View Full Version : Rented House was Crime Scene not Disclosed.
Heiditiger
Feb 12, 2007, 10:06 AM
I am renting a house and subletting 4 rooms to pay for the rent. My tenants and I just found out the house we are living in was used in a crime involving the beating death of 2 children.
I rent the rooms by the week and all my tenants have left because of the crimes being committed in the house.
I can no longer pay the rent without renters. I have no renters because of the history of the house. No one wants to live in a house where 2 children were killed.
What rights do I have? I want out of my lease and I want my deposit back.
excon
Feb 12, 2007, 03:53 PM
Hello Heidi:
I don't think you can get out of your lease because of those reasons, and I don't think you should have let your renters out of theirs.
What grounds did you tenants give you? Give the same ones to your landlord, but I'll bet he isn't going to buy it.
excon
landlord advocate
Feb 13, 2007, 06:33 PM
I am renting a house and subletting 4 rooms to pay for the rent. My tenants and I just found out the house we are living in was used in a crime involving the beating death of 2 children.
I rent the rooms by the week and all my tenants have left because of the crimes being committed in the house.
I can no longer pay the rent without renters. I have no renters because of the history of the house. No one wants to live in a house where 2 children were killed.
What rights do I have? I want out of my lease and I want my deposit back.
Call one of the larger local real estate offices and ask the broker if this falls under the disclosure law. I think it does. Be sure to state that the deaths were violent, not of natural causes. Please let us know what the realtor tells you. In the mean time, I will do a bit more research.
Fr_Chuck
Feb 13, 2007, 09:17 PM
At least in our state, crimes that happen in the past in a home is not part of the disclousre, esp in rental there are few disclouse laws for renters.
** I am a licensed real estate agent in our state.
So you rent it to new renters, many houses have deaths that happen in them,
Cvillecpm
Feb 14, 2007, 06:15 AM
Rarely is this type of event required to be disclosed in a lease or sale... it does not EFFECT the property.
VERIFY that the event actually took place by reviewing newspaper archives.