What Property Owners Should Know After a Crime Scene

The first hours: what is in your hands and what is not

When police are at your property, very little is up to you, and that is by design. Investigators need the scene undisturbed. Your part during this period is to stay available, answer questions, and avoid going into areas you have been asked to stay out of.

There are a few useful things you can do while you wait:

• Ask the investigating officer for a report or case number and the name of a contact person. You will need these for your insurer and possibly for victim compensation.
• Ask who will tell you when the property is released, and how.
• If you are a landlord, find out whether any tenants or neighbors need to be told anything, and by whom.
• Write down the date and time you were notified and the names of anyone you spoke with.

If a death occurred, the county medical examiner may also be involved. In Tennessee, county medical examiners investigate sudden, unexpected, traumatic and suspicious deaths, among others. Their work concerns the person who died, not the property itself, but it can affect timing.

Scene release and why cleanup must wait for it

No cleanup, repair or removal of anything in the affected area should start until law enforcement, and the medical examiner where involved, have released the property. Starting early can interfere with an investigation and create problems for you later.

Release is usually communicated by the investigating agency. If you are unsure whether it has happened, call the contact you were given and ask directly. It is reasonable to ask whether any part of the property, such as a single room, remains restricted.

You can call a cleanup company before release to ask questions and plan ahead. Nashville 24/7 Biohazard Disposals takes calls any time and can talk you through what to expect, but on-site work begins only after release. Our guide on what professional crime scene cleanup involves describes the work itself.

Securing the property after release

Once police leave, the property may be more vulnerable than usual. Doors may have been forced, windows broken, or locks changed. News of an incident can also draw unwanted attention. Securing the building protects the property and supports your insurance claim, since many policies expect owners to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss.

Practical steps

• Check every exterior door and window. Board up or temporarily repair anything that does not close or lock.
• Change or rekey locks if keys may be in the wrong hands, or if a lock was damaged.
• Keep receipts for any emergency repairs or locksmith work.
• Close the door to the affected room and keep people and pets out of it.
• If the property is vacant, arrange for someone to check on it, or ask a neighbor to keep an eye out.
• Avoid running fans or the HVAC system into the affected area, if that is easy to avoid.

If the event affected a rental unit, coordinate access carefully. Tenants, building staff and contractors will all need clear instructions about which areas are off limits until cleanup is complete. Our guide on how cleanup teams manage access and containment shows how a work area is kept separate.

Notifying your insurer

Contact your insurer as soon as you reasonably can. Consumer guidance from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners advises notifying your insurance company right away and notes that time limits for reporting claims vary. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance gives similar advice for property damage claims: contact your insurer and file promptly.

Whether your policy covers cleanup after a crime is a question only your insurer can answer. Some property policies may cover some of this work, and others may not. Coverage can also depend on who the policyholder is, what caused the damage, and whether the property is owner-occupied, rented or commercial.

Questions worth asking your insurer

1. Does my policy cover biohazard cleanup or removal of contaminated materials after a crime?
2. Does it cover repairs and rebuilding afterward, and are those handled under the same claim?
3. Do you need to inspect before cleanup begins, or can photos and a written scope serve instead?
4. What documentation will you need from the cleanup company?
5. Is there a deductible, and how does it apply?
6. For rentals: does loss of rent or business interruption coverage apply?

Our guide on insurance questions after a biohazard incident goes further. We can provide photos, a written scope and an itemized invoice that you can share with your insurer, but we do not promise or determine coverage.

Documentation: what to keep and why

Good records make every later step easier, whether you are dealing with an insurer, a victim compensation claim, a lender, a tenant or a future buyer. Start a folder, paper or digital, and keep it in one place.

Do not throw away damaged items before you have spoken with your insurer. If items need to be removed for safety, ask that they be photographed and listed first. Our guide on documentation in biohazard remediation describes what a cleanup company records, and managers may find what property managers should document before remediation useful.

Arranging professional cleanup

After a violent crime, biological contamination is often present on floors, walls, furniture and fixtures, and it may extend beyond the obvious area. Cleanup involves identifying everything affected, removing contaminated porous materials, cleaning and disinfecting what remains, and packaging contaminated waste for disposal in line with applicable Tennessee and federal requirements.

The steps from your side are straightforward:

1. Confirm release

   Make sure law enforcement, and the medical examiner if involved, have released the property.

2. Make the call

   Describe the situation in general terms: the property type, which rooms, and when it happened. No graphic detail is needed.

3. Arrange access

   Provide keys, codes or a contact who can let the crew in. You do not need to be in the affected area.

4. Review the scope

   After an assessment, you receive a written scope that lists what will be removed, cleaned and excluded. You can read about that process in how a biohazard assessment works.

5. Approve and schedule

   Once you approve, work is scheduled. Timing depends on location and the size of the job.

6. Receive documentation

   At the end, you receive records you can share with your insurer and any contractor.

