Guide
For landlords and property managers
When something happens in a unit you own or manage, you need the space safe again and the paperwork right.
What to do
Let the police and medical examiner finish
Do not enter or let maintenance in until the police release the unit.
Secure it
Change or hold the keys, and keep neighbors out of shared spaces that were affected.
Contact the family or estate
They may want to remove belongings or attend. Agree who does what in writing.
Call a cleanup company
Ask for a walk-through, a written price and a list of what will be removed. Tell your insurer before work starts.
Texas law
When a tenant who lived alone dies
Texas Property Code section 92.0162 lets a representative of the estate end the lease and avoid future rent. They give you written notice, the tenant's property is removed as section 92.014 allows, and they sign an inventory if you ask for one.
The lease ends on the later of 30 days after the notice or the date all of that is done. You must give them a copy of the lease if they ask in writing. The estate still owes unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear from before the lease ended.
This applies to leases signed on or after January 1, 2020 (House Bill 69). For anything beyond that, ask a Texas attorney.
Questions for the cleanup company
- Can you work around other tenants and shared hallways?
- Will you check under flooring and behind baseboards in the unit below or next door?
- Will you give me a written scope I can send to my insurer?
When you are ready, one call
There is no rush on your side. Call when the police have released the place and you want to know what the cleanup involves.
Talk it through with a cleanup company
You will speak with an independent company that works around Arlington. Ask how they would handle your situation and how they set the price. Nothing is booked until you agree.
Call (817) 803-8687Answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year
Calls may be recorded. How referrals work: referral disclosure. Your information: privacy policy.