Landlord Question and Answer Forum

I have a tenant that is always on time with rent, very quite and keep to themselves, overall they are good tenants. I recently had to fix a leaking toilet and had to enter their unit...upon entering the door barely opened due to excess pile of clothes behind the door. There were piles and piles of gunk everywhere, not garbage but an excess of just stuff. There was a small pathway to get into the bathroom a width of maybe 2-3 ft. In the bedrooms there were piles of clothes and boxes that only gave a space to sleep. It is beyond me how someone can live that way, I need to find out what the laws are and if they are violating them and on how to proceed with this matter. Personally, I do not want to have to evict them as the apartment would need a complete makeover to re-rent. I have verbally asked them on several occasions to clean up their unit and they have made several attempts but then it gets bad again, frustrated and not sure what to do on this matter.

If you outright evict them because of hoarding you could be sued for discrimination as hoarding is considered a metal illness. However, if they are blocking access to the exits, windows or hallways, that can be a safety issue. Also the stuff they have can also lead to bugs and pests which are safety/health issues. If they are breaking any health or safety ordinances, then this could be grounds for eviction based on that. Also if the hoarding is causing damages you can evict on that. You may not want to evict them, but the longer you let them live there, the worse your place can get. Do you want to have roaches and mice start living there and infesting the place (if they haven't already)? Remember what Barney Fife used to say -- "Nip it in the bud, you've gotta nip it in the bud!"

Posted by Dawn A, WI on Monday, June 24, 2013