The Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood is "well maintained" with "surroundings [that] are quiet and clean" according to comments on the online real estate marketplace Trulia.
But now, one home that neighbors describe as a “hell house” — attracting squatters, drugs and criminal activity along with a growing pile of garbage — is making life miserable for residents.
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As KTLA reports, the underlying issue is that the older brother and sister who own the home are anti-social hoarders who regularly engage in profanity.
"They’ve been a menace to the neighborhood for the whole time that we’ve lived here," said Amy Gordon, a local resident.
But Gordon says things went from bad to worse in the past year as the pair “hoarded themselves out of their own home” — moving into their cars out front, essentially opening their front door to problems.
Now the neighbors have banded together to address the challenge, and their city council rep is taking action.
When one problem house causes problems for everyone
Serious hoarding presents a number of concerns for both hoarders themselves and their neighbours. Safety is a serious issue.
Hoarding can attract rodents, increase risk of fires and — in the case of the Westwood “hell house” — intruders.
Gordon says the home is attracting people who leave drug paraphernalia around the community, including across the street from a school.
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It also impacts property values — as the home where the hoarding takes place drops in value, so do other homes in the area.
However, it’s important to approach the situation with compassion, since hoarding is a real disorder that affects people of all ages.
Area resident Carrie Livingston, told KTLA that she called Adult Protective Services to try to help the homeowners, to no avail.
Neighbors reached out to city police, city leaders and even building and fire inspectors to get the "hell house" owners the help they desperately need.
Since then, community residents have filed restraining orders against the brother and sister.
They’ve also gathered more than 150 signatures on a petition they sent to their city council representative Katy Yaroslavsky.
And that got a response.
Yaroslavsky promptly asked the city attorney to declare the property a public nuisance and reached out to the Los Angeles County supervisor to provide the siblings with mental health support.
She’s also advocating for policy change in such situations, saying it takes too long for the city to step in on properties like this one.
“The process is slow, complicated, and leaves neighbors in limbo,” she said in a statement. “I support current efforts to streamline how the City handles nuisance properties and will keep pushing to move that work forward.”
What to do if your neighbor is a hoarder
If you find yourself next to a hoarder, you could try speaking to your neighbor directly about the problem, but they may not be responsive.
Like the residents in Westwood, you may need to seek intervention. It helps to be aligned, as they have been, in your approach.
Reach out to local law enforcement if you feel you’re in danger and connect with a local resource like Adult Protective Services and health departments to check in on your neighbor and try to help them.
This process could take some time. It’s important to protect yourself and your loved ones — as well as your property — in the meantime.
- Consider constructing a fence, sealing garbage and recycling bins and bringing in a pest control company if required.
- Document the evolving situation with images, video and notes — particularly in the event your property ends up sustaining damage due to your neighbor’s hoarding.
- Contact the local code enforcement office if you feel your neighbor has violated a specific ordinance. For example, if there are piles of trash outside your neighbor’s home seeping onto your property, that’s something you could bring to your town or local law enforcement agency.
- Report any violations of homeowners association (HOA) rules to the HOA board, as Nolo legal services advises. From there, they should be the ones to step in and take action.
You may, depending on the circumstances, have grounds to file a lawsuit against your neighbor if their hoarding has caused damage to your home or cost you money in a specific way.
Even if you’re not in danger per se, you have the right to protect your home and community. And you could help people suffering from a very serious disorder.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
