Councils are spending nearly $2m a year to investigate rising hoarding complaints

It’s costing SA ratepayers millions to clean up squalid homes, says new research, which reveals how many hoarder headaches councils are dealing with.

South Australian councils are spending nearly $2m a year to investigate reports of hoarding and squalor and say with rising complaints they’re ill-equipped to deal with the crisis.

A new report, the Hoarding and Squalor Study, shows complaints to councils rose from 255 to 273 this financial year and some spent up to $60,000 to clean-up individual properties.

Of this year’s 273 complaints – 220 of which were in metropolitan council areas and 49 per cent related to a repeat instance of hoarding and squalor.

The LGA South Australia commissioned the report which detailed the costs, complaints and challenges of councils managing hoarding and squalor within their communities.

LGA president Dean Johnson said the overwhelming feedback was the urgent need for council staff to have more mental health resources and greater inter-agency support.

Mr Johnson said council environmental health officers investigate, manage and respond to hoarding and squalor reports, but were unequipped to deal with the underlying issues.

A hoarder’s home in Playford. Picture: Supplied

After the property was cleaned. Picture: Supplied

Hoarding in front of an Onkaparinga Council house. Picture: Supplied

Hoarding in Marion. Picture: Supplied

“Adding to this challenge is the fact there are gaps in mental health and psychosocial support services, meaning there isn’t always suitable referral pathways councils can use to get individuals the help they need to make long-term behavioural changes,” he said.

“So, while councils can work with residents to clean-up a property and restore its liveability and appearance for a brief time, without the resources or support networks to properly address the associated mental health element, we often see squalor return over time.”

Port Adelaide Enfield Council has recorded 32 complaints in 2023/24, Salisbury Council has received 26 complaints, while the Eastern Health Authority, which has five constituent councils including Burnside, has received nine.

The report detailed one council had spent between $40,000-$60,000 on a property clean-up this financial year, while five other clean-ups each cost the councils’ between $10,000-40,000.

Of the 37 council respondents, 26 either agreed or strongly agreed that investigations into hoarding posed a work health and safety risk to responding staff.

While nearly all of the councils – 32 – disagreed or strongly disagreed there was effective collaboration between councils, government agencies and support services to manage hoarding.

Mr Johnson said the study made several recommendations to address the shortfalls in responding to these cases, including reviewing the state government’s 2013 Foot in the Door guidelines, mandatory reporting and long-term for a single agency to manage hoarding and squalor in SA.

“We know hoarding and squalor are known risk factors for homelessness and given the current cost of living challenges is another clear reason for action,” he said.