I usually try to help out around the condo since I’m on the board, rather than simply show up at meetings once a month. Today was one of those days.
This morning I helped prepare a building to be tented for termites. That means making sure everyone left keys, got their pets out, and double bagged all food in non-permeable bags provided by the exterminators. All units have to be opened so we can check that nothing is left that shouldn’t be there and the exterminators can put large fans in it.
One of the units went far beyond anything I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t get the door open because junk was piled so high everywhere. Every square inch of the place was completely filled with piles of junk, with the floor completely covered in crumpled newspapers. There was only one narrow path that you could walk through. It looked like what you see on the news when someone is evicted for a health or fire hazard.
This is only one tiny bit of it, probably the cleanest area. It gets a lot worse than this. I still feel sick from it.
Compulsive hoarding is a very real problem, though no one is quite sure how widespread it is. Could be related to OCD, could be something else entirely. Just deal with the tenant with a modicum of compassion — chances are they’re quite aware of how out of control things are, but feel quite helpless about fixing it.