An Unexpected Hoarding Case in South West London
You may have seen the TV programmes about hoarding recently where the cameras go into the homes of compulsive hoarders and reveal the conditions in which they live. If so, you may have reacted with shock, and it is common to think that this could never happen in one of your neighbour’s properties.
However, there could be a hoarding case going on right under your own nose, as I recently discovered when I was called out to a case in a property in SW London which I drive past nearly every day.
Hoarding Property on Trinity Road, London SW17
From the outside it looked like any normal property. I drive past it each day and it would not stand out in any way. But when we got the call and I was told that it was a property which was badly affected by hoarding, I couldn’t believe it.
Even when we arrived at the property to carry out the house clearance it didn’t look out of the ordinary at all. The curtains were closed so we couldn’t see inside, but apart from that the outside of the house and the front garden were in good condition.
The first sign of the hoarding was in the back garden, which had obviously just been used as another area for storing items. This, however, was not visible from the road which was why I had never become aware of it before.
Classic Hoarding Case
Inside the property it was a familiar story. Despite being a large property with four bedrooms, nearly every corner was filled with items. At first it all looked like junk, but when we got to work on the hoarding we actually found some interesting objects including an antique 19th century vase and an old violin complete with its case and which even had its strings intact.
The family had asked us to look out for a will or any legal documents but we did not find any in the end, but despite that there were plenty of interesting finds amongst the other items which made it an interesting job.
Hoarding Houses Could Be Anywhere
Hoarding can affect anyone. That means even one of your close neighbours may be a hoarder and you might never know.
The clearest signs are often a build-up of items in the garden, and possibly an increase in the number of pests in the area. If animal hoarding becomes a problem then the noise and the smell may also alert you to the problem.
But it is a good idea to just be aware that this is something that can literally happen anywhere and to anyone, and new cases continue to surprise me.
For confidential advice or a free quote call Jeffrey Avery directly on 0800 567 7769
