How to Find Out if Someone Died in Your Apartment

Michelle Wilson - January 3, 2023

Buying a house is an exciting time in anyone’s life. Plenty of questions and planning have to occur, especially when you’re a first-time homeowner. One of the most critical questions doesn’t relate to the home’s square footage but the history. Prospective buyers want to know early in the home-buying process whether someone has died in the house they’re interested in buying.

Homeowners may hold spiritual beliefs that interfere with buying a home, particularly as it relates to death or dying in the house. Other potential buyers want to know about a property’s value after a fatality in the home.

How to Uncover if Someone Died in the Home You’re Purchasing

With some detective work and research, most people can uncover whether someone has died in the home you’re interested in purchasing. Only some methods are going to be successful, so remain open to multiple search methods.

Uncover Some Shady History Online

Many websites currently available cater to houses with odd, creepy, or shady pasts. These websites will include any relevant real estate that malicious actors use for criminal activity, including high-profile criminal properties. These platforms and forums will also hold several featured homes that are allegedly haunted or come with additional spiritual occupants.

Look at the Office of Vital Records

Determined homeowners can always contact the state’s vital records office for any information relating to a house’s past and any incidents that previously occurred there. This service is free to use, with no charge to review the records on file. Unfortunately, many people don’t have time to wade through excessive amounts of data, which is highly probable using the vital records search. Alternatively, users can pay for this information using a subscription-based website that scans the information on your behalf and produces relevant results.

Ask for Disclosure Documents

Currently, only three states hold death disclosure laws. These three states include Alaska, California, and South Dakota. Assuming you live outside of these states, it remains the seller’s responsibility to disclose any known history to prospective buyers. Unfortunately, this is a risk that the sale may fall through should the buyer learn of a death on the property, but it should be reported regardless.

If you’re worried about the disclosure, contact your realtor for information about disclosing this history. Although a realtor isn’t required to reveal these details, they should be prepared to answer the question honestly if the question comes up. A realtor can help you determine the best way to uncover the house’s past without scaring away potential home buyers.

Start Asking the Neighbors

If you suspect someone has died in the home you’d like to buy, consider reaching out to neighbors in the area and asking them about the property. Anyone that’s lived in the community for a long time may have more knowledge about the real estate’s history than current owners or realtors. Thankfully, most neighbors are honest and forthcoming about a property’s history, as they have nothing to gain by hiding information from prospective buyers.

Starting Your Search Online

If you’d like to find out whether there’s been a death in the home without paying for it, start by running an online search. Interested parties can start by looking through obituaries, social media posts and finding places of worship that may have details posted. From there, you can research local news websites or additional gravesite information to confirm the facts relating to a death.

The most straightforward tactic someone can do is to start with a Google search. Most web searches will include details about whether someone has died in a house, especially if the death is high-profile. Outside the generic obituaries, many platforms will consist of local news stories about the death, including the address and whether anyone lost their lives within the property.

Ask the Real Estate Agent or Owner

The seller is often the most straightforward starting point when you’re trying to build an accurate history of a property. The current owners may help you make informed decisions, including whether someone has died in the home. Some states require all deaths on the property to be disclosed to a prospective buyer. For example, in California, all property owners must tell whether or not someone has died on the property within the past three years.

Hire an Investigator to Help

If other search options have failed to turn up results, it’s still possible to get the answers you’re looking for. Experienced private investigators can also help potential homeowners uncover an accurate history of the property. Unfortunately, this option can cost a lot of money, especially if you don’t purchase the property. If this information is critical in your home-buying process, it may be worth the expense to have peace of mind with such a significant purchase. Be warned hiring a private investigator is the most expensive option to retrieve these details.

Purchase the Property’s History

While many paid subscriptions will let you know if someone has died in the home, a few platforms will offer you a slightly different variation of details. For example, some websites will allow a comprehensive history of the property. The account will include all previous owners, property values, taxes, and purchase prices. While this may not explicitly tell you whether someone has died on the property, it can offer insight into the previous owners and the turnaround on the home.

Essential Considerations when Uncovering Information

Although it may be a shock to learn someone has died in the property you’d like to buy, it was relatively common for people to pass away in their homes throughout the century. Many times, hospitals weren’t available in every city, especially for those living in rural communities. 

When there is a death in the home, it’s potentially worth investigating further. Knowing the cause of death can help prospective owners determine the risk of potential problems. For example, a toxic substance in or around the home may influence the desire to purchase the property. Alternatively, it may prove costly to remove the substance from the house. Radon and lead were popular products in the 1900s, ultimately proving catastrophic for human health and well-being.

Conclusion

Always spend some time researching the real estate you want to purchase to ensure there isn’t a problem with you staying at the residence (whether a physical, emotional, or spiritual issue.) Between superstition and religious beliefs, knowing whether someone died on the property can be important for potential buyers. The easiest way to receive information on a home is to ask the owner and real estate agent directly. If that doesn’t work, investigate the property to make an informed choice.