City Will Clean Up California Hoarder Home; Neighbors Fed Up, Say There's a Lot of Cockroaches and Rats
A California hoarder home in Koreatown has been bothering neighbors for years, waiting for a resolution.
One neighbor, identified as Leticia Ruiz, said that the smell is just one thing that has upset her. She added that she is also concerned about the health and hazards brought by the trash piles along the back, sides, and front of the home, according to a KRON 4 News report. Ruiz said that it's not sanitary, worrying about what she would do if there's a fire.
Another resident, Mark Mendoza, said that he does see a lot of cockroaches and rats.
Jobin Lim said that the collection of things has gotten worse over the past six months, according to an NBC News report.
Lim said that he tried appealing to the man who lives at the home. However, the homeowner started becoming angry when he tried to talk with him. Lim said he managed to get them to clear the stuff from his driveway when it started to slide over his side. He then started to use potted plants along the driveway to distinguish the property line.
California Hoarder Home
One realtor said that she has not been able to sell a house down the street because of the clutter around the home.
There were plans to redo a house across the street. However, investors are stalling and waiting for the city to do something about the situation.
A man and a woman living inside the home were said to be a mother and son, according to a family friend as reported by CBS Local News report. The path was blocked at the time, which made requests for an interview with the homeowner impossible.
One member of the neighborhood, Sharonda Williams, said that she has noticed the resident coming in and out of his car a few times.
There were concerns about the elderly woman's safety and health from friends, family, and neighbors. They noted that she had already fallen several times due to the clutter.
Los Angeles Department Building and Safety Records said that the home has been cited for code violations by the city multiple times since 2010.
The home was surrounded by an eight-foot junk containing items like old doors, lamps, and laundry baskets.
Meanwhile, the City Attorney's office confirmed that the homeowner signed a form, allowing crews to clean up the junk on Thursday for no cost.
Crews of firefighters and medics visited the home for the homeowner's health check.
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health was also with the crew to check the homeowner.
The 90-year-old homeowner agreed to have her property cleaned by the city after she was checked.
Lim said that the only main concern he has right now is once they start the clutter around the home, all the "nasties" that were in there will start to come out and said that hopefully, it will not migrate to their houses.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Shocking mess outside Koreatown home has been issue for years - from ABC7
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