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Original poster

Buying a house you think someone might have died in? Yes or no?

156 replies

Aaaghbuying · 18/06/2021 21:00

Saw a lovely house that's just come on. House here go pretty much within a day - think we saw it first.

It clearly belonged to an old person. And was told it's a probate sale.

What I hadn't expected was that the house still had the hospital bed with all the wipes etc by it. All the personal possessions etc. Looks like nothing has been moved or tidied AT ALL since the owner passed away. Which is a bit creepy.

I asked the estate agent if he knew if anyone had died there and he wisely said he hadn't asked as it's an uncomfortable question to ask, which is true.

Genuinely not sure what to do. It will go very soon whatever and ticks all our boxes in terms of size, location and price.

But I'm not sure if I could buy a house someone could have died in? Is that over-sensitive? It's a Victorian property so someone may well have passed away there in the last 140 years.

Views please. Have you done this and regretted it? Or done this and not regretted it? Or couldn't do it?

Thanks.

OP posts:
saraclara · 18/06/2021 23:13

To be honest, I'm surprised that the hospital bed hadn't been collected. They're not purchased, but loaned. After my DH died the bed and other loaned equipment was collected within a couple of days. I didn't want it hanging around any more than the NHS wanted it out of the loan pool unnecessarily.

kookiekook · 18/06/2021 23:13

Wouldn't bother me unless it was a murder or suicide and even then I'd have to know about it to be weirded out by it.

My dad died at home in my parent sold house. Dying at home is what we'd all want surely? Not a bad thing.

GreenClock · 18/06/2021 23:14

I’d want to ensure that the house was going to be cleaned and emptied before completion, but what you describe wouldn’t put me off making an offer.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 18/06/2021 23:18

I lived in a house once where the owner’s son had committed suicide. He hung himself from the staircase. We only found out after we moved in! It was rented and we stayed a year.

Kindnessandcourage · 18/06/2021 23:22

I haven't got a chance to go through all the comments but honestly I would think twice before putting an offer. If seems like you have clearly got a vibe and the hospital bed and all other items simply left there would definitely put me off. If i were you I would definitely try to find out about the circumstances. As it's a probate sale obviously there are beneficiaries and someone paying the agent. So I would like more information from the agent before making up my mind.

Take your time to consider all options. If it's a very old house then you might want to upgrade so need to think about that aspect as well. After all you are going to live in it so and in this case it's best to make an informed decision op.

Gingernaut · 18/06/2021 23:25

I bought my house and copies of death certificates of people who had died in it were included in the title deeds.

Three people, all died from bladder cancer with metatases. Weird.

BunnyRuddington · 18/06/2021 23:27

Three people, all died from bladder cancer with metatases. Weird.

Think I'd be changing the plumbing.

Zebrahooves · 18/06/2021 23:42

We had a ho,e where a previous occupant died in our bedroom. Never bothered us, but the kids wouldn't go in in the dark.

Wouldn't put me off doing so again.

GentlemanBurglar · 19/06/2021 00:47

I wouldn't be keen on buying a house which I knew had had a recent murder, suicide or some violent crime in it but in an old house like that, the walls will have seen a lot so I think a peaceful death of an elderly person is not a big deal.

I recently came some old court records for my area from 100 years ago and there was the most horrific case of a wife killing her persistently violent and abusive husband in self defence, just a few houses down my street; a really upsetting read. I haven't mentioned it to the couple who live there now, but it's all there on the internet for anyone who bothers to Google it.

Agree it's not nice to see all the medical devices but isn't that as much to do with not wanting to consider your own mortality?

AlwaysLatte · 19/06/2021 01:10

I wouldn't think twice about it. Our house is 400 years old and I'm sure lots of people have died in it. Obviously they're not here now though! If I knew a gruesome murder had happened I might feel differently simply because it would be on my mind a lot.

Castlepeak · 19/06/2021 01:38

I could maybe see not wanting to live in a home that was the site of a violent murder, but a simple death wouldn’t bother me.

Plus can you imagine how awful it would be if you think about this from a practical perspective. “Mom, we know you wanted to die at home surrounded by your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but we need to take you to the hospital or it’s going to knock 50% off the price of the house”

stitchinguru · 19/06/2021 01:58

I have lived in a Victorian house for 30 years...
I gave birth to my daughter here, then 14 years later my eldest son died here.
Not sure how ‘saleable’ that makes the property and if the 2 things balance each other out?

Original poster
Aaaghbuying · 19/06/2021 06:02

@BunnyRuddington

Three people, all died from bladder cancer with metatases. Weird.

Think I'd be changing the plumbing.

