Hoarding
What is it?

Hoarding is a compulsion and a recognised mental illness.

People who hoard, or maybe more accurately described, collect inappropriate things and form attachments to what society recognises as being inappropriate objects.

It must be understood that it is an illness and the hoarder has no control over the compulsion and is often deeply embarrassed by the situation.

When performing a hoarding cleanup it is vitally important that the hoarder is correctly supported by a family member or carer.  Despite hoarding clean ups often being initiated by the hoarder, it is still a time of great distress for the person.

Hoarding comes in many forms and hoarders may not only collect “things” they may also collect animals and not be able to dispose of rubbish and their own bodily waste.

Hoarders create many risks and dangers for themselves, community and emergency personnel.  For this reason hoarding clean up can also be court ordered or government ordered.

Hoarding properties often present the following risks and threats that must be dealt with correctly.

• Extreme Fire Risk with difficult access for emergency services
• Structural damage, with the weight of hoarded items sometimes exceeding the design limits of the property
• Mould growth, particularly where paper and magazines are hoarded
• Biological contamination from human waste, animal waste and stored garbage
• Rodent infestation
• Flea and insect infestation.

Hoarding is an illness
And the Hoarder is as much a victim of the illness as the rest of the community.
Hoarding Clean Ups must be conducted with patience, understanding and compassion