Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want to not want to live in a house where someone has died?

152 replies

lola0109 · 22/10/2010 14:49

Ok, we live in a street that we love but our house is just too small and garden doesn't get the sun. That would be our reasons for ever moving. But the house across the road has an extra bedroom, extra living space (oh to have a playroom), a conservatory and a drive! We have a lovely old lady neighbour in this house, really lovely.

Anyway, DP and I always say that we want her house and DP (who has a sick sense of humour) always say well Mrs xxx won't be around forever so we could get her house. This will never happen, she has 9 kids and a gazillion grandkids and great grandkids.

But I've always sais the only way she'll leave that house is in a box. And I refuse to buy a house knowing someone has died in it. DP thinks this is ridiculous as it is possible someone died in our current house, but I don't know that.

Would you live in a house knowing someone had died in it?

Disclaimer: Both DP and I think Mrs xxx is fantastic and wish her a long and happy life!

OP posts:
southeastastra · 22/10/2010 14:51

er yes - why would them dying in it made you nervous? though would probably draw the line at murdered

MaMoTTaT · 22/10/2010 14:52

wouldn't bother me - it's almost certain if you buy an older house that someone has died in it at some point in the past.

WhatsThatDuckDoingThere · 22/10/2010 14:52

There's a good chance that someone has died in my house, seeing as how it's over 100 years old. I can't say it's ever bothered me.

Original poster
lola0109 · 22/10/2010 14:52

Just to point out southeast we have no plans of murdering her Grin

I don't think I could live somewhere knowing that their "spirit" is still floating about! [shudder]

OP posts:
sethstarkaddersmummyreturns · 22/10/2010 14:53

I can't imagine I've ever lived in a house in which no-one has died! You'd better look for a new-build if you want to be absolutely certain Wink

I wouldn't have the slightest problem with it.

lal123 · 22/10/2010 14:53

wouldn't bother me - my gran died in our house when she lived with us - we didn't move out?!

HeadFairy · 22/10/2010 14:53

depends on the way in which they died, murdered? Erm, no thanks. Very aged lady dying after a long and happy life..? probably. We viewed a house that was being sold by the family of the old lady who'd previously owned it, I think she'd died in the house too, the agent hinted at it but didn't say anything too specific. We only decided against it as there was a lot of work and I was pg and couldn't face just how much work there was to be done.

mumblechum · 22/10/2010 14:53

The day we signed the contracts on our house, the vendor died Sad. We obviously offered to rescind the contract, but his wife insisted on going ahead.

TBH it didn't bother me in the slightest.

Unless you live in a new build (which is what I class anything newer than 30 yrs old), the chances are that someone, at sometime, has died in your house.

missmoopy · 22/10/2010 14:53

Someone has probably died in most houses surely?? Even the one you live in now?

Unless you buy a house from new you can't know its history really.

pagwatch · 22/10/2010 14:53

but lots of people have died in houses over the years?
I think the ladies who owned this house both died here.

As long as they leave I don't care.

My grandad died at my mums house and we couldn't exactly just moved out afterwards. She had him laid out in my old bedroom. I tried not to think of it as a hint

Decorhate · 22/10/2010 14:53

YABU and I think you know it! Our house is over 100 years old so chances are that someone has died in it at some stage. Plus my granddad lived with us when we were little, ok he died in hospital rather than at home but my parents wouldn't have moved house just because he died...

TrillianSlasher · 22/10/2010 14:54

You wuss.

If they had been murdered, well, that's better than living in a house where there has been an attempted murder and the wouldbe murdered doesn't know that the victim has moved [hgrin]

GiddyPickle · 22/10/2010 14:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
lola0109 · 22/10/2010 14:55

I'm aware someone may have died in our house, although fairly new built in 70's. But i don't know. I can ignore things I don't know as fact Grin

OP posts:
pompadourprincess · 22/10/2010 14:58

I went to view a house a few years ago and was told that 3 people were murdered in there and the murderer also killed himself in the property . As you can imagine we decided against it.
We would have moved in there on Halloween as well. Now that's just tempting fate!

pagwatch · 22/10/2010 14:58

DH and I arrived just after my grandad had died.

" yes, it was such a comfort" my mum said " he called me because he said he felt dizzy so I helped him to sit on the bed and just hugged him and itwas just like he dfited off"

"Oh that is a comfort for you mummy Pag" said DH

"yes. It is comforting. Come upstairs. He is in Pags old bed. You can say goodbye"

Dh spluttered and did this Shock " errrrr. noooooo. Perhaps another time...."

Grin

s next time she has a dead old bloke upstairs Dh will be right there.

anonymousbrainsnatcher · 22/10/2010 15:00

My former neighbours moved up the road into a house where someone had been MURDERED a year before. Now that really gave me the heeby jeebies, though of course that is still utterly irrational and unreasonable. And the house had been completely renovated, blood wiped up etc. Wink

I could get over the fact that someone died there. In fact, come to think of it, DH's gran died in the house we now live in...

sethstarkaddersmummyreturns · 22/10/2010 15:01

what about if someone had been born in your house? Would that be a plus? Smile

anonymousbrainsnatcher · 22/10/2010 15:02

And my house is 250 years + old, so chances are, DH's nan wasn't the first.....

MillyR · 22/10/2010 15:02

But you could buy a new build and then find out it has been built on top of some prehistoric burial site, or on a mass burial pit from the Civil War, or on the site of a former gibbet.

I think you are better off in an old house where people have died peacefully.

darcymum · 22/10/2010 15:02

My house is over 300 years old so I bet loads of people have died here... on the bright side, I bet lots have been born here as well!

MadreInglese · 22/10/2010 15:02

people die in most houses but I know what you mean

BIL & SIL bought a house where the previous owner had hung himself in one of the bedrooms Sad. We went to stay with them for a few days and I was worried it would freak me out but tbh it was a lovely house and not scary at all (I never asked which bedroom though!)

BaggyCoconut · 22/10/2010 15:03

I personally do not have an issue with living in a property knowing someone had dies in there. My mother actually passed away very unexpectedly whilst visiting us in the place we used to live in. I am of the firm belief that life ends when you die, I do not believe in the slightest in the soul or a spirit. Life is natures way of keeping meat fresh to quote Dr Who. Grin

However if you personally do not like the thought of living somewhere that you know has had sopmebody die in, then that is completely your choice. Everybody has different things that put them off houses and YANBU to have yours!

FakePlasticTrees · 22/10/2010 15:03

If it makes you feel any better, she probably won't die in the house, most elderly people die elsewhere (hospitals, hospices, care homes etc). Very few people get to die in their own beds now.

(gosh, what a lighthearted thread for a friday afternoon)

NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe · 22/10/2010 15:04

Last house the previous owner comitted suicide as he didn't want to move house. That was nearly 200 years old as is our current so I'm sure there will have been a feww deaths over the years but no ghosties [hhmm]