Guide
Who pays for biohazard cleanup?
It depends on what happened and whose property it is. Here are the usual places the money comes from in Florida, in the order most families look at them.
After a crime: the Bureau of Victim Compensation
Florida's victim compensation program, run by the Attorney General's office under Chapter 960 of the Florida Statutes, lists crime scene cleanup among the costs it can help with, along with funeral costs and grief counseling (program page).
What to know before you count on it:
- The crime must be reported to law enforcement within 120 hours, unless there was good cause for a delay.
- Apply within three years of the crime, or five with good cause.
- The Bureau pays only after other sources, such as insurance, and cannot approve a payment in advance.
- Some people are not eligible because of their own criminal history (limits).
Victims can call (800) 226-6667 or apply online through VANext (contact page).
Homeowners, renters and auto insurance
Policies are written differently, and the same event can be covered under one and excluded under another. Only your insurer or agent can tell you what yours says.
If you plan to ask, do it before work starts if you can. Ask what they need from you, such as photos, and whether they want to see the room first. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Other common cases
A rental home
The landlord is usually involved, because Florida law makes the landlord responsible for keeping the unit up to code. See the landlord guide.
An estate
When the person who died owned the home, the estate often pays. The executor or personal representative usually signs.
A business
The business and its insurer, as a rule. Call the insurer before work starts.
Nobody else
Then it falls to the owner. Ask the company for a written price and what it includes.
What drives the price
There is no fixed price for this work. It depends on how far fluids spread, how much has to be removed, how long the room was closed up, how much protective equipment the job needs and how the waste is disposed of. Ask for the price in writing before you agree.
When you are ready
Let someone else carry this part
You do not have to settle everything today. A company can explain the work and give you its price, then wait while you talk it over with family.
Speak with a cleanup company
The person who answers is with an independent company that does this work around Lakeland. Say what happened, ask how they would handle it and what it would cost. Nothing is booked unless you agree.
Call (863) 474-0772Someone picks up 24 hours a day, every day of the week
Calls may be recorded. How referrals are paid: disclosure. What is logged: privacy.