HOARDING

Many people have collections and collectibles, but there is a fine line between being a collector and a hoarder. It becomes for many families an unwanted inheritance. More and more children are running into problems with parents who have been hoarding and collecting things their whole life. It becomes an illness. The problem is that as the executor of your parents Will or the successor Trustee of their Trust, you may find yourself having to clean up this mess. Fortunately, many hoarders co-mingle the good with the bad so administrators of the estate are forced to sort through everything to make sure that they do not throw away a stock certificate, a savings bond or even cash hidden in the home.

In addition to the problem of hoarding itself, there are also health issues involved. Many hoarders can create problems with mold, attract insects and rodents. In many situations the parents house could be affected and they would not even know it. There are many organizations that can help with the clean up of a parents home, but in many cases, it can take families years to sort through everything. No child wants to put their life on hold when a parent dies and in many situations those who inherit the hoarders estate there is just no time to grieve.