Guide

Paying for biohazard cleanup: who covers what

There is no single answer, but the money only ever comes from a few places. Here they are, in the order most people check them.

The four usual sources

Homeowner or renter insurance

Some policies treat cleaning after a death or an injury as part of a covered loss, and some do not. The only way to know is to ask your agent or insurer what your policy says, before work begins if you can. California's Department of Public Health gives the same advice on its list of registered companies. Keep the written price, any photographs and the invoice.

The state, after a crime

The California Victim Compensation Board lists crime scene clean-up among the expenses it can reimburse. The rules are narrow, and they are set out further down this page.

The landlord

In a rental, the building belongs to the landlord, so work on the unit is normally the landlord's to arrange and pay for, often through the property's insurance. The tenant's belongings are a separate matter.

The estate

Where the person who died owned the home, cleaning is normally one of the costs of settling the estate. Whoever is handling the estate can hire the company and keep the invoice with the other bills. If you are unsure you have authority to sign, ask a probate attorney first.

How the state program works after a crime

The California Victim Compensation Board, CalVCB for short, reimburses certain costs of violent crime when no other source covers them. Crime scene clean-up is on its list of eligible expenses. Its conditions are these:

The crime has to have happened in a residence or a vehicle.
The claim comes from whoever paid for the cleaning or took on the bill. That need not be the victim.
The cleanup company must be registered with the California Department of Public Health as a trauma scene waste management practitioner. Work by anyone else is not reimbursed.
It pays for removing biohazards. It does not pay to repair or replace what was damaged.
By law it pays only what insurance and other sources do not.
You can apply online, on paper or with an advocate's help, within seven years of the crime.

The board's questions page explains how to apply, and its helpline is 800-777-9229. In Santa Clara County, the District Attorney's Victim Services Unit helps people fill out the forms and does not charge for doing so.

What moves the price

No honest figure can be given without seeing the room, and this site publishes none. These are the things a company weighs:

How much time passed before the scene was found
What the fluids reached: tile is simpler than carpet, and carpet is simpler than a subfloor
How many rooms, and whether a crawl space, a unit below or a vehicle is involved
How much has to be removed, sealed and shipped as regulated waste
Whether there is an odor to solve once the cleaning is done
Access: stairs, parking, and the working hours a building allows

Ask for the price in writing, with the rooms and materials it covers. If the company finds more once a floor is opened, it should stop and tell you before going further.

Two things people ask

Should I wait for the insurer before cleaning starts?

Phone the insurer first and ask. Some want to see the room, or photographs of it, before anything is taken out. If waiting is making the home unlivable, tell them so, and ask what they need for the work to begin.

Will the cleanup company bill my insurer?

Some companies send their invoice to the insurer, and some expect you to pay and be paid back. Ask the company how it works. Whether a claim is paid is always the insurer's decision.