From Identification to Intervention: Fair Housing-Compliant Approaches to Managing Hoarding Situations

It’s estimated that hoarding disorders affect up to 6% of the population, presenting unique challenges for apartment managers who must balance compassion for residents with legal obligations to maintain safe, sanitary living conditions. This session explores effective approaches to identifying, addressing, and resolving hoarding situations while maintaining positive tenant relationships and protecting property values.

Hoarding disorder is a recognized mental health condition characterized by persistent difficulty discarding possessions, regardless of their actual value. Unlike collectors who curate and organize their items, individuals with hoarding disorder accumulate objects that create unsafe or unsanitary living conditions.

For property managers, it's crucial to recognize that hoarding is not simply a lifestyle choice or personal preference but rather a recognized disability. It's a complex condition often accompanied by anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges. Residents who hoard typically experience intense distress at the thought of discarding items and may lack insight into the severity of their situation.

Managing hoarding situations requires patience, compassion, and a systematic approach. By understanding the complex nature of hoarding disorder, establishing clear procedures, building community partnerships, and balancing enforcement with support, property managers can effectively address these challenging situations.

Remember that successful outcomes often involve incremental improvements rather than immediate transformation. With appropriate intervention, many residents can achieve and maintain safer living environments while preserving their housing stability. This balanced approach protects both residents and property interests while upholding the community standards essential to successful property management.

Webinar Objectives

• Review fair housing compliance for reasonable accommodations.
• Learn to distinguish between hoarding and poor housekeeping.
• Review the health and safety issues arising from hoarding.
• Why is eviction rarely the best initial response.
• How to work with someone who has hoarding disorder.
• Identifying people and resources to assist in correcting the situation.
• What to do and what not to do when correcting the situation.

Webinar Highlights

• What exactly is Hoarding?
• Clutter or Disability?
• What to look for
• Who should be involved in resolving?
• Creating the plan to correct
• Managing the plan to correct
• Typical challenges encountered
• “What if” list
• Summary of best practices

Who Should Attend

Regional/Area Managers, Community Managers and Assistant Managers, Leasing Managers, Leasing Professionals, Service Managers, Service Technicians, Training, Compliance and HR Professionals.