Unfit Housing, Squalor and Hoarding Assessment Form

What this assessment is for

This assessment form supports your evaluation of residential living conditions where squalor, hoarding, or severe neglect may present significant health and safety hazards. It helps you document site-specific details, identify access limitations, quantify the volume of refuse and accumulated possessions, and assess sanitation levels across all interior surfaces, including flooring, walls, bathroom facilities, kitchen, and food preparation areas. The form also guides your evaluation of persistent odours, pest infestations, and the habitability of sleeping quarters. It verifies the operational integrity of critical utilities — running water, electrical supply, gas service, and wastewater disposal — while helping you identify structural deficiencies, asbestos deterioration, mould contamination, and fire hazards. You can record potential health impacts on neighbouring properties, compile detailed findings with supporting notes, and determine appropriate referrals to child protective services, animal welfare organisations, emergency response teams, or other relevant support agencies.

What a good assessment covers

A thorough assessment moves through the dwelling systematically. Your observations should address: - **Access and accumulation**: the percentage of floor area rendered inaccessible for walking or normal use due to clutter, hoarding, or accumulated materials; the overall volume of discarded waste, garbage, and refuse; and evidence of hoarding behaviours, including accumulation of items that most reasonable persons would consider useless, redundant, or appropriate for disposal. - **Interior cleanliness**: the sanitary condition of all flooring surfaces, including carpets, tiles, and hard floors; the condition of vertical and horizontal surfaces such as walls, furniture facings, and window sills; bathroom and toilet sanitation, including fixtures, fittings, and surrounding surfaces; and kitchen and food storage condition, including the cleanliness of the oven, food preparation surfaces, cupboards, and storage areas, any refuse on surfaces or floors, and any perished or spoiled food. - **Odours, pests, and sleeping areas**: the severity of any persistent or offensive odours; evidence of vermin, insect, or pest infestation, including live sightings, droppings, nests, gnaw marks, or physical damage attributable to pests; and the cleanliness and habitability of sleeping quarters, including bedding condition, mattress sanitation, and overall room hygiene. - **Essential living conditions and safety**: the availability of functional running water to kitchen and bathroom facilities; whether the electrical supply is connected, operational, and visually appearing safe without exposed wiring, damaged fixtures, or immediate hazards; whether gas service, where applicable, is connected, operational, and visually appearing safe without detectable leaks or hazardous installations; the operational status of wastewater disposal, drainage, and sewage systems with no evidence of blockage, overflow, or failure; whether the dwelling appears structurally sound and safe for continued habitation; whether current conditions pose a measurable health, safety, or biohazard risk to neighbouring residents or adjoining properties; the presence of damaged, friable, or deteriorating asbestos-containing materials; and the presence of visible, widespread mould contamination. - **External agency referrals**: whether children residing at the property are at material risk due to current living conditions, warranting immediate referral to child protection services; whether animals are receiving adequate care, nutrition, and shelter, warranting referral to animal welfare services; whether vulnerable persons — elderly, disabled, or incapacitated — are receiving adequate care and support, warranting referral to appropriate community or support services; and whether current conditions present a high or imminent fire risk warranting urgent referral to fire and emergency services. - **Assessment summary and documentation**: an overall squalor and hoarding severity rating reflecting the aggregate condition of the dwelling based on all assessment criteria; the primary referral or case reference number; comprehensive findings, observations, and recommended actions; and signature and inspection dates.

