Saskatoon landlord expects family of man killed in apartment to clean up his blood
Thirty-seven-year-old Adam Willett was found dead in his apartment on 7th Street East in December, and his family says they are now on the hook for cleaning the suite.
His dad Bryan says the Saskatoon police and victim services told him not to enter the suite to claim Adam’s belongings until after it had been cleaned.
In an email, SPS says “once the scene of a major crime has been documented and cleared by police, it is the responsibility of the property owner to arrange for biohazard clean-up; this is sometimes facilitated through insurance”.
Willett says it was traumatizing to enter the suite to find that the walls and carpets were still covered in his son’s blood.
“Just saw the condition of the apartment and his blood in various locations, Adam's mother was visibly shaking and trembling,” he said.
Willet says the landlord, Menke Holdings LTD. told him the expectation is that it’s up to the family to clean up what was the scene of his son’s death.
“I provided him with notice to vacate early on Adams behalf,” he said.
“He rejected it and said that we're responsible for the rent until the end of the lease, and I've been given an email with cleaning instructions for the apartment, but I'm not qualified to do that.”
CTV News reached out to Menke Holdings LTD. but did not receive a response.
Willet says the landlord, Menke Holdings LTD. told him the expectation is that it’s up to the family to clean up what was the scene of his son’s death. (Pat McKay / CTV News)
CEO of the Saskatchewan Landlords Association Cameron Choquette says it’s the first time he’s heard of a situation like this, and he finds it to be “tremendously frustrating”.
“We know that the estate of the deceased individual is responsible for the unit after some after a tenant dies in a rental unit,” he said.
“But in this situation, it's really incumbent upon the rental housing provider to meet this family halfway to get the unit cleaned, so that they don't have to enter the suite when it's in disrepair, and to really bring this to a close so that the family can move on, so that the suite can be rented and so that we can find a happy medium here.”
Choquette says most landlords are comfortable ending a lease if a tenant dies in a rental unit.
“I think there is a solution here to get the suite cleaned by a third party and to have both parties come together on who will ultimately pay those costs,” he said.
“But really, it's about providing some closure for this family, ending the tenancy legally and getting both parties to move on constructively from this really unfortunate situation.”
Willet says he’s not going to clean up his son’s blood, and will be discontinuing payment on the lease.
He says it will be up to the landlord to take the matter to the Office of Residential Tenancies.
“It's been extremely frustrating for every member of our family,” he said.
“Anybody who has been involved in this, they just can't understand why.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.