A resident whose home was stacked so full of junk they couldn't use the heating or the bathroom and kitchen has seen the property totally transformed.
The hoarder in Seaton, Devon, packed the house with so much clutter they were forced to live in the cold.
The extent of the conditions the unnamed 'overwhelmed' renter was living in only came to light when they were hospitalised.
They couldn’t be discharged until their home was clean and safe as East Devon District Council stepped in to help.
Things were so bad it took two years to help achieve the complete incredible transformation, DevonLive report.
It has described it as a 'unique case' where a specially-trained officer was called in by a social worker to help the resident who didn’t know where to start in their own home and had not allowed anyone to enter in years out of embarrassment.
The house, which hadn’t had anything done to it since it had been inherited, had begun to fall into a state of disrepair and needed to be decluttered, cleaned and have vital works carried out to make it liveable.
The officer from EDDC’s environmental health’s private sector housing team built a relationship with the resident over two years, going above and beyond.
This included multiple visits to the home, including during out-of-office hours, and working with a social worker, district nurse and occupational therapist.
The resident was also referred to a number of partner organisations which assessed their eligibility, helping them to get the grants and loans needed to pay for much-needed property repairs and upgrades.
Councillor Dan Ledger said: “This was a very unique case but like many others, this wasn’t just a quick fix, our officers worked closely with the resident over two years.
"We were able to maximise everything we could do, offering every assistance we were able to give, because this resident was eligible for it.
“It really is a good demonstration of the wonderful work and achievements of our hard-working officers, especially when it requires cross-department work, pulling in other organisations, going above and beyond the call of duty.
“In this case, the resident had become overwhelmed in their own home and didn’t know where to start, the help offered made a real impact on their quality of life and when we have revisited, the home is still spotless.
"The resident has since told officers how they couldn’t have done it without their support, and is so much happier now, especially as they can finally have visitors over, which they would have never done before.”
EDDC is called in to help deal with more than a dozen hoarder and self-neglect cases in privately rented and owned homes each year. Hoarding is something that happens behind closed doors across the country. Struggling residents, from all walks of life, can end up needing support from their local councils which work with partners such as social service, GPs or the NHS and mental health teams.
To help the Seaton resident, financial assistance was provided by Lendology which awarded two loans – the first paid for the clean-up and the second paid for a new kitchen, a complete rewire of the property, a new back door and roof repairs. Exeter Community Energy found funding for first-time central heating.
It paid for a new gas eco-boiler and central heating throughout the person’s home. A disabled facility grant, through EDDC, also paid for a stair lift and a special bathroom so the resident could shower safely.
