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Original poster

Would you buy a house where someone had recently died?

145 replies

NotSureICan · 26/11/2020 20:18

Bit of a trigger warning - suicide.

Title slightly misleading, of course lots of people have died in houses especially old ones. But how would you feel about a very recent death?

We've had our offer accepted on a house which ticks all the boxes. We like the house and it has a nice feel. We've also got a buyer for ours and now trying to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday if we can, so wanting to move quickly! However after some googling today, I've discovered that unfortunately the previous occupant committed suicide in the house a few months ago. I don't have any further details (other than cause of death but I won't mention here), so not sure where in the house it happened or if it was in one of the 2 outbuildings. I also believe the person lived alone, so without being too grisly, I'm not sure how long they were there for before discovery Sad

I phoned the agent to check what has happened and they have outright lied to me. Said the house was owned by an elderly gentleman who has since died in care. When we first viewed the house, the agent said the sale was due to a death and I asked if this was in the house and they said they didn't know. Agent today says definitely not. I'm wondering if perhaps the vendor hasn't been honest with them. It looks as though the owners relative was living there after the owner went into care.

I'm not sure what to do now. Am I being a bit silly by feeling a bit weird about it? The house actually had a nice feel when we looked around and the second viewing we were in there on our own and it didn't feel spooky or unhappy! However I feel quite annoyed that they've lied to us, and especially as the vendor really pushed us up on the price (the house needs a lot of work doing to it so the price reflects that, but we've probably offered £5k more than we wanted to).

OP posts:
Original poster
NotSureICan · 26/11/2020 22:53

@coolerthanapolarbearstoenails thank you, I really wish you all the best for your new start.

OP posts:
AngelDelightUK · 26/11/2020 22:57

Sorry I’m a bit confused!! Who is it who’s actually died and who is it who’s selling?

In your OP, it says the owner died in the house, but then later on that his relative moved in when he went into care. So was it the relative who died? This would influence me slightly. Who is it who’s actually selling the property, is it family of whoever died?

Original poster
NotSureICan · 26/11/2020 23:04

Sorry @angeldelightuk I've probably confused everyone and the thread has moved so fast, I've been trying to keep up on my phone! So the agent has only told us about the 'owner', who I believe is the elderly deceased person. They have not mentioned about the relative who has committed suicide recently, but we know from the information we have discovered today that this relative was the last person to live in the house and died in the house. I think legally the 'owner' is the elderly person, but in my OP I was referring to the 'owner' as the last person who lived there which I can see now has confused it a bit. Sorry about that.

OP posts:
AlwaysLatte · 26/11/2020 23:04

I don't believe it ghosts so it wouldn't bother me. Our house is 400 years old so I'm pretty sure there would have been a death or two here! (Births too though). There hasn't been a whiff of ghosty stuff here.

AlwaysLatte · 26/11/2020 23:05

(Not to say I wouldn't be very sorry for the poor soul who felt they had to take their own life of course).

August20 · 26/11/2020 23:14

A house where a natural death occurred would not bother me presuming the person had been found quickly or not died alone.

I don't know if a murder or suicide from a very long time ago would bother me (e.g. in the 19th century).

A recent murder or suicide would bother me. I would also be put off if a body had been left for a long time no matter the cause of death. In the circumstances described I think I would be put off.

Yellownotblue · 26/11/2020 23:15

Death is a part of life. It’s not doing you any favours to think of it as a terrible taboo thing. Let’s say you need surgery and are in hospital overnight; it is perfectly possible that someone died on that very bed. What’s the point of dwelling on that? It’s something that happens, literally, to all of us.

A lot of houses have had people die in them. A lot more houses have seen people suffer tremendously, through abuse, sickness, violence, or just bad luck. Houses don’t have memories.

