There’s a home in our neighborhood sitting empty. Rumor has it that a gentleman passed away in the home sometime this past year and didn’t seem to have family local. I’m thinking it could be a “distressed property” to target.

What should I know about any challenges for this situation? Would I need to disclose history to future buyers or renters?

A death in a home is not a material fact that one needs to disclose upon renting or selling a property, depending on the state you live in. From what I've seen, Ohio has no law addressing stigmatizing events which may have occurred on or near a property. I'd still consult with a local attorney to get a more concrete answer. It could be one of those things in which you don't have to disclose if you're not asked about it.

Thanks, Bob! I appreciate you taking the time to respond!

Lots of people die at home and you often don't need to report it. The exception is if it was a violent death (eg murder) and that may vary by location.

Youll want to make sure that the dead mans spirit has passed on and that he isnt currently haunting the house. If it is haunted, just call in a ghost exterminator, specifically I recommend Ghostbusters

It depends on the state laws. I had a tenant pass away in my unit, and had told my prospective tenants. When I sold the building, I also told the buyer. When I was buying another building I was told from the seller of a recently deceased tenant in one of the units. So just check your state laws and disclose as needed. If it's an apartment complex, whether or not you tell them, stories will spread if neighbors talk, so just better to be upfront in my opinion. 

You would have to verify that info before disclosing it and in MA it's only disclosed if clients ask. 

@Russell Brazil My husband loves ghost busters! Thanks for the “referral”! Haha!

@Ujwal Velagapudi good point about the neighbors. You’re right that they would probably find out in the first few weeks! I definitely would prefer to be up front about it.

@Lien Vuong yes, you’re right. For all I know it could just be a rumor!

Originally posted by @Russell Brazil :

Youll want to make sure that the dead mans spirit has passed on and that he isnt currently haunting the house. If it is haunted, just call in a ghost exterminator, specifically I recommend Ghostbusters

 You joke, but I did live in a haunted house in college. I'm not a big believer in the supernatural, but I know Sherry died in the house, and disclosure is not required in FL. We found out from the neighbors. She'd mess with our electronics (stereo would turn on randomly in the middle of the night, full blast on a spanish station we'd never tuned), and broke a toilet while no one had been home in weeks during summer break. We ended up burning all her mail (the post office kept delivering it, despite our efforts) and the odd events stopped. Ghost Busters didn't have a location in Volusia County.