Hoarder in the building. What to do if neighbors breed unsanitary conditions

Alice Smahina

Conflicts with neighbors in apartment buildings aren't uncommon. Some are disturbed by a neighbor who likes to sing karaoke loudly; others, by endless construction noise, others by the stench of smoking in the hallway. All these problems, though not immediately, can be solved; often people can agree. It is much worse when neighbors build unsanitary conditions and clutter in their apartment, accumulate garbage and sewage, and numerous requests to change the situation do not work.

Hoarding syndrome. This is the widespread tendency of some people, often the elderly, to drag all sorts of waste into the house. The thirst for "collecting" is so strong that the hoarders stop taking out their garbage, putting it next to their "wealth." Piles of junk can reach the ceiling, fall out of the door, spreading dirt, stench, and parasites throughout the house.

Hoarding is not a hobby or a sign of poverty, but a mental disorder. Like other diseases, addiction is formed gradually. At first, the person refuses to say goodbye to old things, which came to the point to go to the dump. Then they start storing broken things, equipment, worn-out clothes. Then comes the stage of collecting: a hoarder picks up unnecessary things in landfills and garbage containers that they find necessary and useful. Often patients let dozens of stray animals into the house, turning it into a shelter. Hoarding disorder is becoming a real problem not only for relatives of the patient but also their neighbors. Only one such resident can make the life of the whole high-rise unbearable.