House where previous owner died in a fire

[UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername]

We have a viewing of a very interesting property next week, but there's a lot of smoke damage and a hole in the roof from a fire in which the owner died. Obviously if we bought it, the first step in the renovations would be professional cleaning.

I'm not overly bothered by it myself, I don't think, but we have 14 and 12 year olds and I'm worried about it from that perspective. Am I mad to even consider it?

How do they feel about it? I should think that's your answer.

It wouldn’t bother me at all I wouldn’t tolerate any dramatics from the kids about it, either 🤣

Very sad thing to happen but that’s where it ends.

I’d hate this tbh

As a child it would have worried me.

My parents inherited my grandparents old villa.townhouse. it was 5 storeys high, they took in guests in the summer, and closed down 3 storeys in winter - except my choice was outside lavatory or go up to the guest bathrooms. I hated it. The hoise scared me! It didn't help there were stuffed aminal heads on the walls either.

When Mum said we might be moving there I cried and cried. It was completely genuine. I had a huge imagination and I was really scared by it.

They sold it and our own home and bought a different place.

This would really upset me. Irrational probably, but I wouldn’t consider buying it in those circumstances personally.

I don't think I'd consider this tbh. Knowing someone had died in horrible circumstances... wouldn't want that to be my bedroom tbh :/

If they gave me the house for free I wouldn't live in it.

I'm a bit woo about those types of things. It would bother me far too much.

My uncle died in a fire in my grandmother's house just before I was born. As a child I felt sick staying there. Even as an adult I didn't like it.
The thought of what had happened was very scary for me at that age. No-one explicitly talked to me about it but even as a child you pick up on things. Especially older children.
Be guided by how your kids feel. What have they said about it?

Nope. Not for me.

I can see why someone might find it upsetting.

But! So much of the housing stock in the UK is ancient. I bet most houses have had someone die in them under some circumstances - natural or otherwise.

It's a no from me
And surely they cleaned it up before marketing? That's grim if not

No, and you’ll probably give your kids some form of health anxiety with all those thoughts of a tragic death

Wouldn't be for me. I don't think I'd feel safe.

Nope I couldn’t do it. I could possibly buy a house that had witnessed a non recent murder, but a fire death is too visceral, especially if you have to put right the damage yourself.

No it wouldn't worry me.

The previous owner died in my home and over the 250 years of its existance I'm sure sh wasn't the only one.

I found out as an adult that the previous owner of our house had shot himself in my childhood bedroom. Probably for the best I didn't know as a child, but it had zero effect on our occupation of the house. I'd get a thorough survey for damage, but assuming that wasn't a concern, I'd enjoy the discount.

I think I’d want it totally renovated before moving in for the kids and myself. People do die in houses and it’s not something we like to think about, but I don’t think it should render houses unfit for habitation. Friends of mine own a notorious house where hellish murders were committed. The address is as well known as 10 Rillington Place. However it’s a normal suburban house with a nice garden where I’ve had bbqs.

Sorry but this is my worst nightmare and younger me would have been very disturbed by this. Maybe don't tell them about the history if you think you might go ahead with the purchase. Having said that, I'm very sensitive to this kind of thing, so if you're not that bothered by it and can grab a bargain go for it!

I don't think a death by fire qould bother me but I was told by a neighbour that the house they bought was on for a quick sale decades ago because the father of the family had tortured the wife and kids in it for years before ending up in a psychiatric ward. E.g. locked in rooms, starved, beaten. I could not get my head round knowingly living in a room that had been someone else's living nightmare. It seemed too horrific.

Nope from me. That’s too recent and violent.

one of our previous houses, very ‘normal’ 1980s house on a cul de sac, I had really bad dreams and nightmares there. Lots of sleep walking too.
i dreamt every night of streams of paper with numbers in coming down the corridor from the guest room.
the guest room was always freezing cold too.
when we sold (not for that reason at all) the neighbour told me that a previous owner had hung himself in the guest room.
i don’t know what to make of it.
no such nightmares since then btw

I wouldn't. It would really put me off. There quite a difference between a recent fire death which will come up whenever anyone googles it and some random elderly man dying in an old house 100 years ago.

Interestingly my DH bought a house in London just as you describe before we got together. By the time I moved in all the smoke damage (except inside one cupboard!) had been sorted out.
I loved that house and despite the sad story (2 old ladies had died) it always had a lovely atmosphere.

Ooh though there was one time I smelled perfume on the top stairs and we never could work out where that came from! But I would say it wasn't a problem for us, we loved living there.

I think this is one of those situations where your children should be allowed a say in the matter.

It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest but one of my DS’s would refuse to stay in a house where he knew something like that had happened. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to get him to spend a single night there.

It depends on the extent of the damage. If fire fighting hoses were used they can introduce a lot of water into the building which can create mould issues over time if the property is left empty and unheated. I worked on a fire damaged property where anyone visiting had to wear hazmat suits the mould got so bad.