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Biohazard and crime scene cleanup referrals for Santa Rosa and nearby towns(707) 271-4587

Rental homes and apartments

For landlords and property managers

When a tenant dies or is badly hurt in a unit, the first steps are the same as anywhere: the police and, if needed, the coroner finish their work. After that the unit is yours to deal with, carefully.

Call (707) 271-4587

Answered 24 hours a day, every day

Two-story garden apartments with exterior stairs, wood siding and mature oaks

A sensible order

  1. Wait for the release

    Do not enter or let staff in until the police and the coroner have finished.

  2. Contact the family

    Find out who is handling the tenant's affairs before anything is moved or thrown away.

  3. Call your insurer

    Ask what the policy covers and what records it wants.

  4. Arrange the cleanup

    Call this number for an independent biohazard cleanup company, and get its price in writing.

  5. Check the neighbors

    Ask the company to look at shared walls, floors and ducts next to the unit.

Things that catch owners out

Before you send staff in

Staff safety

California's bloodborne pathogens standard requires employers whose staff may touch blood to keep a written exposure plan and provide protective equipment. If your maintenance staff have neither, do not ask them to clean it.

The tenant's belongings

These usually belong to the tenant's estate. Agree with the family before anything is discarded, and ask the cleanup company to photograph and list what it removes.

Telling the next tenant

Civil Code 1710.2 says an owner need not disclose a death on the property that happened more than three years before a new tenant or buyer makes an offer. It never allows a false answer to a direct question. For a recent death, ask a lawyer what to say.

Records

Keep the company's invoice, photos and waste paperwork with the unit's file.

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When you are ready

Talk to a cleanup company about your home

Describe what happened and which rooms are affected, and say whether the police or the coroner have finished. The company will explain the work and its price.

Ready to talk to a cleanup company?

You will speak with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works in Santa Rosa and nearby towns. Ask what it would do and what it would charge. Nothing is agreed until you say so.

Call (707) 271-4587

Answered 24 hours a day, every day

Calls may be recorded. The referral disclosure explains how this site is paid.

Call (707) 271-4587