Death in property

[Bubbles121]

Hi all! I'm posting here for traffic, I don't really have an AIBU...

How do you know if someone died in your house when you're moving? Is there a website or something like in America which tells you - or does the agent or vendor have to disclose it to you?

Secret witch are you sure it is a mourning room. Old houses had Morning rooms which were used in the mornings and a drawing room for the ladies to withdraw to after dinner

@Stillme1, yes, it’s a mourning room. Popular in US homes built from 1887 to the early twentieth century. We have no pictures of any mourners or dead but our neighbour has a very stunning photo of three children seated on a chair in her breakfast room (once mourning room) one of which was a dead child.

I am sure some people have died in the house I live in, its about 160 years old. It might be me next,, as am an oldie, ha ha.. I try not to think about these things really, as don't wish to get paranoid about it.. but its fairly obvious, that there must have been a death here years ago at some point.

I have seen photo's of my little house from way back, its very tiny, just me and my three cats here now, but believe that a family of 7 or 8 lived here many years ago, and I only have one bedroom, and a sizeable attic room. So all the cramped living in the old days, and the health matters that would have been, perhaps there were some deaths in my house.. but I don't have any issues with ghosts ha ha,

Our house is ancient and so I'm fairly sure someone will have passed away here at least once in the past from natural causes. It doesn't bother me. A family member passed away in my childhood home from natural causes. We continued to live there. Again, it didn't bother me, even as a child. The loss of them bothered me deeply of course, but the fact that they'd passed away at home didn't spoil the home. In a way, it helped me to remember them and maintain the feeling of connection.

A violent crime or death would be another matter though. I wouldn't choose to live in a house where I knew that had happened. I wouldn't be able to forget it, and it would spoil the home for me. Even a bargain price or extensive changes to the house wouldn't persuade me, and I wouldn't want the DCs to know their home had that history either.

Talk to a real estate agent. In some areas you must disclose it if asked. I think it would be difficult in your situation though. You could pay someone to research the house if you are worried?

Omg that would bother me! It's like the beginning of a horror film! A grisly murder with an axe, a suicide, a creepy note ... Definitely find out first! I'd not be sleeping at night if there was even a chance that had happened in my house!

Here's JOHNNY!!

I bought my house a few weeks after my 18th birthday - so did not know all that much about life.

I found out a week after moving in I discovered the previous owner had dropped dead in the kitchen and not been found for several days - right where I stand and cook my dinner.

It totally freaked me out.......for about 24hrs and then I forgot all about it and probably rarely thought about it again and definately not in last 20 years - still in my house 35yrs later.

In honesty if you are someone who jumps at shadows or believes in ghosts then it might not be the best idea to buy a house where you know this history. However calm and rational you are at 10am may be completely different at 3.30am on a sleepless night when you hear a creak.

But if like me you do not believe in ghosts/afterlife/vibes attaching to inanimate objects then it simply would not be an issue.

if it's in London, you can find out if it was near any fallen bombs, which would almost certainly had led to some deaths.

bombsight.org/#15/51.5050/-0.0900

Posted upthread about selling my late father’s house in which he recently died. Got a call from agent yesterday saying that ‘helpful’ ndn had spoken to a viewer before EA arrived and informed him that my dad had died there. EA said they don’t volunteer this info to viewers but will be truthful if asked as it can put some people off. Tbh if I was viewing somewhere with no onward chain I would assume that maybe the owner had died. Don’t you just love ‘helpful neighbours? 🙄

Alexa - go round and see ndn and tell them that sadly, as the last viewer hadn't bought you'll now have to let it out. But that's OK, you already have interest from the Council who are looking for somewhere to house those recently released whilst they acclimatise to life outside again :)

Alexa - It possibly wasn't the fact that your father had passed away in the house that put the viewers off. It was probably the fact that there's a gossipy, stick-their-beak-in neighbour living next door. Condolences.