We’ve all seen the home renovation shows or viral social media videos: family homes buried under piles of belongings, infested with pests, and damaged by mold or animal waste. From the outside, it’s easy to ask, “Why didn’t someone intervene?” or “Why didn’t they clean before it got this bad?”
What many people don’t realize is that hoarding rarely happens all at once. It develops slowly and quietly. Piles grow over time, shifting from room to room until they can no longer be hidden. Family members stop being invited over. Holidays are hosted elsewhere. Meals move from the kitchen table to a restaurant down the street. Months or even years may pass before anyone realizes they haven’t been inside their home in a very long time. By the time the issue becomes visible, the dangers of hoarding are often already severe.
The 5 Stage Model of Hoarding
The Recovery Village, an integrated behavioral healthcare management organization, outlines five distinct stages of hoarding, which help explain how quickly a situation can escalate.
Level 1
At this stage, all areas of the home are accessible, including doors, windows, hallways, and stairways. There is no excessive clutter or unsanitary conditions. While there may be collections of items, they are organized and do not interfere with daily living. The home is safe and fully functional.
Level 2
Level 2 hoarding begins to show subtle warning signs. Blockages may appear in hallways or near exits. Trash cans may overflow, food preparation areas may be dirty, and there may be a small amount of pet waste. While the home remains livable, clutter increases the risk of trips and falls, particularly for elderly residents.
At this early stage, family members may still be invited inside and should take the opportunity to offer assistance and schedule regular visits to check in, particularly if the homeowners are elderly and may be at greater risk of harm.
Level 3
At Level 3, hoarding starts to significantly affect health and safety. At least one bedroom and one bathroom become unusable due to clutter. Hygiene and sanitation issues become more pronounced, and daily living becomes increasingly difficult.
Level 4
By Level 4, hoarding creates noticeable odors that can often be detected from outside the home. Food is left out, dishes remain unwashed, and refrigerators may no longer function or are filled with expired and rotten food. Insects and pests are common, especially in kitchens and food storage areas.
Level 5
Level 5 hoarding represents an extreme and dangerous situation. The home may be filled with indoor and outdoor clutter, beds are unusable due to infestations, and structural damage may be irreversible. Fire, health, and safety risks are severe, and the individual often cannot perform basic daily tasks such as cooking, bathing, or getting out of bed.
At this stage, the hoard often spills into yards, porches, and neighboring areas, affecting the broader community by attracting pests and lowering property values.
Level 5 is typically when we are called to intervene, because the hoarder can no longer safely live in the home.
Why Hoarding Creates Serious Fire Hazards
One of the most immediate dangers of hoarding is fire risk. Simply put, more belongings mean more fuel. Commonly hoarded items—clothing, paper, books, magazines, cardboard, and mail—allow fires to spread rapidly and become extremely difficult to control.
During colder months, the risk increases when space heaters are used in cluttered areas. In hoarded homes, these heaters may be placed too close to flammable materials or plugged into unsafe electrical setups.
Another significant fire hazard posed by hoarding is that hoarded items can impede the ability to quickly evacuate the home in an emergency. With items piled high, blocking windows and doors, and often only small pathways between the pathways, it can be impossible to escape to safety, especially if the fire rapidly spreads through the hoard or blocks the narrow pathway that serves as their only escape route.
A hoard may also pose a significant risk to the firefighters who arrive to rescue anyone trapped inside and fight the fire. If they cannot safely navigate the inside of a home and the fire is moving too quickly, it may be impossible for them to rescue anyone inside or combat the source of the fire and stop it from consuming the house and even spreading to neighboring homes.
Code Enforcement and Escalating Fees
Often, I learn about homes with major or dangerous hoards because a senior city or county code enforcement officer has become involved. Code enforcement’s role is to protect public health, safety, and property values, and hoarding situations often trigger violations due to odors, pests, structural concerns, or visible exterior clutter.
When there is a dangerous hoard that has become a breeding ground for pests and mold or has begun to smell, Code enforcement officers may begin by issuing the property owner with a warning, granting them 30 days to clean the hoard. After those 30 days, if the property is still not cleaned up, the city or county enforcement will begin charging fees that range up to $200/month. And, if those fees don’t encourage the owner to clean the hoard, those fees can escalate dramatically.
I have personally purchased homes with hoarding issues that have amassed fees of over $50,000.
In one particularly heartbreaking case, a woman facing mounting fees tried to pay homeless individuals to help sort through her hoard. Instead, they stole her valuable items and brought in more trash to ensure they kept getting paid to clean a hoard that never shrank. Only when a code enforcement officer called me in, and when we offered to buy the house and clear out the hoard for her, could the homeowner finally relax.
Trespassers and Squatters: An Overlooked Hoarding Risk
Homes affected by hoarding are especially vulnerable to trespassers and squatters. Open windows, structural damage, strong odors, and visible clutter can signal that a property is unoccupied or poorly monitored. Once trespassers enter, they may steal items, live inside the hoard, or add even more to the clutter.
Unfortunately, getting rid of trespassers and squatters may be more complicated than you expect. In my experience, it’s not uncommon for trespassers to repeatedly return to the same home after being removed by law enforcement. Your home can be secured to make it difficult for them to return, but this security must meet certain standards or you may end up with more Code Enforcement fees, and the cost for securing a property may cost several thousand dollars.
Squatters may have to be properly evicted or even taken to court to be removed, leading to more legal costs, delays, and stress.
When to Intervene in a Hoarding Situation
Early intervention can prevent life-threatening risks, financial devastation, and irreversible damage to a home. If you suspect a loved one is struggling with hoarding, paying attention to subtle changes and acting sooner rather than later can make all the difference. Check out these steps to helping a loved one who is struggling with hoarding.
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