Riga residents seek court action over neighbour’s hoarding

Residents of an apartment building in Riga are seeking a legal solution to a neighbour’s hoarding, which they say has brought foul smells and cockroaches into the building, LSM reports. The 80-year-old woman’s flat is packed with rubbish, and she has no access to her toilet.

The woman owns the apartment and has rejected offers of help. She was seen rummaging through rubbish bins outside the building. “This is all mine. I don’t steal. I’m cleaning my planet Earth,” she said, telling those around her to move away.

In response to residents’ latest complaint, the Riga Orphan’s Court, the municipal body handling guardianship matters, intervened. Its representative, Ingrīda Meldere, said medical staff tried to help but the woman refused to get into an ambulance.

The Emergency Medical Service said a person can be taken to a specialist clinic against their will only if they pose a threat to their own life or someone else’s, such as by threatening suicide or an attack. It said this case did not meet that threshold.

The Health Inspectorate said residents must take the matter to court. Unsanitary conditions that endanger others can be grounds for evicting an owner from their own apartment, but only with a court ruling. The inspectorate said it often receives similar complaints.

The Riga Orphan’s Court has found that the woman has a daughter who lives abroad, but it has not yet managed to contact her.