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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
LA residents say ‘hell house' is now drawing squatters after the owners ‘hoarded themselves out of their home'
The Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood is "well maintained" with "surroundings [that] are quiet and clean" according to comments on the online real estate marketplace Trulia. But now, one home that neighbors describe as a 'hell house' — attracting squatters, drugs and criminal activity along with a growing pile of garbage — is making life miserable for residents. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) As KTLA reports, the underlying issue is that the older brother and sister who own the home are anti-social hoarders who regularly engage in profanity. "They've been a menace to the neighborhood for the whole time that we've lived here," said Amy Gordon, a local resident. But Gordon says things went from bad to worse in the past year as the pair 'hoarded themselves out of their own home' — moving into their cars out front, essentially opening their front door to problems. Now the neighbors have banded together to address the challenge, and their city council rep is taking action. Serious hoarding presents a number of concerns for both hoarders themselves and their neighbours. Safety is a serious issue. Hoarding can attract rodents, increase risk of fires and — in the case of the Westwood 'hell house' — intruders. Gordon says the home is attracting people who leave drug paraphernalia around the community, including across the street from a school. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it It also impacts property values — as the home where the hoarding takes place drops in value, so do other homes in the area. However, it's important to approach the situation with compassion, since hoarding is a real disorder that affects people of all ages. Area resident Carrie Livingston, told KTLA that she called Adult Protective Services to try to help the homeowners, to no avail. Neighbors reached out to city police, city leaders and even building and fire inspectors to get the "hell house" owners the help they desperately need. Since then, community residents have filed restraining orders against the brother and sister. They've also gathered more than 150 signatures on a petition they sent to their city council representative Katy Yaroslavsky. And that got a response. Yaroslavsky promptly asked the city attorney to declare the property a public nuisance and reached out to the Los Angeles County supervisor to provide the siblings with mental health support. She's also advocating for policy change in such situations, saying it takes too long for the city to step in on properties like this one. 'The process is slow, complicated, and leaves neighbors in limbo,' she said in a statement. 'I support current efforts to streamline how the City handles nuisance properties and will keep pushing to move that work forward.' If you find yourself next to a hoarder, you could try speaking to your neighbor directly about the problem, but they may not be responsive. Like the residents in Westwood, you may need to seek intervention. It helps to be aligned, as they have been, in your approach. Reach out to local law enforcement if you feel you're in danger and connect with a local resource like Adult Protective Services and health departments to check in on your neighbor and try to help them. This process could take some time. It's important to protect yourself and your loved ones — as well as your property — in the meantime. Consider constructing a fence, sealing garbage and recycling bins and bringing in a pest control company if required. Document the evolving situation with images, video and notes — particularly in the event your property ends up sustaining damage due to your neighbor's hoarding. Contact the local code enforcement office if you feel your neighbor has violated a specific ordinance. For example, if there are piles of trash outside your neighbor's home seeping onto your property, that's something you could bring to your town or local law enforcement agency. Report any violations of homeowners association (HOA) rules to the HOA board, as Nolo legal services advises. From there, they should be the ones to step in and take action. You may, depending on the circumstances, have grounds to file a lawsuit against your neighbor if their hoarding has caused damage to your home or cost you money in a specific way. Even if you're not in danger per se, you have the right to protect your home and community. And you could help people suffering from a very serious disorder. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Neighbors outraged as L.A. ‘Hell house' attracts constant stream of squatters, intruders
Residents in a Westwood neighborhood said a home on the street that attracts a constant stream of intruders and squatters has made living on the street unbearable and dangerous. Neighbors in the upscale neighborhood, located just off Santa Monica Boulevard near the Westfield Century City mall, said there are constant visitors to a specific home that is owned by a pair of older siblings — a brother and a sister. The visitors reportedly bring trouble with them and residents have seen public urination, drug activity, intruders climbing over fences and breaking into the home, squatters, possible prostitution and massive piles of garbage outside the property. Some of the visitors, who seem to arrive at all times of the day, have even harassed residents. 'They've been a menace to the neighborhood for the whole time that we've lived here,' neighbor Amy Gordon told KTLA's Chris Wolfe. 'But in the past 10-12 months, they are hoarders and they've hoarded themselves out of the home and they have been living in their cars.' Neighbors, who described the property as a 'Hell house,' said they fear for their safety. 'It has completely blown up and disrupted everything,' Gordon said. 'There's drug paraphernalia all over the neighborhood. It's across the street from a school, a family dental building.' 'I called adult protective services to try to get them to help [the siblings],' said neighbor Carrie Livingston. 'Sometimes in the winter months, their car is running through the night to provide them with heat.' Neighbors said they've contacted local law enforcement and city leaders for help, but claimed they were told nothing could be done about it. Some residents believe the home poses a health and fire hazard. Restraining orders have been filed against the siblings and more than 150 signatures were gathered for a petition that was sent to their L.A. city council representative, Katy Yaroslavsky. Carrie Livingston, who lives next door to the home, said she was forced to spend thousands of dollars to replace a fence on her property that intruders broke while climbing over it. She said she often finds all kinds of alcohol bottles littered on her property as the intruders tend to stash random items in her bushes. 'We always knew them as the creepy neighbors when we were kids,' said neighbor Graham Livingston. 'But it was only in the past few years when things started getting really serious.' The siblings, however, spoke with KTLA's Chris Wolfe and said the neighbors who have accused them of being negligent are lying. They claim that whenever they leave to run house errands, that's when the intruders would break into their home. They said they've reported the criminal activities to police, but have not received help. They do sometimes sleep in their cars, but claimed that was only done to keep a better eye on possible trespassers. They believe the targeted effort to condemn the house is an infringement on their rights. Residents, in the meantime, are asking for help from city officials who they believe have the power to condemn the property and take action to clear it. KTLA has reached out to Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky's office for comment and is awaiting a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
