Excessive Storage
Excessive storage, refuse or hoarding is enormously problematic. Often people feel it is their property and they have a right to do with it as they please and if that includes not getting rid of items and hanging on to them -- whether that be exterior or interior -- they are not being good neighbors because of the problems it can create.
Fire. We live in Tucson and it gets so hot and so dry and unnecessary storage is a perfect environment for a fire. Excessive storage or hoarding becomes the perfect habitat for mice, rats, cockroaches and so much more. These creatures breed and quickly fan out into neighboring areas. Mosquitoes and mold. Let's bring on those summer rains and suddenly there's mosquitoes and mold in all that storage. This is so unhealthy if you live nearby it. Termites. Let's help make happy homes for termites and maybe they'll spread to real homes. Someone who can not be bothered to get rid of excessive storage or is a legitimate hoarder, is not doing themselves or their community any favors. It brings down property values, the items begin to deteriorate soon after being stored, it creates a home for vermin and provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes after rains, it can create rot , mold and damage to a home, it can invite termites not only to the hoarders home but the neighbors too. Excessive storage and/or hoarding is a community problem. Please report it. |
True story:
Someone I know lived next to someone using their backyard as a junk yard and didn't want to report them. She and her husband had a persistent mouse problem but never put two plus two together as to where they were coming from. Like most of us, they don't have money to burn and they certainly don't have money to replace electrical wiring but that's what they wound up doing after the mice destroyed some of it! Somebody pointed out to them just where the mice were likely coming from and they could have kicked themselves. Being "Mr and Mrs. Nice Guy" kicked them in the behind with a hefty bill that they could ill afford and, of course, the guy with the junk yard never contributed a dime to their problem. They're very lucky the electrical problem didn't start a fire in which they could have lost everything -- including themselves! |
EXTERIOR STORAGE
If there is refuse or storage publicly visible in the front or side yard, it is a violation.
Exterior storage in an enclosed backyard should not exceed twenty-five percent of the total lot size . |
INTERIOR STORAGE
This is a far more tricky situation. If you're aware of someone that is a genuine hoarder, this is something that has to be approached delicately and beyond any advice I can give.
Do them and yourself a favor and look online as to what resources are available and how to proceed. |