As your landlord, we want to do everything we can to make sure you’re as safe as possible whilst living in your home.
Recently our Tenancy Services, Rangers and Estates teams worked together to support a tenant who suffers from anxiety and had been hoarding for years.
*Tenants names have been changed for anonymity
Noticing a problem
Our Estates Officer identified that one of our tenants, Mr Walker, wasn’t living in the best of conditions during a routine gas cap check. Following a referral to the Tenancy Services Team we came to learn that Mr Walker suffered from anxiety and other health issues which had led to him neglecting his home. It has become very dirty, and he was unable to manage the clutter which had begun to take over.
Hoarding is when you have so many things at home that you’re unable to manage the clutter and find it difficult or even impossible to throw things away, so it begins to grow and impact your day-to-day life. You can find more information about hoarding, here.
How we helped Mr Walker
Georgina, a Tenancy Services officer, and Tony, one of our Estates officers, both worked very closely with Mr Walker and pointed him towards services that could help him, including his GP.
They also found Mr Walker another one of our homes to move into that better suited his needs and would encourage him to live in a healthier way.
As Mr Walker suffers from anxiety, getting him moved to his new home was quite difficult so Ashley and Kevin from our Rangers team also came along to help. Together, the whole team packed everything to be moved over into Mr Walker’s new home.
Tony also arranged for carpet and curtains to be fitted in all rooms and sourced new, free items to be delivered to Mr Walker such as chairs, dining table, coffee table, tv stand and more to make sure his home felt welcoming.
Mr Walkers reaction on moving in day
On the day of the move, Mr Walker was in tears because of his new home and the effort the team had made for him. He mentioned he was never able to open the curtains at his previous home because he was embarrassed of all the clutter, but now he could leave the curtains open and let the light in!
Tony and Georgina continue to check in on Mr Walker when they’re in the area to make sure he has all the support he needs to look after his new home and love where he lives.
We understand that sometimes these situations can become overwhelming and feel impossible to get out of. We’re here to help so if you have concerns about your own wellbeing or of any of our tenants, please give us a call on 0345 60 20 540.
