Hoarding Awareness Week
National Hoarding Awareness Week is here, with the NRLA shining the spotlight on hoarding disorder - a serious mental health condition affecting an estimated 1.4 million people in the UK.
The awareness week is run each year by social enterprise Clouds End CIC.
What is hoarding?
According to the charity Mind, hoarding is having so many things that you cannot manage the clutter where you live and find it difficult or impossible to throw things away. Hoarding disorder is a mental health issue, that a doctor can diagnose.
Reports indicate that 1.4 million people are living with a hoarding disorder in the UK, and in the past five years there have been nearly 7,000 related fires related to hoarding.
Spotting the signs
According to the NHS, someone who has a hoarding disorder may typically:
- Keep or collect items that may have little or no monetary value, such as junk mail and carrier bags, or items they intend to reuse or repair.
- Find it hard to categorise or organise items.
- Have difficulty making decisions.
- Struggle to manage everyday tasks, such as cooking, cleaning and paying bills.
- Become extremely attached to items, refusing to let anyone touch or borrow them.
How to help a hoarder
The charity Mind provides plenty of general advice on its website around how to best support someone who is hoarding, including guidance on what not to do.
If landlords suspect that a tenant may be hoarding, they should approach the situation sensitively, and with empathy.
Some things to consider include:
- Communicating with the tenant and encouraging them to get professional support. If the hoarding is so extreme that it is causing a potential fire risk, this could be explained to the tenant.
- Remembering that unless there is an emergency, the usual rules around accessing properties apply, and landlords should still give the usual 24 hours’ notice before inspecting the property
- Landlords should make sure that they keep up with mid-tenancy inspections, to ensure that any issues are identified at an early stage.
Should you find that one of your tenants is struggling with excessive belongings the very best way to approach it with support and understanding. Please know that your tenant is not doing this on purpose or choosing to not be able to manage but that they need help.
That could be the first offer - how could I help? Please try not to offer help in 'clearing' just an open offer of help in general. Perhaps suggest they seek help from a support group. One thing is certain any threats or deadlines will actually make people worse.
Kindness and support are the best tools and you will find will go a long way.
More information
- The NRLA’s mental health guide connects landlords and tenants to trusted organisations offering expert support for hoarding disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.
Support your tenants with compassion and care
During Hoarding Awareness Week, the NRLA is here to help you better understand and respond to hoarding disorder, a complex mental health issue affecting over 1.4 million people in the UK. With expert guidance, practical resources, and landlord best practice advice, NRLA membership gives you the tools to handle sensitive situations with confidence.
Become a member today and unlock total landlord support!