Carouselfish · 26/11/2020 23:20

It would put me off a bit although all old houses will have had someone die in them, it's the manner I suppose that is offputting. I live in a tiny hamlet where two houses have had murders albeit a couple of centuries ago! One does admittedly have a high turnover of owners! Maybe you could have it...spiritually cleansed if that's not too ridiculous. If it does sound ridiculous then there's no reason to not want the house.

feliciabirthgiver · 26/11/2020 23:26

People sadly die in all sorts of places, hospitals, homes, hotels, swimming pools, supermarkets, crossing the road - not trying to be morbid but hopefully just giving you some perspective that you already spend time in places where people have died without giving it a a second thought. Good luck in whatever decision you make.

justgeton · 26/11/2020 23:28

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

Skittlebug · 26/11/2020 23:33

I can see two sides, I think I would feel guilty about trying to have the happiest times of my life knowing it was where someone had the lowest time of their life and maybe that would bother me until I settled in. But perhaps in a way, if you do love the house and it is the one, by buying the house you are easing the burden of the relatives who have to deal with two losses and therefore good is coming from a sad situation.

Miljea · 26/11/2020 23:40

My DM living alone, suffered a brain haemorrhage, we found her, off to hospital, died 8 days later; so DB and I sold the house (after brightening it up a bit).

The EA was dancing around the point til I got his drift and said that mum had died in hospital, not in the house. He said we'd be surprised how many potential buyers would want to know that!

hugocat · 27/11/2020 00:14

Why don't you get the house blessed by a priest or holy person of what religion you are?

Yellownotblue · 27/11/2020 00:16

Bit of trivia: in some parts of Asia, there are much stronger negative associations with violent deaths (murder, suicidal) as there are large parts of the population who believe in ghosts/spirits. In Hong Kong, it is a legal requirement that EAs disclose if someone was murdered or committed suicide. Rent/house prices are always discounted to reflect that, by as much as 25%.

A colleague (lawyer) told me he’d once been instructed by a landlord to see if he could sue the estate of his tenant, who committed suicide, for wrongfully depreciating his property.

MadameBlobby · 27/11/2020 00:20

Oh I don’t know. I think how it happened would make me feel I was benefitting from a terrible tragedy

Mrsmummy90 · 27/11/2020 00:26

My house was built is 1853 so I have accepted the fact that at some point, someone will probably have died in it.
If I'd found out the death was in the past year, I'd be really creeped out.

OrangeIsTheNewTwat · 27/11/2020 00:38

Wouldn't bother me. Unless they'd been dead & not found for ages & it hadn't been cleaned properly. At least one person died in the house I grew up in. Not peacefully in their sleep, either.

katy1213 · 27/11/2020 00:57

What difference can it possibly make to you?

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 27/11/2020 01:01

No, it wouldn't stop me buying the house.

Dead bodies don't bother me.

Suicide obviously bothers me from the POV that the person was in a bad place - but it's hugely unlikely the house was the cause of that. So although I'd be sad they took their own life, the fact that they did it in the house wouldn't be an issue for me.

In fact I'd be more bothered about putting a baby/child in a bedroom where a child had died of 'natural causes/unexpectedly'

We all have things we feel 'weird' about, sensible or not.

I don't think the agent has really lied to you, the owner did die in the care-home, the temporary occupant took his own life there.

From a purely practical POV I wonder if you'll have problems selling in the future- that might concern me, depending on my plans.

Smallgoon · 27/11/2020 01:07

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. But then I don't believe in ghosts either.

grassisjeweled · 27/11/2020 01:30

I honestly think it would always weigh on my mind

IdblowJonSnow · 27/11/2020 01:36

It would really bother me and I'd be imagining sixth sense type scenes all over the place.

Way over active imagination here Blush

Justlovedogs · 27/11/2020 01:51

What difference does it make? The previous owner of our current home (a work friend of DH's) tried suicide twice - unsuccessfully, I might add. Was nothing to do with us, so why would it have an impact on us buying the house? Confused

AngelDelightUK · 27/11/2020 04:13

I think it would bother me less that it was a relative who was staying there. Had it been the owner who’d lived there for years I’d worry about what else went on just in case it was cursed. But the fact it was a relative, who hadn’t been there for that long it seems, I don’t think it’s as spooky.

How did you find out? I’m just being nosey now!!!

pinkyboots1 · 27/11/2020 05:24

Wouldn't bother me at all which is a good job because I live in social housing. As a teen we moved into a house where the old guy had fell down the stairs and died at the bottom. Sounds awful but at the time I was just grateful to be moving away from the old place.