Guide
For landlords and property managers
A death, an injury or a crime in a rental is hard on everyone. These are the steps that usually fall to the owner or manager.
Order of steps
Wait for the release
Police and the medical examiner decide when the unit can be entered for cleanup.
Talk to the family or tenant
Agree who will handle belongings. Belongings of a person who died usually go to the next of kin or the estate.
Call your insurer
Ask whether your property policy may respond, and what records it wants.
Arrange the cleanup
Call this number to talk to an independent company. Give access details and say whether neighbors share walls, floors or ventilation.
Repairs and re-letting
Once the cleanup is done, any rebuilding is a separate job for a contractor.
Bellingham rentals
The city’s Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program covers almost every rental in Bellingham, and a unit has to pass a safety inspection before it is rented. If the cleanup leads to repairs and you're unsure whether the unit needs looking at again, ask the program: 360-778-8361 or rentals@cob.org.
Anyone you hire to rebuild should be registered as a contractor with Labor & Industries. You can check a registration online.
Your own staff
Maintenance staff who might be exposed to blood are covered by OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, which calls for an exposure control plan. Without one, keep staff out and leave the cleanup to a company.
Whenever you are ready
There is no rush and no obligation. Call to ask questions, get a quote, or simply understand what would happen next.
Talk it through first
Call when you are ready. Say what happened, where, and whether police or the medical examiner have released the place. An independent cleanup company can then explain what it would do.
Call (360) 555-0108Phone answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure and privacy policy.