Would you want to know if someone died where you're moving in to?

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BrexitVoter@reddit

Yeah they legally have to tell you if the house is haunted. But they just sort of have to slip it in.

So for example, if you said, "oh it feels a bit drafty"

They can just say;

"The windows are are double glazed, that will be the ghost but we can have the owner re-seal any windows to stop potential drafts"

It's ludicrous they can get away with this. They should have to be explicit, but the law isn't very well written.

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BrexitVoter@reddit

Bet you feel pretty silly now. Turns out, it DOES have a basis in law.

If you have any specific other topics you need fact checking, feel free to let me know.

Did I tell you about the immune system?

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Elegant_Run_8567@reddit

You just have to slip it in, so you’ll get caught out if you have a snidey estate agent

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CynicalSorcerer@reddit

Its nit a thing. "haunted" has no basis in law.

If your gonna throw the word "legally" in your statement, im gonna need a citation.

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Elegant_Run_8567@reddit

If the house wasn’t haunted, why was a ghost whizzing around?

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Silly-Industry1527@reddit

Excuse me, lads, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I've got some post here for God. Is he about?

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No_Atmosphere8146@reddit

"You never see a black ghost"

Law Book 86, Chapter 247, Hundreth paragraph.

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ciano232@reddit

Yes, please check the facts for scientific security.

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Sutty100@reddit

I've seen the same law. It was on the internet

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CaizaSoze@reddit

Oh, sorry! I thought it was shite. I didn’t know it was on the internet.

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Six_of_1@reddit

That's not really a problem though because ghosts aren't real.

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Arstulex@reddit

That's supposed to satisfy me is it? You saying that somebody else's aunty saw one?

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Silly-Industry1527@reddit

Speaking of people who can't get no satisfaction, can I just take this opportunity to wish Sir Mick Jagger a very happy birthday this year.

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AnteaterSnouce@reddit

bollocks. what's the code for that law then? all their laws have a sort of code.

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Elegant_Run_8567@reddit

Can I just confirm how many candle you’re burning?

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McFry__@reddit

Nevermind the code, where’ve you been for 3 days?

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CaizaSoze@reddit

Was Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones anything to do with this at all?

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No_Atmosphere8146@reddit

A fella took out its heart, blended it, burnt it, put it in some water and drank it and now he's in prison. Now, if it wasn't dodgy stuff, why's he in prison?

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McFry__@reddit

Oh they just have to slip it in yeah, so in court they’d say did you slip it in and he says yeah I slipped it in, play a record

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WanderingBasenji@reddit

Doesn't bother me at all. I lived with a family member who died in her sleep a few months back. I'm still living in the house until it gets sold.

I used to think the various noises in the house were her getting up, moving around, opening doors etc, but I still hear them.

So either the house creaks and bangs a lot more than I realised, or she's still here.

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strodey123@reddit

I would imagine alot of houses have had someone die in them.

My Mum died in our living room.

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My grandma bled to death in her bedroom (not suspicious) and the people who have lived in that house since the house had a refurb after she died 16 years ago knew her and knew what happened. So they must be fine with it?

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iffyClyro@reddit

Almost every house in the country has had someone die in it.

Source: Police Officer for years, been to lots of deaths in the community.

Life isn’t like TV, people don’t tend to die comfortably in hospitals or screaming in pain the back of an ambulance.

They go for a shite and have a stroke on the toilet or their heart stops in their sleep. That’s life.

If they have a dog sometimes their dog will eat their feet.

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Inevitable-Debt4312@reddit

Can I just say thanks for doing the job you do/did. It’s a strange job, that most of us hardly ever need to consider.

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iffyClyro@reddit

You’re welcome but honestly I’m quite philosophical about it.

It’s an essential part of life and someone has to do it. It’s uncomfortable and traumatic at times(children, young adults, suicides) but more often than not it’s simply putting a family at ease and making them a cup of tea and maybe making some phone calls for them.

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vipros42@reddit

I have a few friends in the police, mix of roles but some traumatic stuff across the board. Admirable resilience all of them.
I also dig your username.

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colin_staples@reddit

They go for a shite and have a stroke on the toilet

Elvis has left the building

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Spiritual_Alfalfa_32@reddit

Number of times I’ve used that excuse for being late off my break at work.

