Buying a house with a bad history

goater78

Obviously you will know but does your kids need to know someone killed themselves there?  Personally I would keep it quiet, especially if the suicide was a long time ago.  Or alternatively you could bring it up with everyone as your watching ghosts on the bbc 😉

SavingPennies_2

turnitround said:

I once went to view a property and I didnt know who the seller was till they opened the door.  Turned out it was It was a lady I knew from a few years before. I used to clean at her previous property.
The house had a long hallway and a beautiful staircase with a stained glass window at the top. I loved the house, all of it. However I knew that the ladies husband had hung himself from the top of the stairs a few years before. As I looked round the house I came out of one of the bedrooms and saw where she must have found him and I just knew that I couldnt cope with the image of seeing him every time I got up to go to the loo in the night.

I have to admit I'd be the same. Yes I know people die in houses all the time as has been pointed out, but suicide is something I think I would struggle to get past and I'm not superstitious or funny about death. I wouldn't be able to "unsee" it once I knew.

I know I will be in the minority here!

MikeJXE

stevoh said:

There’s a house come up in an area I know well. It’s a location I grew up in and I’m interested in the property.

I know that a previous owner killed himself in the garage, and am not sure what to think about that in terms of potentially buying the place. I think I could live there, although obviously it’s not ideal. 

I’ve heard that murders and suicides need to be declared when selling a property and I guess it affects the resell price and demand.

Wondering whether there’s things to factor in such as how my kids would feel growing up there and how visitors would feel about it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

Your interested in the property thats a lot better than not being interested 

Why are you thinking of the resale price before you have bought it, either you want it as a home or you don't 

The kids if they are like my grandkids won't give a monkeys 

Visitors don't need to know

What you need to know is do you want to live there and if you do go for it or if  not don't 

user1977

SavingPennies_2 said:

turnitround said:

I once went to view a property and I didnt know who the seller was till they opened the door.  Turned out it was It was a lady I knew from a few years before. I used to clean at her previous property.
The house had a long hallway and a beautiful staircase with a stained glass window at the top. I loved the house, all of it. However I knew that the ladies husband had hung himself from the top of the stairs a few years before. As I looked round the house I came out of one of the bedrooms and saw where she must have found him and I just knew that I couldnt cope with the image of seeing him every time I got up to go to the loo in the night.

I have to admit I'd be the same. Yes I know people die in houses all the time as has been pointed out, but suicide is something I think I would struggle to get past and I'm not superstitious or funny about death. I wouldn't be able to "unsee" it once I knew.

What about an unintentional but sudden death?

What about a long and painful death by natural causes?

goater78

user1977 said:

SavingPennies_2 said:

turnitround said:

I once went to view a property and I didnt know who the seller was till they opened the door.  Turned out it was It was a lady I knew from a few years before. I used to clean at her previous property.
The house had a long hallway and a beautiful staircase with a stained glass window at the top. I loved the house, all of it. However I knew that the ladies husband had hung himself from the top of the stairs a few years before. As I looked round the house I came out of one of the bedrooms and saw where she must have found him and I just knew that I couldnt cope with the image of seeing him every time I got up to go to the loo in the night.

I have to admit I'd be the same. Yes I know people die in houses all the time as has been pointed out, but suicide is something I think I would struggle to get past and I'm not superstitious or funny about death. I wouldn't be able to "unsee" it once I knew.

What about an unintentional but sudden death?

What about a long and painful death by natural causes?

You probably wouldn’t know about those as although sad it’s not newsworthy. So you could live in the house in blissful ignorance. 

Suicide and murders are reported more widely so you’ll very likely be aware if one had happened in your house. 

user1977

goater78 said:

user1977 said:

SavingPennies_2 said:

turnitround said:

I once went to view a property and I didnt know who the seller was till they opened the door.  Turned out it was It was a lady I knew from a few years before. I used to clean at her previous property.
The house had a long hallway and a beautiful staircase with a stained glass window at the top. I loved the house, all of it. However I knew that the ladies husband had hung himself from the top of the stairs a few years before. As I looked round the house I came out of one of the bedrooms and saw where she must have found him and I just knew that I couldnt cope with the image of seeing him every time I got up to go to the loo in the night.

