A Tenant Died in Your Rental: What Landlords Should Do Before the Cleanup

When a tenant dies in a rental, and especially when nobody found them for days, the landlord is left with a police scene, a grieving family and a unit that cannot be rented until it is cleaned. The order of the next steps matters, because a few of them cannot be undone.

Wait for the release

Do not enter or clean the unit until the police or the coroner say it is released. Write down the case number and the name of the officer or investigator. Your insurer and the cleanup company will both ask for them.

Keep your maintenance staff out

Body fluids can carry bloodborne disease. The CDC says hepatitis B stays infectious on surfaces for at least 7 days. Biohazard crews wear protective gear and are trained under OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard. A maintenance worker or a regular cleaning service usually is not.

Call your insurer before you sign anything

Landlord and homeowners policies often cover biohazard cleanup. Ask your agent whether this loss is covered, and whether the insurer will pay the cleanup company directly. The tenant's renters insurance usually covers the tenant's belongings only, not the building.

Leave the belongings to the estate

The tenant's possessions belong to their estate. How long you must hold them, and who may collect them, depends on your state's law. Check it, or ask a lawyer, before anything is removed or thrown away. Then tell the cleanup company in writing which items must be kept.

Find the cleanup company

BioCleaners (biocleanersdirectory.com) is a free search for biohazard and crime scene cleanup companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Search the property's ZIP code to see the companies that serve it. Each listing shows what the site has checked, from identity only up to reviewed insurance and training documents. Unclaimed listings have not been checked, so ask any company for proof of insurance and a written estimate before the crew starts.

Many companies work 24 hours a day. If the unit has been closed up for days, ask how soon a crew can start, since odor and damage spread into flooring and walls over time.

Before you rent the unit again

Rules on disclosing a death on a property differ by state. BioCleaners keeps a page on each state's disclosure law. Read yours before you list the unit.

Written by the BioCleaners team.