What to do when the tenant discovers blood and is too scared to live there

Question

Here's my biggest landlord challenge yet--

This duplex is in Ohio. I closed on Nov 4, 2024. Signed new tenants, and am tackling upgrades now (March 2025). I'm out of state and have never been there.

Pulling up a corner of the old carpet revealed original hardwood underneath. My tenant wanted to do this work herself. In one place, she discovered a big dark stain. She phones me to tell me a crime was committed. EDIT: The stain was from a pet. No police record. We're working out the terms of the move out.

James Wise · Answer

For starters, never let tenants do any work on your property. Secondly, never agree to compensate them for doing work on your property. Do all of your rent ready renovations prior to showing the unit to tenants and make it clear that the unit is rented as they see it. No alterations are to take place. Do not show tenants an unfinished unit.

As for the death, there is no requirement for you to disclose this to the tenant, nor was there any requirement for whomever sold you this property to disclose it to you.

As for a biohazard cleanup needed, I don't see how that is applicable here. A wood stain from years ago doesn't present any health hazards to anyone.

What I would do at this point is just let the tenant out of the lease since you've started this off with so many mistakes. Cut the relationship and start over fresh without making all of these mistakes. Buff out the stain. Refinish the wood. Get the unit rent ready and find new tenants.

Michael Smythe · Answer

@Ellen LaVoie you're making emotional decisions instead of business decisions!

You will not make it far in this business if you continue to do so.

Either learn to separate YOUR emotions from this business of hire a PMC.

Jill F. · Answer

I seriously doubt that carpet was laid over wet blood. It was probably laid over a stain and even if it was (now, it's just a stain). People die in buildings all the time. The police could have just been messing with her because that's so ridiculous. $500!!?? No. A biohazard clean up a year after the fact?? Oh good grief. Understandably upset? what does she think is going to happen to her? Why is that understandably upset? You don't owe her anything.

Theresa Harris · Answer

You aren't entitled to do any more for her.  She wants to break the lease. Tell her normally you'd need 30 or 60 days' notice (whatever the rule in your area) and you are not going to charge her that.

As other said, you don't need a biohazard clean up.  If you are worried about anything, spray it with bleach and call it a day.

Brian Joseph OConnor · Answer

That sounds like mistakes you'll never make again.  But that doesn't help you now.  Consult an attorney but you owe this tenant nothing more than letting her break her lease and leave.  Just get rid of her asap!  Seriously, 150,000 people die every day so one of them died in your property prior to you owning it.  Big deal!!  Has nothing to do with anything.  This tenant is a problem so let her walk.  Also, don't let tenants do work on your property.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

1) Yeah the dead body thing is a bunch of crap, just let her go, don't pay anything.

2) As has been said .....(but I'm gonna pile on because it's so important for new Landlords to understand :-)......Do not ever let a tenant hire someone to do work, or (worse yet) do the work themselves. It never ends up well.

Steve K. · Answer

Yikes, sorry that you are dealing with this!

Ohio and many other states are not like CA where the seller has to disclose a death in the property. According to google: "In Ohio, you are not legally required to disclose a death that occurred in a home, regardless of the circumstances. Ohio law does not consider deaths, suicides, or homicides as material issues that require disclosure." That's how it is here in CO as well, unless the death was caused by a material defect in the home like an electrical hazard. I think there are only a few states where a death in the property needs to be disclosed.

It sucks and again I am truly sorry you have to deal with this, but unfortunately the time to learn about the death in the home was during your due diligence period and the time to uncover the blood stains was during your inspection window. You had that chance but that time has passed and now that you have closed, you own it and all of it's problems. People often say "talk to a lawyer" but they probably haven't talked to a lawyer. Doing so could easily just waste more of your time and money. It can actually be hard to get a good lawyer to even call you back without a referral. Then they usually want a big retainer and will start racking up billable hours very quickly, with no guaranteed result and considering the death did not need to be disclosed by the seller, I'm not sure how a lawyer would even be able to help here. I could be wrong.

I'd let the current tenant break their lease and leave if they want but I wouldn't pay them anything. Then get the property cleaned up and rented out again ASAP. Why were you having her do work on the property for you to begin with? Letting tenants work on the property rarely ends well. Now she's pressing for more because you gave her $500 and she thinks she can get more out of you. Start fresh with a new tenant and don't let them do any work on the property or extort any money out of you.

Biohazard cleanup companies will rake you over the coals, they're like mold remediation companies that charge a ridiculous amount because they can, basically insurance scams.

We had a property where after 3 body cleanups, we decided to sell and buy in a better location. Luckily I had a handyman who worked in an old folks home so he was used to cleaning up after the coroners removed the dead bodies and it wasn't expensive. You might consider going there and doing it yourself.

James Wise · Answer

One time we had this one chick who wanted out of her lease and she either convinced (or pretended to convince) herself that there were ghosts in her house. She actually did call the Police and file a Police report and everything. It was pretty funny.

James Wise · Answer

More likely than the Police messing with her and telling her someone died there last year is her just making up the part about calling the Police because she wants out of the lease.

Kerlous Tadres · Answer

Consult an attorney and property manager

What to do when the tenant discovers blood and is too scared to live there

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