Guide
For landlords: a death, crime or needles in a unit
A death in a unit, a violent incident in a hallway, needles left behind after a move-out. Here is how to keep staff safe and get the unit back in use.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Your staff
Don't send maintenance in with a mop
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard applies to employers whose workers may be exposed to blood. It requires an exposure control plan, protective equipment, training, medical surveillance and hepatitis B vaccinations. Most maintenance teams are not set up for that, which is why the job goes to a cleanup company.
Source: OSHA, Bloodborne Pathogens
After a tenant dies
Who to speak with first
If the death was reported to the medical examiner, wait until police and the investigator have finished. Then speak with the family or the estate about access to belongings before anything is cleared. For questions about the lease or the tenant's property, talk to an attorney.
Your property insurer can tell you whether the cleanup and any repairs fall under your policy.
Checklist
Getting the unit back
Secure it
Lock the unit and keep other tenants and staff out until it is released and cleaned.
Talk to the family
If a tenant died, agree access to belongings with the family or estate.
Call your insurer
Ask whether your policy covers the cleanup and any repairs.
Book the cleanup
Ask for a written scope, and photos of the finished work for your records.
Whenever you are ready
There is no wrong time to call
Some families call the same evening. Others wait until after the service. Until then, close the door to the room and leave the cleaning to people with the right protection.
Speak with a cleanup company
The call is put through to an independent company that works in your ZIP code. Ask what the job involves, how they price it and when they could begin. Nothing is agreed until you say so.
Call (615) 916-5290Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded by the call-routing service. Referral disclosure · Privacy