Washington's victim compensation: not for cleanup
The Crime Victims Compensation Program at the Department of Labor & Industries lists crime scene cleanup among the costs it does not pay. It may help with funeral expenses, grief counseling, medical bills and some lost wages after a crime.
To be eligible the crime must be reported to police within a year, and you must apply within three years of that report. Call 1-800-762-3716 to ask.
Homeowner and renter insurance
Some policies respond to this kind of damage and some exclude it. Call your insurer or agent before work starts. Ask whether the policy covers it, and what photos and paperwork they need from you.
The landlord
In a rental, the floors, walls and fixtures belong to the owner, and Washington law requires a landlord to keep the home fit to live in (RCW 59.18.060). Tell the landlord early.
The estate
When the person who died owned the home, costs are often paid from the estate. Whoever is handling the estate should agree to the work before it starts.
What drives the price
How far the fluids spread, and into what. Hard floors are quicker than carpet over a wood subfloor.
How much has to be removed and disposed of as medical waste, and how many rooms are involved.
How long it was before the person or the scene was found, which affects odor treatment.
Ask for the price in writing before work starts, and ask what would change it.
Yakima and the valley around it
Nobody in the family has to clean this
An independent cleanup company can take it from here once the police and the coroner are done. Asking questions on the phone commits you to nothing.
When you are ready to talk
Say what happened, where it is and who owns the property. The company explains what it would do. You decide whether to go ahead.
Call (509) 555-0106Phones staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure and the privacy policy.