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Which-World-6533@reddit

Almost every house in the country has had someone die in it.

Source: Police Officer for years, been to lots of deaths in the community.

Life isn’t like TV, people don’t tend to die comfortably in hospitals or screaming in pain the back of an ambulance.

Maybe stop murdering people, Officer...?

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iffyClyro@reddit

Common misconception.

Police tend to deal with most deaths in the community. Medical, unexplained, sudden, suicide and suspicious deaths all fall into the scope of the police in one capacity or another.

I know you’re trying to make a joke but just thought it was worth highlighting this. Beat cops will see baby/child deaths and stuff on a fairly regular basis as well as all the other traumatic events they go through.

It’s actually quite a serious issue that’s only now beginning to be understood.

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mronion82@reddit

I used to take 999 calls.

Usually you pass people on to whatever service they ask for, but a woman dialled in just screaming and screaming. I heard 'please' and 'my baby', but I couldn't get anything else out of her.

I connected to the police and passed the address over, and they asked me to keep the line open. After maybe five or ten minutes the line flashed so I went back to it.

Normally the officer just asks you to clear the line, friendly, a little banter. This guy was stony, he'd obviously come across a horrible scene.

He asked me if I'd spoken to the woman at all, I explained that I hadn't really. He said I'd probably hear back about this one.

I never did, and I still don't know what happened. But the flat, desolate tone of the officer's voice... it must have been something truly awful.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

While I'm aware of that I know many people who can't cope with the concept of death. I'm not really sure what the average person's approach to death is

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MangoMandingo633@reddit

I wonder why the feet?

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BertieBus@reddit

My spaniel does love a sock. Makes sense that when his collection of socks dies up, he moves onto the next best thing.

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iffyClyro@reddit

The most aggressive dog I ever dealt with was a spaniel, which is quite a juxtaposition. Pretty sure he blamed me that his owner wasn’t waking up. Poor wee guy.

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PsychologySpecific16@reddit

I had to re-read that first sentence 😂😂😂 I was about to call the RSPCA.

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iffyClyro@reddit

One theory is the dog isn’t “eating” to sustain itself but rather trying to remove the infection, toes go black first and the dog may think it’s saving the owners life.

Which may well just be cope but an interesting theory.

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hartlandking@reddit

Also another theory is that the dog is trying to rouse the owner by licking which becomes increasingly frenzied, tipping into breaking the skin which then activates the animal's primal urges so it becomes biting and eating

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iffyClyro@reddit

I was literally just reading that. Quite interesting but honestly quite disturbing when you encounter a human in that condition so I’m going to stop giving myself flashbacks and stop reading about it.

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oscarx-ray@reddit

Both homes I've moved into were over 100 years old, I imagine a few people died in them.

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filbert94@reddit

Yes. Tell me everything.

Everything.

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ResplendentBear@reddit

I feel like you're wanting to start drama here. If someone asks who the previous tenant was you don't tend to specify where they died.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

What do you mean, "starting drama"?

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ResplendentBear@reddit

I don't see what possible upside to sharing this information there is, other than getting to share some gossip. Hence it feels like the only reason to say anything is to be a drama llama.

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No_Pea-1@reddit

Youre either starting drama or this is your first experience regarding death.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

That doesn't answer the question, what "drama" is there to start?

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No_Pea-1@reddit

It's not your tragedy to speak about, and if there sellers of the property have chosen not to share details with the buyer, then you dont need to either.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

It's rented, which is obvious if you read the post because I mention tenants. They likely will not have been told.

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Boboshady@reddit

Violent deaths and arguably suicides should be disclosed to potential buyers, at risk of falling foul of the Consumer Protection Regulations. Basically anything that might materially inform someone's decision on buying a property should be disclosed.

Note, this generally excludes death by natural causes, as this is just life going on (or not, in the case of the deceased, but you know what I mean).

It's not strictly a legal requirement, but one could find themselves being sued if not disclosed and the buyer later decided they wouldn't have bought the property had they known.

So, generally best to disclose.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

I did wonder similar but it's rented so I'm not sure if that applies. It was also death due to an eating disorder so I guess whether it was a suicide is debatable

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Boboshady@reddit

The coroner would ultimately decide if it was suicide, but I'd be surprised if an eating disorder was counted as such - the intention isn't to die with such things, if nothing else.

