Hoarding And Mold Damage

8/14/2018 (Permalink)

Many people with hoarding disorder do not find their habits to be a problem. Hoarded items are often things others would throw away or look at as junk or garbage such as old newspapers, junk mail or packaging. Hoarding can lead to homes filled with extreme clutter to full capacity from years of accumulation, making living conditions unsanitary and crowded. Bugs, fleas, rats and other vermin may be present, at which point an exterminator would need to be called. At times, hoarding may spread to outside the home as well, to storage facilities, or even the garage or yard. Unfortunately small water leaks or lack of air flow can easily cause mold damage in the home of a hoarder. This also makes it extremely difficult to be able to see mold damage until it is at a severe level. SERVPRO encounters hoarding situations several different ways. Often, SERVPRO is called for a fire or water loss and find the hoarding situation when they arrive on-site. SERVPRO will communicate with the insurance company regarding their contents coverage, and after approval, contents can be packed out and possibly cleaned, dried, and stored by the SERVPRO Franchise, or relocated to a storage facility so work on the fire or water loss can begin. Another way SERVPRO encounters hoarding jobs is through calls from landlords, case workers, real estate agents, or family members, often after the death of a loved one. In these situations, the crew will see if they should look for any items of importance while they clean the job. Sometimes, family members will come and try to help the hoarder sort through their contents as well. Each case is very different, and hoarding jobs are often sensitive situations, but SERVPRO is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.” If you encounter a hoarding situation at one of your properties, or with your insureds, call your local SERVPRO.