Biohazard and Crime Scene Cleanup in Nashville, TN

Almost half of homes here are rented

Census figures put the renter-occupied share of housing in Nashville at roughly 47.6 percent, with about 52.4 percent owner-occupied. That one number shapes a lot of our calls. When an incident happens in a rental, there are usually at least three parties involved: the resident or their family, the owner, and a property manager or leasing office. Each of them has different questions, and they don't always talk to each other quickly.

For a leasing office, the priorities are usually containment, keeping neighbors from being affected, and getting a written scope that the owner and insurer can review. Our pages for property managers and apartment biohazard cleanup go into that in more depth. For a family member who has just learned that a relative died in an apartment, the questions are more personal: who pays, what happens to belongings, and whether they have to go inside at all. The answer to the last one is no. We can work with the manager for access and send you photos and a scope.

What we see in different kinds of Nashville buildings

Mid-rise and high-rise apartments

Shared walls, shared hallways and central air systems mean an incident in one unit can raise concern in the units around it. We plan routes for carrying sealed waste out through common areas, often at quieter hours, and we coordinate with building staff on elevator use and loading access.

Older houses turned into duplexes and rentals

Older wood floors, plaster walls and crawl spaces behave differently from new construction. Fluids can travel between floorboards or into a subfloor that nobody can see from above. Our carpet and subfloor cleanup page explains how we check what's underneath.

Condos

Condo owners often have to involve an HOA as well as their own insurer, because the line between the unit and common elements can be unclear. We document both so each party can see what was affected.

Single-family homes on the edges of the county

Some parts of the city still feel suburban or even rural. Those jobs look more like the work described on our Davidson County coverage page, which handles the wider county.

Hotels, short stays and a busy downtown

Nashville draws a steady stream of conventions and visitors. The Music City Center alone covers about 2.1 million square feet downtown, and the hotels around it see heavy turnover. When a guest is injured, dies or leaves a room contaminated, a hotel has to deal with the room quickly and quietly while other guests are still on the floor.

Hotel work usually involves:

• Coordinating with the general manager or security lead on timing and access.
• Keeping equipment and waste out of guest view where the building allows it.
• Removing and documenting affected mattresses, upholstered furniture and carpet.
• Giving the property a written record for its own files and insurer.

More detail is on our hotel and hospitality cleanup page. Short-term rentals raise many of the same issues, plus an owner who may live out of state.

Services people in the city ask about most

Because so much housing here is rented or shared, these are the services that come up most often:

• Unattended death in an apartmentWhen a person has died alone and wasn't found right away
• Crime scene cleanupAfter police release a home, business or vehicle
• Blood cleanupInjuries, accidents and other incidents involving blood
• Suicide cleanup in a rentalOwners, managers and families of tenants
• Vehicle biohazard cleanupCars and trucks, including ones in parking garages

Scheduling when we're already in the city

Being based in Nashville helps, but it isn't a promise of a particular arrival time. Interstate traffic on I-24, I-40, I-65 and I-440 changes a lot by hour, and we may already be on another job. When you call, we will tell you honestly when we can be there for the assessment, and we confirm everything by phone. The line is answered at any hour.

Downtown and high-rise jobs also depend on building rules. Some buildings only allow work or elevator reservations during certain hours, and some need a certificate of insurance or a contact name before we can enter. If you are the manager, sending us those requirements early saves time.

If you would rather start online, the Order Online page takes a $2,000 initial deposit. That is not the final price, and it doesn't mean work will begin within a set number of hours. The final price comes from a written scope after the assessment, as explained on how pricing works.

Paying for it

Two things are worth knowing. First, some property insurance policies may cover some of this work. That depends entirely on the policy. We provide photos, a written scope and an itemized invoice you can give your insurer, and our guide to insurance questions after an incident lists what to ask.

Second, if the incident was a crime in the victim's own home or an eligible relative's home, Tennessee Criminal Injuries Compensation can pay up to $3,000 for cleaning and removal of materials. The crime generally has to be reported to police within 15 days, and the claim filed within two years. The program pays after other sources, and it doesn't cover repairs.

Questions people ask