At Clean Keepers, we treat every hoarding case with the care it deserves. Hoarding is a mental illness. Extreme cases of hoarding are dangerous. They can pose risks of disease, fire hazards, and rodent infestations, and to maintain the safety of the homeowner and the neighbors surrounding them, sometimes hoarding cleanup in Florida is needed.
Florida Hoarding Law
Florida hoarding laws provide options. There are some questions to ask, either as the family member of a hoarder or the head of the condominium association where the hoarder lives. The questions include:
- Is the hoarder over the age of 60?
- Do they have a disability?
- Is their home unsafe/unfit for human occupancy?
- Are they neglecting their health/hygiene, or the health hygiene of pets and/or dependent children?
- If they live in a condominium, is their failure to maintain the interior of the unit a violation of the condominium documents?
Neglect
In some cases, you may be able to report the homeowner or unit owner’s self-neglect to DCF, the Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida law requires you to report suspected or known self-neglect in the case of vulnerable adults, like those who are over the age of 60 or who have a disability.
Wellness Checks
If you are concerned about someone and the habitability of their home, you can request a wellness check to be performed by local law enforcement.
Law enforcement will go to the home and knock on the door. If no one answers, they will inspect what’s visible from the outside and, depending on what they see, they might pursue a warrant to gain entry and evaluate the homeowner.
Safety Standards
If a homeowner fails to keep their home in a structurally safe and sanitary condition, local law enforcement might be able to intervene. Chapter 386 of the Florida Statutes, under Public Health, states that if maintenance obligations go unfulfilled and a home is unfit and unsafe for human occupancy, there is a violation of the Statute and code enforcement staff can take action.
Clean Keepers Can Help
Whether you or your loved one’s home has reached the point where law enforcement has gotten involved or not, Clean Keepers can help. We handle each and every hoarding cleanup with tact and empathy, and we would love to help make your home livable again. Contact us today to learn more.
