What to Do When Someone Dies at Home in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

Information updated 27 October 2026

If someone has just died at home, the first call depends on whether the death was expected under an established care plan. This guide covers the steps in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, followed by access to the home, funeral arrangements, belongings and cleanup.

Who to call first

If someone is unexpectedly unresponsive, is not breathing normally, or you are unsure whether they have died, call 911 and follow the dispatcher’s instructions, including any directions for CPR. Preserving a scene must not delay lifesaving help.

For an unexpected death at home, contact 911. If there is an immediate danger, move to safety before calling.

For an expected death under an established home-care plan:

• Nova Scotia: when a completed Expected Death at Home form and plan are in place, families do not need to call 911 at death. Contact the chosen funeral provider or follow the care team’s instructions. Nova Scotia Health explains the EDAH process.

• New Brunswick: follow the home palliative-care plan and contact the care team or Extra-Mural service identified in it. Horizon’s family guide describes this expected-death pathway.

Being elderly or having an illness does not, by itself, establish an expected-death plan.

Who attends and what happens next

Emergency dispatch determines which responders are needed. In Nova Scotia, police responding to an unexpected home death contact the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service(ME's Office). In New Brunswick, the death-investigation agency is Coroner Services.

An investigation does not automatically mean a crime occurred. Authorities determine the investigation, examination and transport required. Caregivers Nova Scotia describes the local response.

Choose a funeral provider and tell the responding authority who it is. Where a death is being investigated, transport must follow the authority’s directions. The funeral provider coordinates collection once permitted; it does not decide when a restricted home can be cleaned.

What not to do before the scene is released

For an unexpected death or a scene under investigation, follow emergency instructions and leave the body and surrounding items undisturbed unless responders direct otherwise. Do not clean, apply products, remove furniture or items. In NB, the Coroners Act provides for preserving the scene and restricts alteration of the body in reportable deaths.

If access is restricted, ask the officer or investigator about essential medication, identification, pets or other urgent needs. Do not enter to retrieve them yourself without permission. The RCMP’s guidance for families affected by homicide explains restricted access and retrieval of essential belongings.

Ask two separate questions:

• “Has the deceased been released to the funeral provider?”

• “Have the premises and affected items been released for access and cleanup?”

Record the contact and instructions. Removal of the deceased should not be treated as permission to clean.

When cleanup can begin

Where authorities control the scene, wait for their permission. Then confirm who can legally authorize access, work and disposal. Police release permits access; it does not establish that contamination has been removed or the home is ready to occupy.

The cleanup needed depends on the property’s condition. Blood, bodily fluids, decomposition or affected materials may require assessment. A death at home does not automatically mean every room or possession needs specialist treatment.

Scenesafe’s trauma and biohazard cleanup service assesses the affected areas and explains the proposed scope. Replacement flooring and reconstruction are arranged separately. For individual belongings, contents cleaning and odour treatment depends on the material and condition; arrange acceptance before moving or delivering items.

Insurance and estate paperwork

Contact the property insurer or broker promptly. Ask whether the event, cleanup, affected contents and temporary accommodation are covered, and what approvals or documentation are needed. Coverage depends on the policy and circumstances. Tell the insurer if nobody will continue living in the home.

Keep estimates, inventories and receipts. Take photographs only where access is permitted and safe; ask the insurer about disposal of damaged items. Insurance Bureau of Canada’s claims guidance explains documentation and retaining receipts.

Identify the executor or administrator before distributing belongings or committing estate funds. Being a relative does not automatically establish authority. Canada’s estate guidance and after-death checklist cover representation, documents, benefits and account notifications.

What if a tenant dies in a rental

After the emergency response, the landlord and estate representative need to establish access, the tenancy’s end date and responsibility for belongings. Do not assume a death makes the apartment or its contents abandoned.

Nova Scotia: the provincial tenancy guide has a specific rule for year-to-year and fixed-term leases when the deceased was the only tenant. In that situation, the lease ends at the close of the next rental period, counting from the period in which the death occurred. Other lease types and surviving tenants need separate consideration.

New Brunswick: confirm the applicable end date and process with the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office. Do not apply Nova Scotia’s rule to a New Brunswick lease.

If belongings remain after a tenancy ends, follow the provincial process: Nova Scotia’s Form A guidance or New Brunswick’s abandoned-belongings guidance. Keep an inventory and obtain direction on contaminated items and irreplaceable documents before disposal.

Must a death in a home be disclosed to a buyer

For property sales in Nova Scotia, NSREC says sellers and their licensees are not generally required to volunteer stigma-creating events to every buyer. If asked about a specific event, they must disclose what they know truthfully. See its stigmatized-property guidance.

Known material latent defects have separate disclosure requirements. Unresolved contamination may raise a physical-defect issue and should not be treated as merely a stigma. Discuss the condition with your lawyer and licensee; NSREC’s current consumer guidance explains this distinction. This sales guidance should not be assumed to answer rental-disclosure questions or transactions elsewhere in Canada.

What if there is an unexplained smell in an apartment

Smell alone cannot establish that someone has died or reliably tell you how long ago. Human-decomposition research shows that temperature and other conditions affect odour development; research findings are not a fixed timetable for apartments.

If an unusual odour accompanies concern for an unresponsive or missing occupant, contact police; call 911 if there may be an immediate threat to life or safety. Do not wait for a supposed number of days or enter another person’s home to investigate.

Support in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

• Emergency response: 911 in both provinces.

• Community and bereavement-support referrals: 211 Nova Scotia · 211 New Brunswick.

• Non-emergency health advice: Nova Scotia 811 · New Brunswick Tele-Care 811.

• Support following a crime: NS Provincial Victim Services · NB Victim Services.

Victim Services eligibility and financial assistance depend on the circumstances. These are not universal bereavement or cleanup-funding programs. Neither 211 nor 811 replaces emergency dispatch or authorizes scene release.

Arranging an assessment after release

Scenesafe provides on-site cleanup throughout Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, including smaller towns and rural communities, from Halifax and Truro bases. Contact Scenesafe with the location, release status, authorized contact and a brief description. Availability, scope and any assessment or travel charges are confirmed before booking. Or use our chatbot to get some basic information.