A property manager I know quite well bumped into me at a coffee shop a couple days. He was pretty distressed so I sat down with him. He recently completed a lengthy eviction process with a tenant who was hoarding and had been hoarding for some time. This particular tenant was extremely mentally ill and turned violent when confronted. Eventually he managed to get her evicted but now he was facing a n apartment unit that was filled almost to the ceiling with junk.
At first he tried to use his normal maintenance people to clean up the unit, but they really had no clue where to start. In addition, the filthy conditions made it truly unsafe for his normal laborers to work in. He was under pressure to get this unit cleaned out and ready to rent. So I told hi the best route to go is to call a junk removal service that specialized in hoarders junk removal.
I know a lot of people who have encountered hoarding situations and try to clean them up themselves. And they soon get overwhelmed with the task at hand. When you are faced with the task of cleaning up after a hoarder there’s three reasons to use a junk removal company that has some experience cleaning up after hoarders.
1. Speed… Companies that handle hoarder clean up know how to clean up after a hoarder. They can clean out a hoarder’s home or apartment in a day. They usually bring enough trucks and manpower to handle this type of job.
2. Safety … Hoarding is dangerous. It is dangerous for the hoarder and dangerous for those charged with cleaning up after a hoarder. It is not uncommon for people to be hurt in “junk avalanches” where a pile of old newspaper or boxes comes crashing down. Also hoarding also creates filth and potentially unhealthy working conditions for clean up crews. Again, hoarding is a known problem to junk removal companies and they know the proper way safely clean out a hoarder’s home.
3. Psychological Health … Cleaning up after a hoarder is physically and mentally taxing work. People unfamiliar with hoarding face a cavalcade of horrors that can be emotionally scarring for a lifetime. This is why a hoarder clean up may be best left to professionals who are hardened towards the realities and horrors of hoarding.
Eventually my property manager friend did use a professional junk removal company adept at hoarders junk removal. After the junk was hauled away he discovered serious damage to the unit and is currently spending the next three months repairing and refurbishing the unit.
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