Adelaide: Neighbours at breaking point as they call for action over home of 'extreme' hoarder who lives in a caravan because her house is uninhabitable

Outraged neighbours in an Adelaide suburb have demanded their local council clean up a home piled so high with hoarded items the owner can't even live in it. 

Residents say the shocking hoarding all around the home in the city's south is putting their safety at risk and something needs to quickly be done about it. 

Next door neighbour Ray Lovell said he is worried about the chances of a blaze, with all the junk piled so high.

'If there's a fire in that house, how are they going to fight it? If the house next door catches fire, who is to blame?' he told 7News.

The homeowner lives in a caravan in front of their property because the house has become uninhabitable due to the extreme hoarding.

The house was cleaned up last year, but the junk soon started to pile up again, locals said.

The householder said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after her brother was murdered in 2010.

Hoarding is considered to be a mental health illness that requires specialist intervention and support. 

Angela Esnouf, of a company called Hoarding Home Solutions, trains people to help those who are compulsive hoarders.

Holding on to an excessive amount of items increased the risk of fire, bacteria, mould and rodent and insect infestations, she said. 

The City of Onkaparinga Council said it has spent a lot of time trying to help the homeowner, but without lasting success.

It has now given given her until the end of June to clean up the property.

'Once the deadline of the notice has passed, the council will inspect the land to determine if compliance has been forthcoming,' a council spokesperson said.

'Should the matter not be resolved, we will undertake the required works, as we did in May 2023.'

Ms Esnouf said without proper support for the hoarder, talking away the items they have accumulated can be very distressing.

'It builds another layer of distrust, another trauma for somebody to try to get over. It's never going to be a positive experience,' she said.

Hoarding is often linked to anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses, Ms Esnouf added.

'Some people want to create a little nest for themselves (to) keep them barricaded inside their home, it might have been the result of some trauma to them ... that they want to make themselves feel safe,' she said.

'It may make them feel like they're contributing to society because they're rescuing things from landfill.'

She said the homeowner will need support if the council does removed the hoarded items, because they don't understand the difference between junk and something valuable.

'You have to be really, really specific in laying out what to expect (from them) and following up with lots of support to be able to make that happen,' Ms Esnouf said.

'The best cases are when there's a slow and steady change process going on where you're helping them to declutter, then you're bringing in skills, habits and routines to help them live in a more functional way.'