Trash Versus Treasure

Hoarding and Helping at the Condominium Association

I was our jogging recently. (I used to call it running. I'm sure I don't go fast enough without a strong tailwind on a downhill slope to call it that anymore.) One such route passes by a home that has always been a bit of a mess, with shades drawn, weeds coming through the cracked driveway, broken down items in the front and side yards, i.e. enough to catch one's attention, but not enough to do much more.

On this particular day, early in the morning, a man happened to be walking parallel to me, walking across the front lawn toward a pile of … stuff. Our exchange as I jogged past gave me just enough pause to consider that he might be having some problems. I continued home, called the police, and noted they may want to send someone over for a wellness check. There was a pause, and the dispatcher noted they were familiar with the address and the person who lives there, and they would send someone to check on him. I'm not sure he was a hoarder. But it got me thinking.

Why do people hoard? I'm sure there are many reasons, but a list would likely include because a person holds a belief that an item will be useful or valuable in the future; a belief that an item has sentimental value, is unique and/or irreplaceable; an inability to decide where something belongs; and more. Per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), it is estimated between 2% - 6% of the United States population suffers from hoarding, and that can be a problem for condominium associations.

There are a variety of reasons for condominium associations to get involved in situations where a resident is hoarder.

• It's a community association so there is an obligation to help someone in your community who has a problem.

• The hoarder (and anyone who lives with a hoarder) has an increased potential for injuries, such as tripping and falling.

• The increased danger of a fire starting.

• The increased danger, especially in garden style, stacked condominiums where the Unit may not have been built to support the extra thousands of pounds of papers and items in a hoarder's home.

• The risk to surrounding Units from mold and pest infestations

• The lowering of property values due to, for example, condemnation, fire, and structural

Please understand these people suffer from a psychological condition they have no, or little, control over. What for 95% of us will qualify as trash, to them is a treasure that provides them peace and comfort. Thus, a board's demand they remove these cherished items is something that can provide genuine distress to the owner which often results in their failure or refusal to respond and/or act.

Can a Board of Directors intervene? Yes. It's always a matter of enforcement as boards everywhere have the duty to maintain and increase the value of Units. Also, there is likely, or should be, language in your documents prohibiting someone from creating a nuisance. Further still, the Condominium Act contains language that allows a board to enter into a Unit upon reasonable notice to the Owner and no notice if there's an emergency.

What to do if you suspect and or have checked and found a home loaded with things? Unfortunately New Hampshire does not have a specific agency to help those who suffer from hoarding. (According to the United States Census Bureau, New Hampshire's population in 2017 was slightly over 1.3 million. Using the mid-point of 4% of the range noted above, that would mean there are likely over 100,000 people in New Hampshire who suffer from this disorder. Aside fro addressing the philosophical and political questions of how many people have to suffer from disorder before having a state agency to help them, the more immediate problem is that it is likely more than a few live in condominium associations. and that's the real problem here.) But you can contact the New Hampshire Bureau of Elderly Services, https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcbcs/beas/ and contact your municipal health department. Your town or city may already be aware of the issue and this person.

If not, your call may have just given someone who needs it a bit of help.