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Monthly Archives: April 2022

What to do When You Evict a Hoarder | Tacoma, WA

 

Everyone is looking for a way to make money without struggling so much. Currently, the rental market is among the most lucrative in real estate. Though it was affected to some degree by the covid-19 pandemic, it is quickly recovering. For instance, the average rent for an apartment in Tacoma, Washington, in February 2022 was $1585, an 11.4% increase from 2021. However, some drawbacks might affect your profit margins when investing in rentals and make your life as a property owner distressing.

 

 

One drawback you should keep in mind and be on the lookout for is a hoarding tenant. Sometimes, your tenant screening practices cannot pick out hoarders before you rent your property. Hoarding is a mental disorder in which the tenant has difficulty letting go of items even when he/she does not need them. Despite the mess that keeping too many things creates, the hoarder develops an attachment to them and might even feel safe.
 
Hoarding affects about 5% of people worldwide and is considered a disability. You cannot evict tenants based solely on hoarding disorders because hoarders are protected under the Fair Housing Act. However, you can evict them for violating your lease’s terms. Some of these violations include property damage blocking your emergency exits or entries, interfering with alarm systems, collecting dangerous items, and storing goods that attract pests or lead to mold proliferation.
 
Tenant evictions related to hoarding in Tacoma and other places will leave you with a property needing a lot of renovations and many items that you should get rid of. As such, to get your property ready for the next tenant, you should call an appliance removal company to help you remove the appliances a tenant has left behind, including dishwashersdryersrefrigeratorswater heaterspianos, and furniture, among others.
 
After evicting your tenant, here are the steps you will take to reclaim your property.
 

Change the Locks

 
After you evict a hoarding tenant from your property, it is advisable to change the locks. This will secure your property and allow you to take control. Your tenant might still have duplicate keys to the property and move in as a squatter, thus introducing another problem to your homeownership journey. Keep in mind that you will only be allowed to change the locks after legal tenant evictions. Changing locks after trying ‘’self-help’’ evictions might land you in legal trouble.
 

Document the Damage to Property

 
Once you have your property back, assess the damage the hoarding has caused. In most cases, you might not assess the exact extent of damage to your property when items are still piled up. However, you can evaluate and document damages to your large appliances and the other items in your view. If there is any damage, it is prudent to document it in photos in case you need evidence to recoup your losses from a tenant later. Though you have evicted your tenant for hoarding, remember he/she is still entitled to a security deposit refund. Nonetheless, you can get cash from the deposit to cover damages and the cleaning of your property.
 

Assess the Situation and Create a Cleaning Strategy

 
The piles in a hoarder’s house can accumulate to monstrous proportions and block your entire living space. Before you start cleaning, assess the situation and come up with a strategy for cleaning out the items. Your strategy should include which rooms you want to start with and how you will handle the tasks. You might need to secure professional help for the task and get enough safety supplies to protect cleaners from the dangers lurking in the home. The safety supplies needed include bug sprays, fire extinguishers, sturdy boots, a dust mask, and a hard hat, among others.
 

Clear the Trash

 
You need a workforce, a large skip to accumulate the trash in, gloves, disinfectants, a dumping location, and transportation services for effective trash removal. You can get a reliable junk hauling company for the skip, dumping location, and transportation services. It is best to start with small rooms like the bathroom and toilet when cleaning. Starting here will also give you access to the water you need to clean the rest of your house.
 
Get rid of all the trash in one room before moving to the next instead of working on multiple rooms at a time. Working on multiple rooms might see you move trash from one room to another, thus prolonging your cleanout. Alternatively, you can group trash to make it easier to know what items should be placed in different trash cans or donated. Empty the rooms from the top to the bottom to ease your work. Check your local ordinances on the disposal of items that cannot directly be trashed, like explosives, medicines, and fuels. You can also sort out and put aside salvageable materials that can be recycled.
 

Clean and Sanitize Floors and Surfaces

 
You can clean and sanitize your floors and surfaces with the trash out of the way. Remember that germs will build up on even surfaces that look clean. A hoarder’s home is a hotbed of microscopic organisms, so you want to get rid of all microorganisms before someone else moves in. Use a heavy-duty disinfectant after wiping the floors. If your floors are carpeted, consider steam cleaning them to get rid of as many microorganisms as possible before using an aerosol disinfectant.
 

Make the Necessary Repairs

 
With the house clean and trash-free, you can now clearly see all the areas in your home that need repairs. All major renovations and repairs should be handled by an expert to avoid causing more damage to your delicate home. If you have noticed any mold, contact mold remediation services to get rid of it. If you have no structural damage, re-carpet your floors and repaint your walls and ceilings to get your property in pristine condition. After repairs, thoroughly clean the house again to ready it for viewing and inspect the property to ensure everything is in order.
 
You will have successfully reclaimed your property from a hoarder with the above steps. Once you get your house back, protecting it from future hoarding tenants is crucial. To prevent future hoarding tenants:
 

  • Screen your prospective tenants thoroughly.
  • Have excellent landlord-tenant relations because this will make the tenants respect your property.
  • Ensure your property is well-maintained to attract the best tenants.
  • Have stringent penalties associated with damages to your property.

 
As you have gleaned from the above article, a junk removal company is one of the main partners to help you reclaim your property. You need a company that is well-equipped to move the heavy appliances and furniture left behind by a hoarder out of your way to clean the house. Moreover, the company should have the right skips and transportation machines to safely get your discarded items to a recycling center, landfill, or donation center.
 
Junk King is the top-rated junk hauling service in North America, with over a hundred franchises in Canada and 32 states. The company has a fair upfront pricing model and is well-equipped to handle all types of trash. Contact Junk King today to partner with you in cleaning your property to prepare it for the next tenant.

 

Junk King Tacoma
9316 Lakeview Ave. SW Suite A-1
Lakewood, WA 98499
Hours: M-F: 7A-6P, Sa: 8A-5P, Su: 9A-4P

Providing junk removal services to the Tacoma area, including:

Bonney Lake
Camp Murray
Dupont
Graham
Kapowsin
Lakewood
Mcchord Air Force Base
Milton
Olympia
Orting
Puyallup
Roy
Spanaway
Steilacoom
Sumner
Tacoma
University Place
and these nearby zip codes:
98327, 98338, 98344, 98352, 98354, 98360, 98371, 98372, 98373, 98374, 98375, 98387, 98388, 98390, 98391, 98401, 98402, 98403, 98404, 98405, 98406, 98407, 98408, 98409, 98411, 98412, 98413, 98415, 98416, 98417, 98418, 98419, 98421, 98422, 98424, 98430, 98431, 98433, 98438, 98439, 98443, 98444, 98445, 98446, 98447, 98448, 98464, 98465, 98466, 98467, 98490, 98493, 98496, 98497, 98498, 98499, 98513, 98580