And yeah, I don't think it applies to rentals anyway.

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BusyBeeBridgette@reddit

That's more of an American thing. They tend to lower house prices some what if a person died on the property. The only properties in the UK that can be guaranteed to have no deaths on the property are same year new builds.

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Sszaj@reddit

Even then, I wouldn't be too surprised if a tradesperson had died on site before the houses were complete.

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hepheastus_87@reddit

What makes you say you wouldn't be surprised? I'd be very surprised if a tradesman died on a site.

Quicl google tells me there were 35 deaths across the whole of the UK last year

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colin_staples@reddit

My house was built in 1935

I would be shocked if nobody had died in it

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Holiday_Cat_7284@reddit

Our previous owner died in the bedroom we sleep in. It's been a very happy house (and bedroom lol) so maybe her spirit approves of us. Makes zero difference knowing someone died there, she probably wasn't the only one either

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MrCowabs@reddit

One of my son’s friends moved into a council house recently and the council person decided to tell the family the old tenant died in the house in front of the children (10, 5 & 3). It’s been about 3 months now and the kids are finally managing to actually sleep there without begging to go to their gran’s.

If you do tell the new occupant, don’t do it in front of their kids (if they have any).

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donalmacc@reddit

I can say for sure - one thing I absolutely don’t want is for the first thing my neighbour tells me to be how the previous owner died in the house!

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snakeoildriller@reddit

Absolutely! We looked at a prospective property that had some really strange and depressing vibes, and asked the estate agent showing us around "if anything bad had happened here". She just grimaced and moved us on to the next room. That was a big nope for us.

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OverlyAdorable@reddit

Well, that all depends on whether the body will have been removed by the time I move in or not.

On a serious note, it'd depend on how they died. Only things that would concern me would be things like if they were murdered and there was any chance the murderer could return, if there were several deaths that were all put down as accidental, or it was a carbon monoxide leak

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On_The_Blindside@reddit

Honestly it's not really your place to say anything unless asked directly.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

That's the question though, if I am asked directly about the previous tenant would most people prefer they are lied to

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No_Pea-1@reddit

What happened to the previous tenant?

Oh he died. Heart attack.

No gory details needed. You dont need to be unkind to their family by saying he died right there on the kitchen floor.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

Yes that's what I would say but I feel like even that would be too much for a lot of people.

I had no intention of giving "gory details" and I have no idea why people are assuming I would.

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OnlymyOP@reddit

Pretty much everyone lives in a property where someone has died... I'd only care if it was a violent death.

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Chris-TT@reddit

Pretty simple. If they ask, tell them. If they don’t, keep it to yourself. I certainly wouldn’t be knocking on their door saying, “Hi, I’m MasterFrost01 from next door. Did you know the last owners died in your bedroom a couple of months ago?! Let’s hope your new home’s not haunted!"

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

How are so many people incapable of reading the post? I clearly said "if they ask about previous tenants" not "should I bang on the door and tell them someone died in their house".

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seasonseasonseas@reddit

I'm not sure why it would be big news that someone died in a house. It can't be that uncommon? It sounds nicer than dying in hospital. A gory death is horrible,. obviously, but it doesn't change the house does it?

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BeardedBaldMan@reddit

I assume that many people have been born and died and houses I live in.

Providing they didn't rot and seep into the floorboards I'd be unconcerned, otherwise I'd want the floorboards swapping out

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iffyClyro@reddit

Oh boy, I’ve got some bad news for you.

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Over-Language2599@reddit

Well at least that gave me a good laugh, thanks.

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Tonybham01@reddit

I live in a retirement complex, so it’s almost certain to be the case.

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Which-World-6533@reddit

It really depends on how that person died.

Died in their sleep of old age...? Not worried about.

Murdered in their bed and the suspect is a neighbour who's on the run...? Worried.

Died in the sleep of carbon monoxide poisoning...? Very worried.

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

They were young and died of an eating disorder. I was told they "collapsed" so I assume they weren't asleep at the time

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Anxious_wank@reddit

Spoilers. Most old houses have had more than one person die in them.

New build houses from the 80s? I'd still expect some kind of deaths involved but more likely to be suicide/OD's.

I wouldn't even ask, not because I'm bothered, but because it's irrelevant.

If it was a house where death(s) had reached national news I'd have concerns but only because I can imagine I'd get fed up of being asked about it.

