Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

“Dear PoPville,

I am writing for some sage advise from yourself or an experienced reader. I recently purchased a house in D.C. I am super excited about making this house be all that it can, but sadly I have one neighbor that keeps his property in such a state that it will detract from all of my efforts. Both his front porch and rear yard are so littered with trash that I am considering calling the casting department for A&E’s Hoarders.

I haven’t lived in D.C. long so I don’t know if any systems are in place for such problems. How can I make this guy do what he refuses to do? Is there anything I or a city agency can do, or do I just have to try to hide his house with some shrubs come spring? (there is also a smell over there that I am sure can be little else than death – lets at least hope not human)

Thank you
Desperate D.C. Newbie”

Has anyone dealt with a successfully with a similar situation? If so did you have to involve a government agency like DCRA?