Basement renter is a hoarder, what can I do?

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I am a single mom who owns a townhouse and rents the basement. This tenant has been in my basement for 4 years and through the years I have witness how her stuff accumulated and accumulated to the point that it is impossible (and embarrassing) to walk by her mess whenever I have people coming to check any utility problem. She is responsible paying the rent but lately I have been seeing cockroaches in my kitchen that I have been trying to control using boric acid, sprays and baits but with no results. I have a toddler so I do not want to use anything too toxic. I have asked her if she has seen roaches in her kitchen but she says no. I actually didn't mind her mess as long as she pays the rent on time but if she is bringing cockroaches in the house then i have a problem. what are my rights as the owner of the house? can I ask her to clean her living area? even is the roaches are eliminated, do I have any control of how she keeps her space? I mean, it is impossible to move around and for sure there are fire code violations, but can I tell her so?
If anyone can just advise on what to do I'll appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

are there a lot of boxes in her mess? boxes equal cockroaches.

[Anonymous]

As a long-term solution, why don't you just not renew her lease? Does the lease agreement say anything about her having to maintain the property in a clean and livable way? Can you go down and look around when she's not home, to see if there are indeed roaches down there?

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP -- don't renew. But give her the legally required notice.

[Anonymous]

Definitely don't renew the lease.

And be prepared to keep the deposit if the place is not fully cleaned out.

[Anonymous]

I would be worried about rodents more than cockroaches. Don't renew the lease.

[Anonymous]

Check with the county/state to see what you can do in the meantime. I've seen that hoarders show a few times and sometimes those people are in danger of eviction so it is possible to evict someone over this. You need to do some research to find out more details on how to do it...time frame for cleaning up etc. Also consider renting a dumpster. If she's leaving food out and attracting bugs it could be a really big problem.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll have to do that. Her ease is up in November.

[Anonymous]

Definitely don't renew, then get the place professionally cleaned. I'm not talking just hire maids, hire a company like service master

[Anonymous]

If her lease is up in November, I would tell her NOW that you won't be renewing.

[Anonymous]

Don't renew, giving her the legal notice. Tell her you need access to her space for a professional exterminator to make an evaluation and recommendations for treating the entire house. Then, hire a professional exterminator to make an evaluation and give recommendations for treating the entire house. If it includes cleaning or removal of boxes, give her a time period to amend it, check again then, and (assuming she hasn't cleaned it up) evict her. Make sure you follow the legal process for eviction notice in terms of time and follow-up, but it will almost certainly be faster than waiting until November.

[Anonymous]

Talk with a landlord-tenant attorney. They can tell you exactly how to go about getting her out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a long-term solution, why don't you just not renew her lease? Does the lease agreement say anything about her having to maintain the property in a clean and livable way? Can you go down and look around when she's not home, to see if there are indeed roaches down there?

+1 Don't renew. Her lifestyle won't change just because you ask her to be more tidy.

[Anonymous]

Can you tell her you will only go month to month with the expectation that she cleans up in 3 months (and stays clean) or will be evicted? I sense you want to keep her as a renter because she pays and you probably rely on her on time payment. A new renter may not be so good.

[Anonymous]

Cut her loose, she sounds like an awful tenant. It is status quo to pay the rent on time, "good tenants" do minor fixes themselves and are generally friendly. We have never had one "not pay the rent". Nor be consistently messy, yuck.