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CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit

Only if I ask for it. I assume people died in some of the places I've lived.
And if you buy it "from" the person who passed away, you will usually know as the seller/their family have to go through probate and that is usually checked by your lawyer.

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forgetthesolution@reddit

I think it depends how recent it was. If the last person who lived there died in a horrible way a few months before, then I wouldn’t want to know really.

My old neighbour died in the flat next to mine from an eating disorder last year, which everyone in the building knows about. I often wonder whether the new tenant has any idea but I certainly don’t think she’d want to know

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

Yes, I probably didn't need to be coy about the details but it was an eating disorder, which is why I said relatively peacefully 😬. And it was recent and they were young

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No-Snow-9605@reddit

Death is a fact of life,, it's one of the few things we will all experience. Why lie if they ask ?

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

I agree but I'm aware how soft many people in this country are

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IcyPuffin@reddit

No, i wouldnt want to know. While i am aware that many houses will have had someone die in them and that there would be a good chance that someone had passed away in the house i lived in, i wouldnt want to know for sure.

If asked, i would just say the neighbour passed away. You dont have to go into detail. That would likely be enough information for anyone.

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Suspicious-Case3861@reddit

What a weird thing to say to someone when they moved in.

Here's a thought take them some donuts and introduce yourself and welcome and congratulations

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

Are you cable of reading? I clearly said "if they ask about previous tenants".

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fleshcircuits@reddit

introducing yourself by telling a new neighbour the gory details of the previous tenant’s death will certainly give them an interesting impression!

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MasterFrost01@reddit (OP)

I quite clearly said "if they ask about previous tenants"...

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Suspicious-Case3861@reddit

Yep I'd honestly think they're raving bonkers

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SnooHamsters5480@reddit

I bought a 100 year old house, that before the owner i bought it from had two elderly people living in it. I just assumed one or moth died in the house. I think it depends on how they died personally, if it was a murder or suicide i'd like to know, if just died naturally then I couldn't care less.

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MobileOrdinary6827@reddit

The first home I ever bought was where an elderly man was on hospice and died in the home. Never bothered me. My hopefully forever home that I am buying now is the same situation. Elderly lady couldn't go upstairs so she set up her bedroom in the downstairs living room and only used that and the kitchen. She died in her sleep in the home. I'm sorry they died, but that doesn't scare me away. I'll buy any house that I love regardless as long as it wasn't a grow house or has previously been broken into.

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GarethGazzGravey@reddit

As others have said, if I was moving to a house where the death was a natural death, then it wouldn't bother me. But if it was a murder, then I would absolutely want to know. I wouldn't feel safe knowing that a murder happened in a house where I wanted to live, especially if I was to find out that the overall area was rife with crime.

Incidentally, in one of the neighbouring properties next to my house lived a gentleman who died as a result of natural causes, mainly malnutirition and I suspect dementia, but he was also heavily involved smoking weed which I am certain was reguarly supplied to him. In the years since, I don't think I have ever mentioned to my current neighbour anything about the aforementioned individual.

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aarontbarratt@reddit

I wouldn't care either way. Life has been on earth for 4 BILLION years. In all likelihood millions of animals have probably died in the exact spot you're existing in right now (maybe not if you're above ground level, but you get the idea)

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

A lot of properties in UK are on market due to death. And a lot of people die at home. I'd not bother mentioning.

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Markies_Myth@reddit

A lot of properties in UK are on market due to death

Exactly. Find a house older that 60 years and someone probably died in it once.

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Even if it's a 4-5 bed and just 30 years old, then fair chance last owner was a pensioner who bought in 90s as new-build. My Dad's house was one and within +/- 2 years of his death in house, about 6 houses in that street were up for sale due to death or moving to care home. One round corner from me has the distinctive skip outside.

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Low_Sodiium@reddit

I can tell you with 100% certainty that the previous owner died in the living room where the persistent piss smelling timber stain was…I was more worried about the obscene amount of asbestos we had to get removed…

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Suspicious-Case3861@reddit

It doesn't bother me either but what would is a neighbour so invested in my life.

Coming to tell me just screams childish

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asymmetricears@reddit

Not really. As an example, a property we looked at a couple of years ago and put an (unaccepted) offer on, we were told was vacant and being sold for probate. The owner may have died there, or he may have been ill and taken to hospital and died there. We didn't know, and it wasn't a concern.

