Clairemont neighbors relieved as city of San Diego takes action on hoarder house

Neighbors in Clairemont are feeling a sense of relief after hearing the city of San Diego is stepping in to clear out a home they say poses a safety risk to their community.

"There was a very large fire that took place in June of 2022, where the property was completely destroyed,” one neighbor who asked to remain anonymous told NBC 7.

Neighbors don’t know how the fire started, but they said it destroyed the property located on 3699 Mount Alvarez Ave.

Now, that home remains the eyesore of this community. One woman who lives near the house said the homeowner is living in substandard conditions.

"Kevin has continued to live there without having any utilities at all, so no gas, no water, no electricity and his health is deteriorating in that type of environment,” she said.

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Some neighbors said it poses a safety threat in more ways than one.

“The property is right next to the school. There's a lot of kids in this neighborhood. They walk by it all the time,” she said.

In a statement released Friday by City Attorney Mara W. Elliott, she said, in part, “In this case, the home owned by Mr. Casey has become an intolerable threat to the health and safety of his neighbors and the children who attend nearby school, which is why we have taken the dramatic step of intervening.”

A judge granted receivership on Friday, which will allow a third-party investigator to assess the home and force the owner to clean it or demolish it.

"Nobody should be living in that type of environment, so we're very happy the city is stepping in and is going to make decisions on his behalf,” a neighbor said.

The city took action after the homeowner was given a year to do something and failed to do so, according to Isabelle Ignacio, a deputy city attorney.

“We posted a notice at this property in January, urging the property owner to fix the conditions. However, none of those issues were resolved by the owner. He did not address any of those issues. This led to the receivership being filed by our office,” Ignacio said.

Neighbors said the hoarding began in 2020 and worsened over the years.

Some said a church has helped the homeowner clean up some of the mess, but there is still much work left to get done.

"We're very grateful that something will finally happen and something will change,” a neighbor said.

The city has also asked the homeowner to reimburse the costs of inspectors, police and firefighters that have responded to safety threats at home.