A guide for Sanford and Seminole County
Who pays for biohazard cleanup?
There is often help with the cost. Which kind depends on what happened, where, and who owns the home.
After a violent crime: Florida victim compensation
The Attorney General's Bureau of Victim Compensation offers payment for crime scene cleanup, along with funeral costs, counseling and lost wages. Its rule covers cleanup after a violent crime in the victim's own home or vehicle, done by a government-authorized provider (Rule 2A-2.2001).
Things the program says that change what you do:
- The crime has to be reported to police within 120 hours, unless there is good cause for the delay
- The application is due within three years of the crime (five with good cause)
- Insurance and other sources are used first; the Bureau pays what is left (its FAQ calls it the payor of last resort)
- It relies on the police report, so get the report or case number from the officer
- Each kind of cost has its own limit and time window in the program's schedule of benefits, so ask early
Call the Bureau at 1-800-226-6667 with questions. In Seminole County, the Sheriff's Office victim advocates help people fill in compensation claims. On weekdays from 8 to 5, call (407) 665-6650 and ask for the on-call victim advocate (Seminole County Sheriff).
Home, renter and auto insurance
Policies differ, and this site cannot tell you what yours covers. Your agent or insurer can. Before work starts, ask them whether the cleanup is covered, whether they want photos first, and what paperwork they need afterward.
If you have general questions about how insurance works in Florida, the Department of Financial Services runs an insurance consumer helpline, 1-877-693-5236, on weekdays (Florida DFS).
Other people who may pay
The landlord
When a tenant dies or is hurt in a rented home, the owner usually arranges the unit's cleanup. The landlord guide covers that side.
The estate
After a death, cleanup can often be paid from the person's estate. Ask whoever is handling the estate before signing.
A business's insurer
If it happened at work, the business's own insurance is the first place to ask. The compensation rule names homes and vehicles.
What drives the price
No honest company can price this without seeing it. These are the things that change it:
- How far fluids spread, and whether they reached flooring, subfloor or drywall
- How long it was before the cleanup, and the heat in the home
- How much has to be removed and hauled as medical waste
- Odor treatment, and whether the air conditioning system is involved
- Access: an upstairs apartment, a crowded room or a vehicle
Ask for the price in writing, with what is and is not included, before anyone starts.
Questions
Does victim compensation cover a suicide?
The program is for crime victims, so a suicide usually does not qualify. Ask your insurer first.
Can the company wait to be paid by the program?
Some companies do and some do not. Ask before you sign, and get the answer in writing.
Call when you are ready
You will speak with an independent cleanup company that works around Sanford. Say what happened and where, ask what they would do and what affects the price, and take your time deciding.
Phones answered 24 hours a day, every day
Calls may be recorded. Details are in the referral disclosure and privacy policy.