A Saga Ends !

The residents of Boonara Avenue, Bondi must be popping champagne corks.  Waverley Council is enforcing the auction of a house in their street to recover a debt of $ 180,000 resulting from the constant cleanup of rubbish hoarded by it's owner, a mother and her two adult daughters.

Since 1990 this has been an ongoing saga.  Perhaps a compulsive disorder syndrome but for some strange reason this trio has collected every imaginable type of rubbish and stored it in the rooms of their home - and the overflow consumed the entire garden and surround of a normal suburban house.

Not only an unsightly mess, this became both a fire hazard and a health threat.  The smell was obnoxious and it was an attraction for vermin.  It certainly reduced the appeal and value of nearby properties.  Entreaties for moderation were rejected and the council was forced to send in it's workforce and remove truck loads of garbage on a regular basis - and immediately the property was clear restocking began again.

Many Boonara Avenue residents will be holding their breath.  The auction is scheduled for February 17, but the family has the option of repaying the money and retaining ownership of their home - and they will probably then continue to collect rubbish.   Any new owner will also proceed with caution.  The property will be sold with the present high pile of rubbish intact and it will probably take a legal eviction order to remove the residents - and that could be both messy and expensive.

The house is certainly dated and will most likely be demolished and replaced with a modern home, but any buyer would be well advised to take all the legal obstacles into account, and while public opinion should be on any buyers side, the plight of three elderly women being forced to relinquish their home could result in some peculiar reactions.  The formation of a sympathy group with a "Save the Hoarders "message would not be out of the question.

This case should also raise questions in medical circles.   The fact that three adult women should embark on a course of action that is not only illegal, but seems to be a form of compulsion that is beyond their ability to control suggests a need for medical intervention.   The problem seems to be that when a person with medical difficulties does not seek voluntary help, the right of medical authorities to arbitrarily take control is at best opaque.  In this instance, the only action possible seemed to be from the council in enforcing its own and health bylaws to protect both the owners of the home - and the public.

There is another aspect of this case that should send a chill through all Sydney suburbs.   If this forced auction goes ahead the purchase price will be far in excess of the $ 180,000 debt owed to Waverley council, and the surplus will be handed to the owners of that notorious home in Boonara Avenue.

What if they decide to buy another home - and continue to collect rubbish  ?   What an unnerving thought to all those people who live in a street where another house has a "For Sale "sign on it's front lawn !