Tenant dies by suicide, Kelowna landlord left with ‘biohazard’

Landlord Diana Campbell is back at her rental condo.

It’s not something she was planning to do, but Campbell is back because her tenant, who was under the care of Interior Health, died. But she says Interior Health left the place in a mess.

“They just picked up her personal effects and walked out the door,” said Campbell.

Campbell says Interior Health failed in its responsibility to clean up after its client. For starters, they left dirty laundry behind.

“So I had to strip down all the bedding, including the comforter, and wash all the bedding and clean it up,” said Campbell.

But what has Campbell really upset is a giant stain on an area rug.

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“And if you look here, you can see the big stain of the body fluids,” she said.

The tenant died by suicide — on the rug. Campbell figures the stain is a bio-hazard and let Interior Health know.

“I was very upset that they would have left such dangerous material in my home, not only for me to clean up, but it’s been in here since October 24^th,” said Campbell.

She says Interior Health wasn’t being honest with her.

“I asked Interior Health if my condo needed sanitizing, and they said it was very tidy and there was only two small spots on the carpet.”

Campbell says Interior Health has since apologized and offered to pick up the rug. Campbell, however, has refused the offer. She wants to show the public how Interior Health deals with landlords.

“Due to this experience,” said Campbell, “my advice would be to run — as fast you can.”

In response, IHA said it’s open to talking with Campbell, saying: “We have spoken directly to the landlord and we are open to further discussions about her specific concerns. We recognize this is an upsetting situation for the landlord and we did agree to pay the entire rent for the apartment for November.”

Renting out is not an option for Campbell. She says her strata council only allows for one-time rentals and Campbell has used up that one time with Interior Health, meaning she’ll either have to move back into her unit — which she doesn’t want to do — or sell it.