I know gas fueled appliances cannot be stored in a closet with other items, but what about a heatpump? are there the same safety concerns?
With the legal world we live in, there is likely a warning in the manual saying not to. I’m thinking sparks from the indoor unit and vapors from the paint, etc. are not good together. Ultimately, you’d have to look at the manual to know for sure. There’s probably a sketch of a guy holding a can of gas getting blown up. I’d probably be more worried about what the can of paint just covered up 
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Could sketch a diagram? Where’s the heat exchanger? Outside?
I would write up this in the interior as well has the HVAC sections.
Observation: Highly flammable liquids, Paints thinners, used paint brushes, stored in the closet containing the furnace or AHU - Air Handler.
1: VOC. Volatile Organic Compounds affect indoor air quality.
2: Highly flammable, combustible liquids, should always be kept in a well-ventilated area, ‘detached from the home.’
Possibility of/for Spontaneous combustion. Simply put, rags that contain residue of oil-based paints and stains , paint thinners, varnishes, or polyurethane can spontaneously combust and catch on fire.
One of the InterNACHI members sons lost his home due to spontaneous combustion. If my memory serves me well, the stored Paints, Thinners, brushes and clean up rags in the outbuilding not being well ventilated combusted. My condolences were sent for the loss of his home.
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It’s an enclosed air handler. Get used to finding air handlers in closets. Are people going to store things in closets….yes. I don’t report on occupants personal belongings in a closet as they move with the owner.
I hope they didn’t leave their unread mail near the stove.
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Toxic and or flammable fume releasing agents should not be stored anywhere inside a living space. Nothing’s wrong with making a general recommendation to the “new” homebuyers about it. A closed can of paint is not dangerous to anyone unless you throw it inside an oven at 300F for some time Clearance around appliances must be maintained per design specifications (ie don’t store a can of paint thinner on top of a 500F single-wall smoke pipe).
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Years ago I almost lost my house due to stored items behind our oil-fired furnace. The day after an annual maintenance visit by the oil company’s son, the furnace over-fired to the point of melting paint off the back of the cabinet where, unknown to me, my wife had stored dried flowers in carboard boxes. I was out at the time and my wife called the fire department as smoke was coming up around the basement door. Later the fire department told me that had they gotten there five minutes later, the material behind the furnace would have ignited and the house might have burned down.
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Looks like an up-flow with the return plenum underneath. So, if it does need the closet for intake/outtake then the stored items will not effect performance or pose a safety issue over and above common sense of what chemicals/items should be in a home.
However, placing stored items atop drain lines etc. may stress the connections and promote leaking. Stored items also impede physical maintenance or visual inspection.
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Better than fireworks 
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