Who pays for crime scene cleaning in NSW and Victoria?

In New South Wales, the owner or occupier of a property is usually the person responsible for arranging and paying for crime scene cleaning. Help can come from the NSW Victims Support Scheme after a violent crime, and possibly from insurance. NSW Police pay in one narrow case: cleaning residue from chemicals they used during the investigation.

This guide sets out each of those in plain terms, using what the NSW Government and the NSW Police Force say on their own pages. Victoria has a different scheme, covered near the end.

The starting point in NSW: the owner or occupier

The NSW Government’s page on forensic cleaning expenses says it directly: the owner or occupier of the property “is usually responsible for arranging and paying for crime scene cleaning.”

The NSW Police Force says the same in more detail. It lists the people responsible for cleaning biologically contaminated scenes as “the user/owner/relatives/occupiers of the premises and/or vehicles”. That applies after a suicide, a death, a shooting or where a person was not found for some time, as long as police did not use chemical enhancement at the scene.

In practice this usually means one of these people arranges the clean:

• the home owner, or the family of a home owner who has died
• a tenant, where the tenant is the occupier
• a landlord or their managing agent, for a rented property
• a strata manager, for common property
• the owner of a vehicle

Being responsible for arranging it does not mean you have to pay for all of it yourself. The next sections cover where help can come from.

The NSW Victims Support Scheme

If the cleaning follows a violent crime in NSW, the Victims Support Scheme may help. The NSW Government says: “Eligible victims may get up to $5,000 in financial assistance through the Victims Support Scheme. This can help cover your immediate needs following a violent crime, including the cost of crime scene cleaning, and other urgent health, safety or wellbeing expenses.”

A few things are worth knowing before you apply:

• It is a maximum. Up to $5,000 covers immediate needs in general, not cleaning alone.
• Not everyone is eligible. The page refers to section 25 of the Victims Support Act 2013 for people who are not eligible.
• Support can be reduced or declined. Under section 44 of the Act, one factor is “any money the applicant has received from another source in relation to the violent crime, including under an insurance policy or other agreement.”
• Other people can apply for the cleaning cost. The page says that a service provider, or “a person who paid for forensic cleaning costs who was not the victim of crime”, can complete the forensic cleaning expenses form online, or download it and send it to Victims Services.

Family members of a person who died as a result of violent crime in NSW may also be able to get support through the scheme, including counselling and financial support, according to the NSW Government page on unexpected deaths.

Victims Services can answer questions about eligibility and applications. The Victims Access Line is 1800 633 063 and the Aboriginal Contact Line is 1800 019 123, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding public holidays.

Insurance

Home, contents, landlord and strata policies differ, and we cannot tell you what any one policy covers. If there is a policy on the property, it is worth calling the insurer early and asking:

1. Is cleaning after this kind of event covered, and under which part of the policy?
2. Do you need to approve a quote before work starts?
3. Do you need photographs, a written scope or a report afterwards?
4. Is there an excess, and who pays it?
5. Will you pay the cleaner directly, or reimburse me?

If you are also applying to Victims Support, tell each of them about the other. As noted above, money received under an insurance policy for the same crime is one of the things that can reduce Victims Support.

The one case where NSW Police are responsible

The NSW Police Force explains that its crime scene examiners often use fingerprint powder. It says it “is not responsible for the cleaning of this residue”, although an examiner may give you a card on how to remove it.

Chemicals are different. Police sometimes use chemical enhancement techniques to find or enhance trace biological evidence. The NSW Police Force says: “Cleaning of the residues left by these chemicals at crime scenes is the responsibility of the NSW Police Force, Crime Scene Service Branch (CSSB).” It adds that this cleaning is usually sourced from private contractors.

The NSW Government page also says police “will inform you if they arrange and pay for the cleaning.” If you are not sure which situation you are in, ask the officer in charge of the investigation. The NSW Police Force says that where there is doubt, that officer can contact the CSSB Referral Officer.

A quick summary for NSW

Situation in NSW	Who usually pays
Fingerprint powder after a police examination	Owner or occupier
A death, suicide or other biologically contaminated scene where police used no chemicals	Owner, occupier, relatives or user of the property or vehicle
Residue from chemicals police used to find evidence	NSW Police Force (Crime Scene Service Branch)
Cleaning after a violent crime	Owner or occupier, with possible help of up to $5,000 for immediate needs from the Victims Support Scheme, if eligible
Any of the above, where a policy applies	Possibly an insurer, depending on the policy

If you are in Victoria

Victoria has its own scheme, the Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme. Its page for primary victims lists counselling, medical expenses, safety-related expenses, loss of income, damaged clothing and, in exceptional circumstances, other expenses that help a victim recover. We could not find crime scene cleaning named on the official Victorian pages we read on 11 November 2026, so we cannot tell you whether or how it is covered.

This guide covers NSW. If you are in Victoria, check with the scheme before you rely on it for a cleaning cost. You can read its financial assistance page or call the helpline on 1800 161 136, 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. The page also says any invoice or quote you provide must include an itemised cost, an ABN, the business name and contact details, and the business’s payment details.

What a written scope and quote should show

Whoever is paying, a clear written quote makes the conversation easier. Before work starts, ask the cleaning company for a document that shows:

• the address, and the date the scope was prepared
• each area to be cleaned, and what will be done in each
• any items or materials to be removed, and how they will be disposed of
• an itemised price, with GST shown
• the business name, ABN and contact details
• whether the company will provide a written record of the work when it is finished

You can read more about how this kind of work is approached on our forensic and trauma cleaning page. If you would like a written scope and quote for a property in Sydney or Melbourne, you can request one here.

If you are unsure about any of this, the person to ask first is the officer in charge of the investigation. They can tell you whether police have used chemicals, whether they are arranging any cleaning, and when the property has been released.