Shining a light on hoarding

Research suggests that between two and five per cent of people hoard which would amount to over 1.2 million people in the UK. In reality, this is likely to be an underestimate and does not take into account the wider impact on family members and friends of people experiencing chronic disorganisation and hoarding.

People affected by chronic disorganisation and hoarding are living in communities across Scotland and housing practitioners working in all disciplines and housing tenures should be aware of their role in identifying and helping to address problematic hoarding.

According to the NHS, “A hoarding disorder is where someone acquires an excessive number of items and stores them in a chaotic manner, usually resulting in unmanageable amounts of clutter. The items can be of little or no monetary value.”

We all live with some level of mess and clutter, it’s part of our everyday lives. But for some people, the accumulation will go beyond a collection, clutter or general untidiness. Chronic disorganisation and hoarding can cause dangerous situations for individuals, creating fire risks, causing trips and falls, piles of possessions may collapse, and cleaning can become difficult or impossible. Chronic disorganisation and hoarding can also create unsafe working conditions for housing staff and emergency responders.

Beyond the physical challenges, chronic disorganisation and hoarding can affect relationships, with people who hoard being more likely to live alone. Many may struggle to develop or maintain family ties or other support networks becoming more isolated. The stigma associated with chronic disorganisation and hoarding is a further barrier to seeking help.  

While understanding of hoarding disorder has been improving, and it is now recognised as a distinct mental health condition in its own right, the underlying reasons are not fully understood and every case is different.

Chronic disorganisation and hoarding can be a symptom of another condition. For example, people living with dementia may find it difficult to process and dispose of items. For others, hoarding is associated with other mental health conditions such as severe depression, schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Despite the significant impact of chronic disorganisation and hoarding, and growing awareness of the condition, there is no unified national guidance on how to effectively address it. Local authorities and housing associations will have their own policies and procedures in place and so support for people affected by chronic disorganisation and hoarding can vary widely.

Limited budgets and lack of understanding can lead to harsh interventions such as house clearances where possessions are disposed of with little or no involvement from the resident or support to address the underlying causes. While this may seem like a quick and cost-effective response, it is unlikely to be successful in the long-term and may cause further harm to the individual.

CIH Scotland joined a new Hoarding Taskforce in 2024 bringing together a range of practitioners across housing, health and social care, the fire and rescue service, the third sector and people with lived experience to identify the resources that are already available and what’s missing. Ultimately, the group aims to develop a more joined-up approach to supporting people affected by hoarding disorder across Scotland.

If you’d like to find out more about the work of the Hoarding Taskforce you can contact Kerry Musslebrook, the project lead for the taskforce, by emailing: kerry.musselbrook@iriss.org.uk.