HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - October 9, 2015
Published: Fri, 10/09/15
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Manager Working to Help Hoarders and His HOA
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In this week’s tip, we get the inside story of an HOA manager who’s working to resolve the challenges posed by hoarders.
If Dave Russell encounters another hoarder at the association he manages, Circle Tree HOA in Mesa, Ariz., he’ll have to start using both hands to track them.
“I’ve had this problem five times,” he laments. “Statistically, you have to look at this. I’ve had five unit owners out of 256 units who are hoarders. That’s a big problem. And this isn’t a low-end neighborhood. I’ve found with these hoarding cases that most are pretty well-to-do people. They come from all walks of life and every occupation.”
Russell’s not alone. HOA experts are telling us more frequently that they’re dealing with the challenge of hoarders, and there are no easy solutions. They create a big risk for HOAs, as a recent fire in Arizona proves.
“I think my first hoarding unit was one of those situations where there was a water leak, and you walk in and it was just like the TV show, Hoarders,” says Russell. “I also had one with an elderly person actually in there, and this was such a horrific case. The lady was my board secretary.
“In another case, I found a gentleman sleeping in his car because he was being eaten alive by roaches,” recalls Russell. “I asked why he was sleeping in his car, and he said, ‘Because I don’t have a place to sleep. I have bugs, and I might have too much stuff.’ I said, ‘Look, I’m obligated to do something.’ I told him I was going to call adult protective services. They got him help, and they got him cleaned out. But the important thing is psychological help.”
Russell says his experience with hoarders shows that the psychological issues prevent some hoarders from being “cured.”
“With the fifth hoarder I’ve run into, he has serious issues where doesn’t realize this is an problem,” contends Russell. “He said everything was stacked neatly and tidily until the earthquake came. I said, ‘We don’t have earthquakes here in Arizona.’ I worked with him and worked with him. Eventually, I said, ‘Do you have family?’ When I called his sister in Indiana, she said she’d already been down a few times to help her brother clean up, but she had no idea it had reached this new level. She flew down, and in a week’s time, they were able to get him to give up the amount of stuff you could fit in a little bag you get from the grocery store. He wouldn’t give anything up.”
Russell says this is a danger not just to the unit’s occupant but to all residents. “I worry about the hoarder,” he says. “But I also worry about the two kids who live upstairs.”
It’s also a risk to HOAs. Find out why, along with Russell’s proposed solution, in our new article: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/1252.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
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Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
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What You Can Learn from One HOA Manager's Approach to Hoarders
If Dave Russell encounters another hoarder at the association he manages, Circle Tree HOA in Mesa, Ariz., he'll have to start using both hands to track them.
"I've had this problem five times," he laments. "Statistically, you have to look at this. I've had five unit owners out of 256 units who are hoarders. That's a big problem. And this isn't a low-end neighborhood. I've found with these hoarding cases that most are pretty well-to-do people. They come from all walks of life and every occupation."
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/What-You-Can-Learn-from-One-HOA-Managers-Approach-Hoarders.cfm
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What to Do When HOA Developer isn't Keeping Promises--and Wants to Borrow!
An HOAleader.com reader asks, "Our neighborhood in Indiana is seven years old, and the developer has promised a pool and clubhouse for the last four years. He keeps pushing the proposed date back again and again. We have roughly 100 lots, and 44 of them are sold.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/What-Do-When-HOA-Developer-isnt-Keeping-Promisesand-Wants-Borrow.cfm
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California Balcony Collapse Highlights HOAs' Risk of Lack of Maintenance
In this week's tip, we send a warning signal about your balconies and porches. It's dangerous not to stay on top of their maintenance.
A California HOA lawyer says there's now increased scrutiny on the state's balconies as a result of a tragic incident in which six people were killed. This isn't just a problem in California. A similar porch collapse happened in Chicago more than 10 years ago, killing 13.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/California-Balcony-Collapse-Highlights-HOAs-Risk-Lack-Maintenance.cfm
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California HOAs Eye Balconies after Tragedy; You Should, Too
A California HOA lawyer says there's now increased scrutiny on the state's balconies as a result of a tragic incident in which six people were killed. This isn't just a problem in California. A similar porch collapse happened in Chicago more than 10 years ago, killing 13. Here's what you need to know about the safety of your limited common elements.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/California-HOAs-Eye-Balconies-after-Tragedy-You-Should-Too.cfm
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How to Protect Yourself and Your HOA from the Neighborhood Sociopath
Run into any owners or residents who show contempt for and consistently disregard your HOA's rules? One in 25 people is a sociopath, or a person who regularly exhibits asocial or antisocial behavior. Sociopaths look like your everyday neighbors, but they can be scary and intimidating--and they can turn your HOA into a battleground.
Join us for a cutting-edge webinar on April 9 on how to wisely and safely handle the most difficult owners and residents you'll ever face, led by two community association experts with decades of hands-on experience in advising associations.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/products/neighborhood-sociopath-a.cfm
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