Guide
Rental properties
In a two- or three-family house, one unit's problem quickly becomes the building's. This page is for owners and managers, and for tenants who live next to a unit that needs cleanup.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
For landlords and managers
If a tenant has died in the unit, wait for the police to release it. Keep the door locked, and keep track of who has a key.
The tenant's belongings still matter to the family and the estate. Ask the cleanup company to photograph the unit first, to list anything it has to dispose of, and to set aside papers and valuables.
Check the floors and ceilings of neighboring units. Tell the company which unit sits under the affected room.
Rhode Island's Executive Office of Housing publishes a Landlord Tenant Handbook on the rights and duties of both sides (housing.ri.gov). It is a good place to check what you owe a tenant's family and the other tenants.
Before you hire
Ask the company for proof of insurance and how it disposes of biohazard waste.
If the job includes replacing flooring, drywall or other parts of the building, that is construction work. Rhode Island requires anyone doing residential repair or remodeling to be registered with the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRLB). Ask for the registration number and look it up.
Get the price in writing, and keep the invoice for your insurer.
For tenants next door
Tell the landlord or manager in writing, with the date, if you notice an odor or see signs of a problem in another unit. If someone may be inside and unwell, call 911.
In Providence, if conditions in your own unit become unsafe and the landlord does not deal with them, substandard housing can be reported to the city through 311, or to the Department of Inspection and Standards at 401-680-5201 (PVD 311).
When you are ready, one call is enough
You will speak with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works around Providence. Say what happened in your own words, ask what they would do and how they price it, then decide. Nothing is agreed until you say yes.
Speak with an independent cleanup company
Call (401) 498-1593Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded. More in the referral disclosure and privacy policy pages.