First Rental Property - Hoarder Tenant Concerns

[Pat Greene]

Hello all!! I am a first-time investor in the Albany/Troy area in NY, closing on a 3 family (Three 1 bedroom units) in the next couple of weeks. Two of the units are occupied with long term (6 and 14 years) tenants, both with government programs paying market rent. I have met them several times now and they are very nice people, get along with each other, and seem to help maintain the property well… for the most part… which leads me to my main point.

One of the tenants is a hoarder, and has boxes, boxes, and more boxes of his belongings stacked throughout the apartment. The door to the porch/ fire escape is blocked by boxes, the bathroom door can only open halfway, and you’d be lucky to fit 2 people in the kitchen. As a first time landlord, I’m looking for some friendly advice to help get this apartment cleaned up and safe, without infringing on his privacy in excess. Thank you in advance!

[Ned J.]

The issue with hoarders is damage to the property- hoarding can lead to pest issue, moisture issues and other issue that physically damage the property over time and can lead to big $$ repairs. 

You wont fix the hoarding.... but if they are creating safety concerns or physical damage to the unit, you need to get them out.