I'd be more concerned if the house was messy as a result of the death. For example if the body was undiscovered for a long time, or if it was a violent death. Of all of those circumstances I'd be most sad about knowing someone was murdered there.

Answering your question at the bottom. I'd only mention if asked, and say it was an old guy/lady in their 80s (or whatever age) who passed away.

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TobblyWobbly@reddit

A former colleague bought a house and mentioned to the neighbours about a brownish stain on the interior garage wall. The previous owner had shot himself in there. I don't know if anyone ever told her.

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TipKooky@reddit

I wouldn’t particularly care to know if someone died naturally in wherever I’m living but if it was a “murder house” then I absolutely would want to know.

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rubys_arms@reddit

I remember reading an interview with the couple who bought Dennis Nilsen's house. They were raving about the "good light!" and how it was "so much cheaper!" than the surrounding houses. Yes, because he used to boil people's heads in the kitchen..?

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DependentRounders934@reddit

Yea a violent death is much different to a natural one

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violentvioletss@reddit

No and I’ve never understood why anyone would.

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maceion@reddit

My grandfather died in hospital, his body was brought to the house to 'lie in state' for a couple of days for all his friends to see and pay their respects , before the body went to be cremated.

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Specialist-Web7854@reddit

I only need to know if the death was caused by something in the house that hasn’t been remedied, or if it was a recent murder. I live in a standard Victorian terrace, the chances that no one’s died here ever are minuscule.

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Suspicious-Rub8976@reddit

If they specifically ask I may mention that the previous owner/tenant passed away but it wasn't anything they need to be concerned about

If they're not specifically asking you might seem very weird telling them for no reason lol

Before I moved into my current place I knew people who had family that lived in the same building and they kept telling me someone was murdered in my place, I thought that was super weird to bring up, I didn't ask, I'd rather not have known but didn't really concern me

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domsp79@reddit

Our house is well over 120 years old. It's very very likely that someone has died in our house. Probably more than one over that time.

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OkTechnician4610@reddit

As long as they r not still in it should be fine 😀

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BrexitVoter@reddit

Definitely, if it was a new build

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bakedtattie246@reddit

I’d probably want to know if someone had a gory death, like unnatural I mean, but most houses have had a death in them. My gran died in the house I live in about 6 months ago, but she was 94 and on palliative care, and she wanted to be able to die in the house she’d lived in for over 60 years. It was sad yes, but really it’s a fact of life.

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MegaMolehill@reddit

People die everywhere. Someone had a heart attack and died on the pavement outside my house a few years back. So it wouldn’t bother me if someone died in my house previously.

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Candid-Bike-9165@reddit

Previous Tennant of my flat ODd couldn't care less what do it matter

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NoDrama430@reddit

If they directly ask, be honest but brief. The previous tenant passed away peacefully. Their family handled everything. No need to volunteer gory details they didn't request.

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Any_Preference_4147@reddit

With housing stock as old as ours, everyone reading this has probably had a dead body in their house at some point or another.

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VolcanicBear@reddit

Wouldn't bother me. Unless it's a new build I'd assume it's kind of a given tbh. Someone died in the house mine is attached to a week and a half ago.

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ActionBirbie@reddit

You know, it wouldn’t bother me one way or another.

It's probably safe to assume that in any building of any age, many, many people have died over the years.

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sockeyejo@reddit

Unless it's a new build, there's a good chance that someone has died in the property. I know of two deaths in houses on my street in recent years.

We need to stop being so weird and cut off from what is one of the very few certainties in life.

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G_UK@reddit

I would rather not know.

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Mundane-Topic-8214@reddit

Nope, wouldn't care.

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Present_Air_7694@reddit

I prefer old houses. So I don't give it a thought.

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buginarugsnug@reddit

I think the majority of people are aware that any house that is not a new build has the capability of having had someone die in it and that the older the house is, the more chance there is. It personally doesn't bother me but I do know that some cultures find it disturbing - if it is something of concern to the new tenants, they will ask the agent. I don't think you need to worry.

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gnarlstonnn@reddit

i would just say they died if they ask, if they then ask in the house, maybe just say you're not sure,

could see some people being bothered by it (not myself personally though)

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