Is clutter taking over your home? Is your “stuff” blocking your entrance and exit, creating a falling, tripping or fire hazard for anyone who lives there or comes to visit?

Most of us lead busy lives, so taking the time to clean up and clear out clutter is difficult. But eventually, we all have to face that mounting pile of newspaper, mail or bills—and make everything orderly again before it drives us and our families crazy.

For some people who have a hard time getting rid of things, clutter is a much bigger problem than for others. Known as “hoarders,” individuals like this collect everything from paper, to boxes, to office supplies, to appliances—and everything in between.

Problem is, mounting piles of “stuff” can cause all kinds of hazard in your home, putting you and your family at greater risk—and causing your homeowners insurance company to drop your coverage.

When you first insure your home, your insurance company usually inspects at least the outside perimeter of the house. But it really has no reason to take a look at the inside, unless it suspects something there that could result in problems later on.

Due to the popularity of shows like Hoarders, insurer awareness of issues like these and the insurance risk that goes along with them has peaked too. As a result, many are beginning to require an inspection of the home’s interior if and when they suspect a problem.

Most problems are simply discovered when someone files a home insurance claim and an inspector enters to assess the damage.  At that point, if the insurance company representative sees a noticeable problem that increases insurer risk, the company that holds the policy may choose one of several strategies: work with the person to reduce risk, send out a warning notice to clean up the mess or lose coverage, or cancel the policy right there and then.

Whether you hoard things or you’ve just let things pile up, if you’ve collected too much “stuff” and the inside of your home presents safety issues for you and your family, it’s time to clean it up.

Not only will you start living cleaner and clutter-free; you’ll likely avoid facing cancellation of your insurance policy, too!