That would DEFINITELY put me off. Shock
OP posts:
Losttheequipment · 19/06/2021 06:10

My house is about 150 years old, I’m sure someone must have died here. I’ve been here for 25 years with no evidence of ghosts or bad karma. But, you could buy a house that’s 1 year old and someone died in it - unexpected death, or hospice at home arrangement. I think you need to get over this concern, death happens to all of us.

KingdomScrolls · 19/06/2021 06:11

Given how prevalent domestic and sexual abuse is, it's likely something awful has happened in most houses at some point, especially the older properties. The death of an elderly person whilst sad isn't particularly horrific. The wife of the previous owner of our house died here, and her ashes are under the magnolia in the garden. Doesn't bother me, I'm not sleeping in the bed she died in.

Original poster
Aaaghbuying · 19/06/2021 06:50

To clarify, after reading these posts, it's not so much the idea of anyone ever having died there which bothered me, which as people say, is just one of many, many stories in the long history of a house and all its many inhabitants, it was the fact that it looked as though she'd literally died hours earlier and been lifted out the bed, which clearly showed where she'd been lying in the unmade bed. The toilets tolls and wipes piled up showed she was presumably incontinent.

It looked like relatives were in such a hurry to get the house on the market, the second she died they had been on the phone to the agent to put it up for sale, not even strip the bed and hide the loo rolls and wipes, or ask the carer or estate agent to do it if they lived too far away.

It seemed undignified and disrespectful to show that to strangers, and unprofessional to viewers - I don't expect a show home, but the way everything had clearly been left exactly the way it was when she died made it felt more like crime scene than a house for sale!

I've viewed plenty of houses put in the market by relatives after elderly relatives have left and none of them felt or looked like this. They all very clearly belonged to old people, but what came across was a place someone had been happy over many years, so they hadn't want to leave.

That may well also be the case here, but because what you saw in literally the first room you saw when you came in the door was the unmade bed, the happy life was definitely not the impression given. It felt creepy.

OP posts:
shallIswim · 19/06/2021 06:51

My house was built in 1840. I should think many people have died here. Probably very young children as well as old people.
If there's been a recent murder I'd think twice. But deaths? No.

Original poster
Aaaghbuying · 19/06/2021 06:54

@saraclara

To be honest, I'm surprised that the hospital bed hadn't been collected. They're not purchased, but loaned. After my DH died the bed and other loaned equipment was collected within a couple of days. I didn't want it hanging around any more than the NHS wanted it out of the loan pool unnecessarily.
Exactly. It felt like they couldn't even wait 2 days after she'd passed away to wait for the hospital bed to be collected. It felt like an undignified haste for her and unprofessional for potential viewers. Even the agent looked a bit shocked and wouldn't go in the room with the bed.
OP posts:
Thisusedtobeaniceneighbourhood · 19/06/2021 07:03

See the worrying thing for me is whether they’ve got probate sorted or not. If the death really is that recent then it could be a very slow sale.

Original poster
Aaaghbuying · 19/06/2021 07:09

@Thisusedtobeaniceneighbourhood

See the worrying thing for me is whether they’ve got probate sorted or not. If the death really is that recent then it could be a very slow sale.
That's a really, really good point I hadn't thought of.

We're not in any particular hurry to move as we're living in a lovely rental but I had kind of assumed that if buying a property with no chain, then we might manage to buy while the stamp duty reductions were still on.

But if we have to wait for probate, there are really long delays at the moment.

Thanks for mentioning - shall ask the agent.

OP posts:
Thisusedtobeaniceneighbourhood · 19/06/2021 07:15

You just need to clarify it. I think on our house probate might not have been needed because ownership had been transferred some years prior. But I’ve know a few sales get stuck because of probate.

wonkylegs · 19/06/2021 07:18

Hospital beds can be purchased
I know they are often on loan but people do purchase them sometimes if the system is taking too long.
Perhaps the family couldn't cope with dealing with anything so have just left everything.
I have a friend whose father died whilst she was in hospital dealing with her own serious illness. Due to the craziness of the past year she's been unable to get anybody else in to sort anything out but has been forced to sell his home from a distance as care fees are owed on his estate. It could be similar circumstances.

Pinkmagic1 · 19/06/2021 07:19

I think I would think twice about a murder or suicide, but any other death wouldn't worry me.

HandforthParishCouncilClerk · 19/06/2021 07:19

Our house was built in the 1860s. People have definitely died here. It’s a lovely, happy house.

I think what matters about a house is how the people in it lived, not that they died. That Doris died from emphysema in the spare room would bother me much less than if she’d been a chain smoker or buried 60 cats in the back garden!

NotJustAnyOldDog · 19/06/2021 07:32

As long as there weren’t still there I’d be fine with it!