How to carry out the assessment

Work through the form in order so that each observation builds on the last. The assessment form contains 34 questions across five sections: Inspection; Dwelling Interior Condition Assessment; Essential Living Conditions and Safety; External Agencies and Referrals; and Assessment Summary and Documentation. 1. **Set the context.** Record when the inspection was conducted, who prepared it, the location, the property address or site location identifier, and the number of occupants currently residing at the dwelling. 2. **Assess access and accumulation.** Rate floor space accessibility by percentage of floor area rendered inaccessible, using the scale from 0%–29% inaccessible to 90%–100% inaccessible. Rate refuse and garbage accumulation and the accumulation of items of negligible value from none present through minimal and moderate to excessive accumulation. 3. **Assess interior cleanliness.** Rate floor and carpet cleanliness and wall, furniture, and surface cleanliness from clean through mildly soiled and heavily soiled to filthy. Assess bathroom and toilet sanitation and the kitchen and food storage condition, noting perished or spoiled food and refuse on surfaces or floors. 4. **Assess odours, vermin, and sleeping areas.** Record the severity of persistent or offensive odours, evidence of vermin or pest activity, and the cleanliness and habitability of sleeping quarters. 5. **Verify essential living conditions and safety.** Check running water, electrical service, gas service where applicable, and the wastewater and sewage system. Note structural integrity, health risk to neighbouring properties, damaged or deteriorated asbestos materials, and substantial mould growth. 6. **Consider referrals.** Decide whether the circumstances warrant referral to child protection services, animal welfare services, a relevant support agency for vulnerable persons, or fire and emergency services. Record the primary referral or case reference number. 7. **Summarise and sign off.** Assign an overall squalor and hoarding severity rating, document your comprehensive findings, observations, and recommended actions, sign the form, record the time you finished, and note the inspection real start and end dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use this assessment form when you need to evaluate residential living conditions where squalor, hoarding, or severe neglect may present health and safety hazards. It supports documenting site-specific details, identifying access limitations, quantifying refuse and accumulated possessions, and assessing sanitation across interior surfaces such as flooring, walls, bathroom facilities, and kitchen and food preparation areas. It also guides evaluation of persistent odours, pest infestations, sleeping quarters, utilities, structural deficiencies, asbestos deterioration, mould contamination, and fire hazards, and helps you determine appropriate referrals.

A complete assessment covers the interior condition of the dwelling, essential living conditions and safety, external agency referrals, and a written summary. Your observation should include floor space accessibility, refuse and garbage accumulation, accumulation of items of negligible value, cleanliness of flooring, walls and surfaces, bathroom and toilet sanitation, kitchen and food storage condition, odours, and vermin or pest activity. You also assess sleeping area condition, running water, electrical service, gas service, wastewater and sewage systems, structural integrity, risk to neighbouring properties, damaged asbestos materials, and substantial mould growth. The form prompts referrals to child protection, animal welfare, vulnerable persons support, and fire and emergency services as needed.

Start by recording the inspection details: the date conducted, who prepared it, the location, the property address or site identifier, and the number of occupants. Walk through the dwelling to assess floor space accessibility and the volume of refuse, garbage, and accumulated items of negligible value. Assess the cleanliness of flooring, walls, furniture, bathroom and toilet areas, and the kitchen and food storage areas, and note any perished or spoiled food. Record odours and evidence of vermin or pest activity. Evaluate sleeping quarters, then check running water, electrical supply, gas service where applicable, and wastewater and sewage systems. Note structural integrity, risk to neighbouring properties, damaged asbestos materials, and substantial mould growth. Finally, consider whether referrals are warranted to child protection, animal welfare, vulnerable persons support, or fire and emergency services, and document your comprehensive findings, observations, and recommended actions before signing and recording the inspection dates.

The form uses defined rating scales to keep assessments consistent. Floor space accessibility is rated by percentage of floor area rendered inaccessible, ranging from 0%–29% to 90%–100%. Refuse and garbage accumulation and the accumulation of items of negligible value are each rated from none present through minimal and moderate to excessive accumulation. Floor and carpet cleanliness and wall, furniture, and surface cleanliness are each rated from clean through mildly soiled and heavily soiled to filthy. Other items such as odour, vermin, sleeping area condition, utilities, structural integrity, and referral considerations are documented with findings and supporting notes.

The observation helps you determine whether referrals are appropriate. The form includes items to assess referral to the Department of Child Protection where children may be at material risk, to RSPCA or an equivalent authority where animals may not be receiving adequate care, nutrition, and shelter, to relevant support agencies where vulnerable persons such as the elderly, disabled, or incapacitated may lack adequate care and support, and to fire and emergency services where conditions present a high or imminent fire risk. You record the primary referral or case reference number and document your findings and recommended follow-up actions.

Written by

Arne Reis

Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

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