I have to admit I'd be the same. Yes I know people die in houses all the time as has been pointed out, but suicide is something I think I would struggle to get past and I'm not superstitious or funny about death. I wouldn't be able to "unsee" it once I knew.

What about an unintentional but sudden death?

What about a long and painful death by natural causes?

You probably wouldn’t know about those as although sad it’s not newsworthy. So you could live in the house in blissful ignorance. 

Suicide and murders are reported more widely so you’ll very likely be aware if one had happened in your house. 

Murders are, obviously, but how often are suicides newsworthy? You really don't get the circumstances reported in that sort of detail, especially if they happen at home.

EssexHebridean

stevoh said:

Grizebeck said:

I’ve heard that murders and suicides need to be declared when selling a property and I guess it affects the resell price and demand.

Where did you hear that old rubbish

This is what I read:

It is a legal requirement under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (or CPR's), that estate agents and property vendors alike have to disclose any information that could either effect or decrease the value of a property. This does include both murder and suicide in the property

If you can provide a source for that information it might be useful/helpful. Having relatively recently filled in a TA6 though I can’t recall anywhere that prompted me to fill in anything like that. 

As far as your children go, if you think that someone else might tell them in a bid to frighten them, then better by far that you told them yourself IMO, it would be a good way to introduce the subject of suicide and how sometimes people reach a point where they feel it is the only answer, and if they ever reach that point, or think a friend might be, it’s vital to seek help and support.

I have to say that while we’ve been browsing listings looking for houses to view we have amassed a little collection of “I bet someone died in that bed” type places - but it wouldn’t put us off viewing them if we liked the property otherwise. I can see why a previous poster was unnerved by the idea of living somewhere that someone she knew, even vaguely by association, had killed themselves though - a step too far.

eddddy

FWIW, in this article from 2013, both the Property Ombudsman and the Managing Director of the NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) seem to say that an Estate Agent must disclose murders and suicides at a property.

Link: https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/Lawyers-could-have-field-day-over-agents-duties-to-disclose-property-information

The article also mentions that some lawyers disagree.

But it's the Property Ombudsman who can order Estate Agents to pay compensation for omitting material information - so I guess the Property Ombudsman's opinion is pretty important to Estate Agents.


(Since 2013, there is a new Property Ombudsman and a new MD of the NAEA - so I guess it's possible that the new post-holders have different opinions.)

Sistergold

If my children got to know about a death in a house we live in especially suicide or murder they will have nightmares and start talking of seeing ghosts and I will have them knocking on my door most nights. I would not buy overlooking a graveyard for the same reason. Some children have very active imagination. 

goater78

user1977 said:

goater78 said:

user1977 said:

SavingPennies_2 said:

turnitround said:

I once went to view a property and I didnt know who the seller was till they opened the door.  Turned out it was It was a lady I knew from a few years before. I used to clean at her previous property.
The house had a long hallway and a beautiful staircase with a stained glass window at the top. I loved the house, all of it. However I knew that the ladies husband had hung himself from the top of the stairs a few years before. As I looked round the house I came out of one of the bedrooms and saw where she must have found him and I just knew that I couldnt cope with the image of seeing him every time I got up to go to the loo in the night.

I have to admit I'd be the same. Yes I know people die in houses all the time as has been pointed out, but suicide is something I think I would struggle to get past and I'm not superstitious or funny about death. I wouldn't be able to "unsee" it once I knew.

What about an unintentional but sudden death?

What about a long and painful death by natural causes?

You probably wouldn’t know about those as although sad it’s not newsworthy. So you could live in the house in blissful ignorance. 

Suicide and murders are reported more widely so you’ll very likely be aware if one had happened in your house. 

Murders are, obviously, but how often are suicides newsworthy? You really don't get the circumstances reported in that sort of detail, especially if they happen at home.

People in the local road would know and I imagine gossip about it. Would be surprised if nobody mentioned to you that someone had killed themselves in the house. Also people google their own addresses and imagine something would come up for it.