when all parties work together to address the tenant’s needs and progress towards the goal of meeting and maintaining compliance with the lease obligations. Hear the panelists discuss a suggested framework for how to work through hoarding related accommodations and evictions while also providing information on services available to address hoarding behavior and conditions.