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When You Unwittingly Buy the 'Murder House'

By Bruce Carton

The Consumerist had an interesting post last week on the laws and ethics that govern the sale of houses that have had a murder or suicide occur in them. The post discusses "Sue from Massachusetts," a woman who closed on the purchase of a house, and learned two days later from a neighbor that the previous owner had committed suicide in the house. Sue said she would not have bought the house had she known this. The real estate agents claimed that they weren't aware of the suicide, and refused to "rectify" the situation. Consumerist notes that Massachusetts law does not appear to require the disclosure of such information. Chapter 93, Section 114 of the Mass General Laws states: The fact or suspicion that real property may be or is psychologically impacted shall not be deemed to be a material fact required to be disclosed in a real estate transaction. ?Psychologically impacted? shall mean an impact being the result of facts or suspicions including, but not limited to, the following: (a) that an occupant of real property is now or has been suspected to be infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or any other...

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on February 16, 2010 (boomark / email).