Q I have a tenant that has been occupying one of my apartments for about seven years now. Last month, a neighbor informed me that they appear to be a “hoarder.” When I went to visit my tenant at the apartment, I was shocked to see that I could barely step inside. There were boxes stacked to the ceilings, what appeared to be trash strewn all over the interior, blocked doorways, and a generally disgusting atmosphere. What can I do?

A An apartment in the condition you describe is likely the result of “hoarding,” a serious mental illness related to obsessive compulsive disorder. A tenant who hoards is not simply messy or disorganized, but suffers from a debilitating psychological disorder. As a tenant with a disability, a hoarding tenant has some protection under the fair housing laws, but that does not mean that you are powerless to take action to address the problem. Avoid judging the tenant; focus instead on the conditions that result from their actions that present legitimate health and safety concerns. Are they breaking any building or fire codes? Are there blocked emergency exits or other limited egress? What about interference with ventilation or sprinkler systems that could result in a fire or other dangerous condition? Any or all of these conditions represent potential lease violations and serious health and safety concerns, and you can take action to address them.

Your first step should be to document the conditions, put the tenant on notice, and give them an opportunity to cure the breach of any applicable lease conditions and code violations. Be forewarned, however, that your tenant may not be able to resolve this situation without a good deal of assistance, ranging from the need for professional counseling to cleaning and moving services. In the end, however, if the tenant cannot or will not bring the apartment back into compliance with the lease provisions and redress any serious health and safety concerns after ample time and opportunity to do so, you can and probably should consider evicting him.

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For more information, contact Project Sentinel at 1 (888) 324-7468 or info@housing.org, visit housing.org, or contact your local fair housing agency.