how to deal with a tenant who is hoarder

Question

I found this potential good deal, it is a multi-family at good location and good price. however when I asked the owner why did he decide to sell it since he is a investor himself, he told me because one of the three units lives a hoarder. he paid rent on time, never late, but no one wants to live next door to him. there is 10 months lease left in the contract. should I walk away or any other creative way to get rid of people like that?

thanks !

Jim K. · Answer

@Ashley Zhang

That tenant would probably prefer to be dragged out dead than leave. There is no creative solution here. I don't know the laws in Colorado. I know them here. If I bought this place, Step 1 would be giving him 24-hour notice that I would be entering to inspect. Step 2 would notice to quit nailed on the door. From there it's paint by numbers and jump through the court hoops until he's out. Heartless and implacable every step of the way. And the minute he's out,  the utility trailer gets loaded up and off go all his belongings to the sorting center.An eviction in my area does not happen in a vacuum. The road to help leads through the court system. The only way to guarantee this person is confronted by the mental disease he is afflicted with is to be the hard societal limit he comes up against, the rock bottom he smashes into. That is the definition of intervention, that is the highest-probability road to his getting actual help. It's the greatest kindness you can offer this man.

And damn his family, his friends, and the current landlord for not having the stomach for it.

Thomas S. · Answer

Hoarding is a mental illness you are not going to be successful turning him around. It is a fire and safety hazard. You have grounds to evict and should give notice to cure or quit. Give him a short time frame then proceed with the eviction.

There is no reason to be creative. The sooner he is out the sooner you can clean up and find tenants for the other units.

Wesley W. · Answer

It's a derisive term for an area where the government and community make excuses for bad behavior by calling it a "disability" and enable that bad behavior by protecting said person from "discrimination" based on their bad behavior, usually at the expense of hard-working people.

Merely explaining the term, no judgements made. ;)

Casey Crowe · Answer

Because with hoarders typically comes roaches, mice, and if they have animials, fleas and feces/urine. Not only will it stink, but it will create a pest control nightmare. And in a multifamily unit, if your neighbor has bugs, so do you. Yuck!

Spencer Abeyta · Answer

I would check the lease that is currently in place to see if there are any rules reguarding the tenant maintaining a certain level of cleanliness or liveability to their unit. If there is, this could be grounds for a possible eviction. However, this eviction would be more difficult because it is a lease violation and not as clean cut as the tenant not paying rent. And worse case senario if you can't find a way to remove the hoarder, try to calculate the cost of people not wanting to live next door and see if you can get a lower purchase price where the numbers work for you. Good luck!

Lynnette E. · Answer

You could get the health department to do a walk through and write the changes that must be made, then give the hoarder a 5 day notice to comply and stay in compliance.  The hoarder will not comply, so then you can have them leave.

This will help you avoid the 'its a mental illness, you need to make an accommodation' if the property is in a snowflake area.

Anthony Wick · Answer

Cash for keys? I don't usually like that, but 10 months?! What the hell, owner? Why did he renew the lease to a known hoarder? Anyway, try asking the tenant if s/he'd like to move, and what it would take. Tell them; "I'm looking to purchase the property and possibly do some remodeling".

Ashley Zhang · Answer

Hi lynette, thank you. I cannot believe your post was removed!! I am sorry about that. Now in these days, we just cannot tell the truth.

Lynnette E. · Answer

yes, thank you for answering.  I tried, but my post was deleted because I was considered a troll and the post was to cause division or something like that.  I did not get why, so glad you know how to answer so the right people are happy.  I probably need to just go away from BP and not make people unhappy.

Ashley Zhang · Answer

Thank you for the explanation Wesley!

how to deal with a tenant who is hoarder

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