Depending on the event, the relevant service pages are residential crime scene cleanup, commercial crime scene cleanup, violent crime scene cleanup and homicide scene cleanup.

Tennessee Criminal Injuries Compensation

Tennessee has a state program that may help victims of crime with certain costs, including some cleanup costs. It is administered by the Tennessee Department of Treasury. Whether it applies depends on who you are in relation to the crime and where it happened.

What the program may consider for cleanup

According to the Treasury, the program may consider up to $3,000 in costs for cleaning and removal of materials when the crime happened in the home of the victim or of an eligible relative. Repairs and replacement are not included.

Rules that commonly matter

• The crime must have occurred in Tennessee.
• It generally must be reported to law enforcement within 15 days. The program lists exceptions, for example where the victim is a minor or there is good cause.
• A claim generally must be filed within two years of the crime, unless good cause is shown.
• The program is a fund of last resort. It does not pay costs that another source, such as insurance, covers.
• Applications are submitted online, and the Treasury notes the form must be completed in one session.

Full details are on the Tennessee Criminal Injuries Compensation page.

Selling or renting later: Tennessee's disclosure statute

Owners often worry about what they will have to tell future buyers or tenants. Tennessee has a statute that speaks to part of this question.

Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-5-207, no cause of action arises against a property owner or a real estate licensee for failing to disclose that a property was the site of a homicide, a felony or a suicide. In broad terms, the law treats those events differently from physical defects in the property.

A few cautions are important:

• This is general information, not legal advice. Your situation may have details that change the analysis, and other laws, contracts or questions asked directly by a buyer or tenant may matter.
• The statute is about the event itself. Physical conditions are a separate matter. Thorough cleanup, and repairs by a contractor where materials were removed, put the property in sound condition, which is what matters for inspections.
• If you are planning a sale or a new lease, talk with a Tennessee real estate attorney or your real estate professional about what to say and how.

Landlords may also find biohazard cleanup for rental and investment properties and a landlord's guide to biohazard cleanup useful.

Considerations by type of owner

Homeowners who live at the property

You may be both the owner and someone directly affected. If staying in the home is too hard right now, it is reasonable to stay elsewhere while cleanup and repairs happen. Ask your insurer whether additional living expense coverage applies. Our guide on what to expect after a traumatic death in a property may help if a death occurred.

Landlords and property managers

Your concerns include the affected unit, neighboring units, communications with other tenants, and the timeline to re-let. Keep tenant communications factual and brief, and avoid sharing details about the people involved. Our crime scene cleanup for property managers page covers coordination with management workflows.

Business owners

You may need to manage staff wellbeing, customer access, and the timing of reopening. If employees were exposed or asked to help, workplace safety rules may come into play. Our guide to how businesses can plan for a traumatic incident covers that in more depth.

Executors and out-of-town owners

If you are handling the property from a distance, or acting for an estate, be clear about who has authority to approve work. Photos, a written scope and a phone debrief can take the place of being there in person.

Mistakes owners commonly make

• Starting before release. Even moving furniture can complicate an investigation.
• Throwing things away early. Damaged items may be needed for an insurance claim.
• Hiring a general cleaner or asking family to help. Biological contamination calls for different methods, protective equipment and disposal.
• Painting or recarpeting over the area. Covering contamination does not remove it and can create problems for a later sale or tenant.
• Assuming insurance will or will not pay. Ask your insurer rather than guessing either way.
• Missing deadlines. Victim compensation and insurance both have time limits. Note them early.
• Sharing details publicly. Tenants, neighbors and media may ask. A short, factual response protects the privacy of everyone involved.

The guide what not to do before a biohazard cleanup assessment covers the practical side of several of these.

From cleanup to repairs

Cleanup and repairs are separate stages, usually handled by different people. A biohazard cleanup company removes contaminated materials, cleans and disinfects, and handles waste. Replacing drywall, flooring, trim and paint is generally a contractor's job, and we will tell you if your project will need one.

Our written scope and photos show exactly what was removed, which helps a contractor estimate the rebuild accurately. When hiring a contractor, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance advises getting payment terms in writing, collecting several bids, checking references, and confirming licensing for the project through verify.tn.gov.

For a broader view of the difference between these trades, see biohazard cleanup versus standard restoration.

An owner's checklist, start to finish

After a crime at your property, work through these in order: get the report number and a contact; wait for release from law enforcement and, where involved, the medical examiner; secure doors, windows and locks and keep receipts; notify your insurer and ask specific coverage questions; document conditions and keep damaged items until your insurer says otherwise; arrange professional cleanup of any biological contamination and review the written scope; check whether Tennessee Criminal Injuries Compensation applies and note its deadlines; then plan repairs with a contractor.

If you will sell or lease the property later, Tennessee's disclosure statute may be relevant, and an attorney can advise on your specific situation. When you are ready to arrange cleanup anywhere in our Middle Tennessee service area, call (615) 513-5112, send us a message, or order online.

Questions people ask