Hoarders and what's NOT a hoarder.

[Judy Conrad]

So, bought a place that has a hoarder.  Because they are on housing assistance, we want to give them a chance to clean up before we evict them.  Yes, I know they probably won't and how I handle that is not the subject.  I'm looking for some guidelines:  if you had a hoarder and they sincerely wanted to mend their ways, what would your expectations be?  What can I put in a letter to explain to them what I would need to see to make me believe they have repented from their hoarding addiction?  

At this point, they have an 18" path through the unit for walking.  It doesn't smell (miraculously), and while I have little faith that they'll meet guidelines, I do need to articulate some guidelines for them to fail.  

So, what would you tell them they have to do?

Thanks!

[Nathan Gesner]

As you said, they won't get better. If you want to try anyway:

Give them specific milestones to meet, hard deadlines, and consequences for failure. It's a big project, but I wouldn't stretch this more than 90 days because they are almost certain to fail.

Check back every 1-2 weeks with a deadline of 30 days to have the living room cleaned out.

Another 30 days to clean out the kitchen and bathroom.

Anther 30 days to clean out the remainder.

Failure to meet ANY deadline will result in a termination notice with 30 days to vacate or face eviction.