What is hoarding?
Hoarding is the extreme difficulty someone has in getting rid of possessions. They feel they must keep them and not give or throw them away.
Hoarding is classed as a medical condition and a mental disorder.
Why do people hoard?
There can be many reasons why people hoard:
Medical conditions
- Autism
- ADHD
- OCD
- Dementia
- Brain injury
- Schizophrenia
- Psychosis
Executive functioning issues
- People with executive function issues can find it hard to organise themselves and their thoughts
- Following instructions with lots of steps, planning and starting and finishing tasks can all be hard
Learnt behaviour
People who have been brought up with families who hoard can follow the same behaviour patterns
Life events
Hoarding can be the result of someone experiencing trauma. There can be many things that can cause trauma, such as:
- Abuse
- Losing a loved one
- Crime
- Bullying
- Children leaving home
How hoarding can affect
How can hoarding affect someone’s home?
Hoarding can result in a huge build-up of items in someone’s home.
This can make living there very difficult, uncomfortable and unhealthy. It can also affect your neighbours’ quality of life.
Some of the problems hoarding can cause are:
- Damp and mould
- Pests
- Blocking emergency exits
- Fire risks
- Stopping us being able to make safety checks, such as gas
How can hoarding affect your tenancy?
Your tenancy agreement says that you must keep your property tidy and in good repair.
We can assess the condition of your property using something called the Clutter Image Rating Scale. This helps us decide whether you need help with managing your home.
If you need help
We know that it can sometimes be hard to ask for help. But we are here to support you.
- We can help you take back control of your home
- Our Tenancy Support Team are trauma trained specialist officers
- We understand that this can be an upsetting and difficult time for you
- We treat everyone with respect, and we don’t judge
- We can help you make your home a clean, safe space for you to enjoy
