Area Man's Fedora Collection Now Legally Considered a Separate Household

The municipal assessor's office in Dayton, Ohio, has reclassified a local man's fedora collection as an independent dwelling unit after a routine inspection revealed the hats occupy more heated, climate-controlled square footage than the human residents. Roderick Banding, 51, a retired insurance adjuster, has amassed 847 fedoras over a 23-year collecting career. The collection, which includes specimens in beaver felt, rabbit fur, straw, wool, and what Banding describes as 'one absolutely transcendent panama in Cuenca Grade 40,' currently occupies the master bedroom, a guest bedroom, the converted garage, and a purpose-built cedar-lined annex. 'Each hat requires specific humidity and temperature conditions,' Banding explained, adjusting a hygrometer mounted between a 1940s Stetson Stratoliner and a vintage Borsalino. 'The beaver felts need 45 to 55 percent humidity. The straws want it drier. You can't just throw them in a closet.' Banding and his wife, Trudy, sleep in what was formerly the laundry room, on a pullout sofa that Banding admits is 'not ideal, but the hats were there first, in a spiritual sense.' The assessor's reclassification means Banding now owes property taxes on what the office has designated 'Hat Residence, 447B Sycamore Lane.' Banding has contested the ruling, arguing that the fedoras are personal property, not tenants. 'They don't pay rent,' he said. 'Although, to be fair, they don't complain about anything either, which is more than I can say for most tenants.' Trudy Banding declined to comment, though neighbors report she has been seen browsing apartment listings.