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Moving into a home where someone died.

74 replies

Sazziz · 18/12/2022 23:51

The house I live now was occupied by an elderly gentleman who passed away in bed.

Spent the first 10 years unaware until neighbours told me, seemingly reveling in the fact it happened in our bedroom and he wasn't found for days.

Gave me the Willie's for a short while but didn't bother me really.

But now I'm moving and have been told a small child died in the house.

It's just made me so sad and I really wish I wasn't told.
I kept having dreams about it last night.

It's not put me off the house but I definitely won't be telling my (secondary age) kids.

Just really wish the information wasn't shared with me tbh.

OP posts:
MarigoldPetals · 18/12/2022 23:56

Wouldn’t bother me at all. Just part of life’s rich tapestry. Probably a few babies have been born there. Maybe a few weddings celebrated there. I would think loads of houses have had someone die in them or other significant events. I think it makes the house well rounded and full of history.
Also, how lovely to be able to die peacefully in your own bed in a well loved home.

DuplicateUserName · 18/12/2022 23:56

YANBU

I mean people die every day but we don't have to know exactly when and where.

My friend moved to a new home and her neighbours told her the daughter of the previous tenants, murdered a girl in the back garden and got her best friend to wrap the body in a rug and shove her in a wheelbarrow so she could dump her in the local park 😨

BreadInCaptivity · 18/12/2022 23:59

I live in a house nearly 400 years old.

Pretty sure a lot of people will have died in it.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I think it's only an issue of you choose to make it so.

I admit I might have some reservations about a home where someone was murdered (but could probably overcome them for the right house) but re:a property where people have simply passed on in the comfort of their own home it's absolutely not an issue.

Icanflyhigh · 19/12/2022 00:01

All 3 of the houses we have lived in recently (last 5 years) have had people die in them and all in the bedroom I sleep in.
Baby in the first house, elderly gentleman in second house and young man (30 something) in current house.
Doesn't bother me a bit.

LaBellina · 19/12/2022 00:02

YANBU, that would make me uncomfortable too.

Trixiefirecracker · 19/12/2022 00:06

My house is nearly 300 years old, I imagine countless people have died here. It’s a recent phenomena that people die in hospital, most folk would have passed away at home.

Findyourneutralspace · 19/12/2022 00:06

Everyone does somewhere - and thankfully for lots of people that is in the comfort of their own home. If there had been a recent traumatic death eg murder I might be put off but an old person who died peacefully wouldn’t worry me.
My house is 150 years old so there’s a high chance someone has died here at some point. The old chap next door died last year and his neice has moved in.

TheaBrandt · 19/12/2022 00:09

Think you need to limit yourself to new builds if you are this sensitive

LangClegsInSpace · 19/12/2022 00:19

My house is about 200 years old. I imagine there has been at least one death here and at least one birth. It's normal.

123woop · 19/12/2022 00:24

I wouldn't like to know that! My friend is living in a house currently where two people committed suicide and the house was left in a horrifying state (happened fairly recently). In the house you can pick up a strange energy - it will never ever be a "happy home" that's been loved and cared for by its previous occupants

GreyCarpet · 19/12/2022 00:27

Where do you think most people die? Most people die at home so you'd be hard pressed to find a house where someone hasn't died.

Every single person who is born goes on to die at some point. There is literally no one in the world who is immortal.

There are 8 bn people in the world and all of them are going to die one day. Including you.

This seems like a rather odd thing to be bothered about tbh.

BasiliskStare · 19/12/2022 00:42

My house was rebuilt after a bomb in WWII - pretty sure even if not the house there will have been people who died on the site my house is on. @ houses ago the chap who lived there died in his bed ( our bedroom)

Never once have I seen a ghostly presence. Would you not stay overnight in a hospital because people have died there.

I think if you liked the house & never once felt it to be uncomfortable after 10 years - that's your answer. This is quite different to buying 10 Rillington place or whatever it was

I would not worry a jot about it.

Aquamarine1029 · 19/12/2022 00:44

People of all ages die. Good luck finding somewhere that they don't.

stitchinguru · 19/12/2022 00:52

I have lived in my current home for just over 30 years….
In 2005, I gave birth to my daughter here and in 2019 (Christmas Day) my eldest son died here suddenly and unexpectedly.
And that’s just a fraction of this Victorian house’s history.

good96 · 19/12/2022 01:06

The previous owner of my house died here - and they died peacefully. Personally, I haven’t got an issue with it. If, however, someone was murdered in a property, there is no way I could live in it.
Our house was built in 1898 so over the course of 124 years, there has bound to be more deaths that occurred that I won’t (and will probably never find out the circumstances)

Aquamarine1029 · 19/12/2022 01:08

@stitchinguru I'm so sorry about your son. 💐

JackieDaws · 19/12/2022 01:10

Either buy a new build or get over yourself.

hopsalong · 19/12/2022 01:15

I see where you're coming from. An elderly person in bed I could deal with. A small child would prey on my mind. You're right that it's better it to know these things.

We didn't make an offer on a house that we very much liked a few years ago because the agent let slip (why?) that the previous owner had hanged himself in the kitchen. That was too much for me.

LaBellina · 19/12/2022 01:51

TheaBrandt · 19/12/2022 00:09

Think you need to limit yourself to new builds if you are this sensitive

I’ve had some awful woo stuff happening in my old house and we were the second residents that lived there. Nobody had died in that house and it was farmland for centuries before homes were build there somewhere in the 1990s.

mrssunshinexxx · 19/12/2022 01:54

I think most houses will of had someone die in them

FelicityFlops · 19/12/2022 02:18

Both our parents died at home, their mid to late 80s. We sold the house to a young family, which brings the cycle round full circle as our parents bought the house when I was 2 and a half and my brother was on the way. I do not imagine our buyers gave the death question a moment's thought.
My own house is a little older and I know that all the prevous owners died there. Doesn't bother me at all. Add into that mix the fact that my husband also committed suicide there, nope. It is still my house, where I live.
Death is part of life and totally normal.

lurkinglittleladybug · 19/12/2022 03:25

I can understand why you would feel uncomfortable… It’s the knowing isn’t it… Don’t tell your children and just try to focus on positive things.

If he died peacefully hopefully it’s not changed the energy of the house or caused any haunting

TimWasMeanToMe · 19/12/2022 04:01

whilst I can’t get remotely bothered about a run of the mill death in a house, I do get that traumatic deaths are different. 2 of my friends dad’s killed themselves and both widows found it trickier to sell the houses because of that. I don’t think it would put me off, but I understand why it might for others.

When i last moved we were looking at a very specific group of roads. One of the listings that came up basically said “we advise you to research the history of this property before proceeding”. It was Denis Nilsens old flat. We didn’t look at it because it wasn’t what we were looking for - but even if it was I don’t think I could have lived there.

Sazziz · 19/12/2022 06:49

I've lived here years now knowing an elderly gentleman died here and like I said, it doesn't bother me!!

I just find it upsetting that a CHILD died in really horrible circumstances at the new place.

It feels different and all I'm saying is I wish I wasn't told.

What was the benefit of it?

OP posts:
Scalottia · 19/12/2022 07:02

It's just death - we all do it eventually. Nothing to be afraid of.