August 2022 CAI-NJ

Managers, You Have a Hoarding Problem? By Don Cabrera, CMCA, Cabrera Property Management

A s a property manager and a small borough mayor, I have witnessed hoarding by property owners as well as tenants. Advice to managers dealing with hoarding is to potentially redirect the issue to the municipal ity or in some cases, the county which may be familiar with the reported problem and also have experience with similar issues. These entities have the resources to address the issue instead of the community association having to spend their own money. In a majority of the cases these departments also have the protocols setup to work towards a resolution. Most municipalities employ or have a shared service for fire safety. This department regularly inspects homes for state code-mandated safety equipment and fire hazards. If there are issues of ingress, egress, access, or anything similar they can issue a violation to correct.

Another department that may address hoarding is the health and human services department. This department may be local or county operated and are usually the direct arm of the NJ Health Department. On occasion there may be items out side, in common areas that attract rodents, pests, or perhaps there are visible issues inside the property that would require a health official to visit the site. This agency would assign staff to monitor the issues surrounding the hoarding and, at times, animal control may be needed as well. Most municipalities have local property maintenance personnel also known as “code enforcement inspectors” that follow state code. Furthermore, some municipalities add amendments to the state codes ensuring stricter reg ulations than what the state recommends. Lastly, the local police department, county or regional department could

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