Riga apartment block residents struggle with neighbour's hoarding; only a court can evict her

Residents of an apartment building in Riga have reached an impasse: their daily lives are disrupted by a smell and pests coming from the flat of an 80-year-old woman. The woman is a compulsive hoarder who has turned her home into a huge rubbish store. Neither police nor paramedics can resolve the situation, because the flat is her own property and only a court can evict her.

No access to the toilet

The senior has been seen rummaging through outdoor waste bins near the building. Her flat is reportedly literally crammed with rubbish, and the toilet cannot be reached. The owner rejects any help and is combative, stressing that she is not stealing and is cleaning her planet.

Ingrīda Meldere, a representative of the Guardianship Affairs Department of the Riga Orphan's Court, said that this time the municipality responded to residents' latest complaint. Medics tried hard to bring the woman out of the flat, but she refused and sent them away in Russian.

Why compulsory action is not possible

The Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) explained that a person can be taken to a specialised clinic against their will only if they endanger their own or others' lives, for example by threatening suicide or attack. That is not the case here.

Ilona Drišļuka, head of the Public Health Control Department at the Health Inspectorate, said the only solution under the Law on Residential Property is for residents to go to court. Unsanitary conditions that endanger others are grounds for eviction from one's own flat, but only by court decision. The inspectorate often receives similar complaints and believes other apartment buildings may have the same problem.

Relatives should also be involved where possible. The Orphan's Court has established that the woman has a daughter living abroad, but so far it has not been possible to contact her.