As the landlord, you need to protect your interests. It’s a situation that’s easier to handle when you understand all the details involved.

This guide is designed to help you navigate the aftermath of a tenant death.

What Are a Landlord’s Responsibilities?

Have you ever asked yourself, “What happens when a tenant dies?” It’s a unique event that comes with specific responsibilities. You want to be ready to manage these parts of the process.

1. Notification of Death

In most cases, a family member contacts you and informs you of the death. Ask for a written notice so that you can begin the steps necessary to transition the unit to its pre-rental condition.

2. Securing the Property

Have an employee accompany you as you enter the property. Document the condition of interiors with photos and video. Avoid touching and moving things. Lock doors and windows, and arrange to have the locks changed.

3. Dealing With Next of Kin

Explain to the family that they’re allowed to take a few personal items, but they can’t remove the deceased’s belongings from the premises without court permission.

Once an executor is named, ask for proof of executor status. Make a copy for your records, and give one key to the newly named executor.

What Are a Landlord’s Rights?

When your tenant dies, what happens to the lease? The answer depends on details in the signed agreement between you and the deceased.

In general, the lease doesn’t terminate upon the tenant’s death. Tenant obligations transfer to the next of kin or the tenant’s estate.

You have the right to hold the estate accountable for unpaid rent. You can apply any security deposits toward that amount as well as damages and cleaning costs.

Work with the family. Your compassion makes it easier for them to finalize estate details including clearing out the unit.

Once you’re satisfied with the condition of the property, ask next of kin to sign a Release to the Rights of Possession form. This clears the way for you to lease the unit, and it protects you from future liability.

How Do I Comply With Illinois State Laws?

One of the questions most often asked is “When a tenant dies in my rental property, how long do I legally have to hold their belongings?”

It’s important to understand your potential liability under Illinois law. The responsibility to remove belongings from the unit generally resides with the estate executor and his or her agents. However, it must be done within a reasonable time frame.

Work with next of kin on a schedule for clearing things out of the rental. Agree on several weeks or a month. Do what you can to help them get the job done.

The family needs closure, and this part of the process is important. Your goal is to legally return the unit to its original condition as quickly as possible.

How Do I Deal With an Unattended Tenant Death?

If you or someone on your staff discovers a deceased tenant inside a rental property, don’t touch anything regardless of the circumstances. Immediately report the unattended death.

• Call your local Police Department (click here if you live in Chicago).
• Notify the Medical Examiner (click here for the Cook County Medical Examiner)
• Arrange for certified trauma scene cleanup services.

Who Can Clean My Rental Property After a Death?

Trauma scene cleanup services include cleaning out rental properties after a death. This is especially important if the unit was the scene of a crime, accident, or suicide.

These situations often result in hazardous property-wide contamination from bodily fluids.

Even an unattended death due to natural causes results in decomposition that poses health risks to everyone entering the premises.

A certified biohazard cleanup team works according to rigorous health and safety standards. Your rental is cleaned, disinfected, deodorized and restored to its original condition.

Dealing with a Death in your Chicago Property? We’re here to Help!

No one is ever fully prepared to deal with a death in their rental property. Unfortunately, it’s a reality all Chicago landlords face.

We’re here for you with specialized death cleanup services that cover all situations. You can trust ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba to handle the job with respect and discretion.

Give us a call at 773-647-1985.

The post A Complete Guide to Tenant Deaths in Rental Properties appeared first on ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba.

When it happens to someone you care for, the results can seem overwhelming.

No one is ever really ready to deal with the passing of a loved one. Can you be better prepared for the unexpected?

The process is difficult, but our unattended death checklist can make it a little easier.

We’ve worked with so many families across the city, and we share our experience as Chicago’s most trusted decomposition cleanup service.

8 Things You Need to Take Care of After an Unattended Death

At first, you may be in shock. As grief sets in, you have so many questions. When you’re responsible for taking care of a property after an unattended death, it’s hard to know where to start.

We offer this 8-step guide to help you navigate your course of action.

1. Contact the Local Authorities

Even if you’re certain the death resulted from natural causes, you have to contact local authorities.

You can’t be sure of the circumstances, so leave this important determination to someone in an official capacity. The Cook County Medical Examiner handles unattended deaths here in Chicago.

2. Make Transportation Arrangements

If the death isn’t ruled a crime and doesn’t require further investigation by the Medical Examiner, it’s up to you to arrange transportation for the body.

As you develop an unattended death checklist for your personal files, try to keep information on preferences for mortuaries or crematoriums along with current phone numbers.

3. Reach Out to Family, Friends and Associates

Begin contacting immediate family and close friends. Set a network in motion through personal contacts and social media so that everyone from the deceased’s church to his or her business associates knows what’s happened. Don’t try to do everything by yourself.

4. Address Cleaning the Property

A property designated as a crime scene must be cleaned after the authorities finish investigating.

If death is determined to be the result of natural causes, a body left unattended for even a few hours still creates critical cleaning issues.

You need to call a professional cleaning contractor who specializes in processing this type of sensitive work.

5. Be Prepared for the Worst

The scene of an unattended death can be very disturbing. If violence was involved, you may be confronted with a property marred by blood splatters, bodily fluids, and terrible odors.

Even a natural death can leave behind unseen pathogens and dangerous contaminants. Be prepared to treat familiar surroundings with extreme caution.

6. Don’t Attempt Any Cleanup

Don’t try to clean up an affected property after an unattended death. Don’t handle clothing or personal belongings.

The human body begins to decompose within a few hours of death. You don’t want to risk coming into contact with anything contaminated by bacteria and pathogens that can cause serious illness.

7. Trust Industry Professionals

When you hire a cleaning company with industry certification in decomposition cleanup services, you’re trusting an experienced team that can address any type of situation.

Whether it’s the scene of a suicide, crime, accident, or natural death, the property is sanitized, deodorized, and restored as closely to its original condition as possible.

8. Get Help With the Insurance Process

Most homeowners policies cover necessary cleanup after an unattended death. Because this is a difficult time for you, ask your cleaning contractor for assistance.

The claims process can be hard to deal with under any circumstances, but an established restoration company can help you navigate the paperwork.

Dealing with an Unattended Death? We’re Here to Help

It’s our hope that you’ll print this guide and keep it tucked away just in case. If it gives you a little more peace of mind, please let us know through our Comments Section.

It’s never easy to face an unattended death cleanup. We want you to be better prepared to handle the unexpected.

Our teams are always here to support you regardless of the circumstances. We’re considered the leader among Chicago’s death cleaning services because we take care of every detail with the highest levels of professionalism, and we also take care of you.

When you need an understanding, compassionate response, you can count on us here at ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba.

The post Your Unattended Death Checklist: 8 Things to Expect appeared first on ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba.