A case of extreme hoarding in Koreatown has multiple neighbors complaining to the city, as stacks of refuse and boxes teeter outside the dwelling.
Late Tuesday, after NBCLA’s initial report, the city confirmed it would be cleaning up the mess.
NewsChopper4 was overhead Tuesday morning, and captured on camera what appears to be a detached garage that looks like it’s on the verge of collapse. Neighbors said this started slow, but has been going on for years.
K-Town Hoarder House Has Been a Nuisance to Neighbors for Years
A concerned neighbor said the home is a health and fire hazard, as he’s seen rats, bugs, roaches, and more in the car parked in front.
Joobin Lim also said the collection of stuff has gotten worse over the past six months.
Lim has tried appealing to the man who lives at the home, but said the man became angry when he tried to talk with him. Despite this, Lim said he managed to get them to clear the stuff from Lim’s driveway when it started to pour over onto his side.
Lim has since used potted plants along the driveway to define the property line.
This has affected the whole neighborhood. A realtor says she hasn’t been able to sell a house down the street because of it. There are plans to redo a house across the street but investors are stalling waiting for the city to do something. Other neighbors have been complaining for years with no response.
One neighbor, Leticia Ruiz, showed the letters she sent back in 2019 complaining to the city.
A man and woman live in the home, said to be a mother and son, but NBCLA’s reporter could not get to the door to request an interview, as the path was blocked.
Later Tuesday, paramedics arrived to help the woman in her 90s who lives in the home.
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health personnel also arrived.
One of the woman’s sons cleared a path to city workers could get into the home to speak with the woman.
“Cleaning the house without permission is definitely not the way to go, it creates anxiety that could be detrimental,” Renato Perez, a psychotherapist, said.
After she signed documentation, city officials said the home could be getting cleaned up as early as Wednesday. The homeowner is responsible for the cost of cleanup.
