Tenants Say the House is Haunted

Rental Property Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2015 · 31 posts · 3 votes

My tenants are telling me that out rental, which is actually the house me and my family use to live in is haunted. Tenants expressed serious concern that they are hearing little girls voices and finding items moved or things out of place. Im not sure what to do or say as we had never heard any voices or had things move for the 5 years we lived there. Please help!

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Jim K.

Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes

OH YEAH!

Ask them to write their story out, make up your own, maybe set up a website, maybe get some old porcelain dolls in there, and Airbnb that place as a genuine haunted house all the way to the bank, baby.

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Mitch Messer
Lender · Playa del Carmen, México · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
Hey @Maegan King! We had one of these a decade ago. Tenants were convinced they saw "orbs" in all the photos they took inside the house.
Maybe they did, or maybe they just wanted out of the lease. Either way, we don't want unhappy residents in our houses. So, we allowed them to break their lease and move out. We filled it with zero difficulty and haven't had an issue with any other tenants of that property since.
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Jim K.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
8y
OH YEAH!
Ask them to write their story out, make up your own, maybe set up a website, maybe get some old porcelain dolls in there, and Airbnb that place as a genuine haunted house all the way to the bank, baby.
13 Reply
Travis Rasmussen
Realtor · Murrieta, CA · Member since 2016 · 373 posts · 203 votes
8y
I laughed at the "use it as an Airbnb genuine haunted house." @Jim K. sees the positives in things.
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Dave G.
Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2016 · 349 posts · 418 votes
8y
Call Ghostbusters!
We have a 2nd residence that is also something of a project house that is over a 100 years old. For numerous unexplained reasons (can't believe I'm typing this), we think a spirit may live there but would not call it haunted (think Poltergeist!). We may eventually use it for an Airbnb and might do a version of what @Jim K. suggested :)
Really though, I agree with @Mitch Messer, talk the the tenant and agree to amicably conclude the lease and let them out. If you're concerned about the ability to re-rent the place maybe you agree to conclude the lease in 2 months instead of 1 month (or immediately) to give you more marketing time.
But you don't want to unhappy tenants in your place, nothing good will come from that.
2 Reply
Joseph ODonovanPro Member
Property Manager · Ridley, PA · Member since 2017 · 427 posts · 449 votes
8y
@Maegan King If they have a daughter named Carol Anne, tell them to tell her to "run to the light"
1 Reply
Dave G.
Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2016 · 349 posts · 418 votes
8y
FYI - our old house is in Clarkdale, at the base of the hill from Jerome AZ, if any of you have heard about all the haunted places up there...
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Bryan Devitt
Contractor · Oxford, MA · Member since 2018 · 807 posts · 745 votes
8y
Ask them how many ghosts there are, because they're additional tenants and they'll need to adjust the rent to pay for them
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Maegan King
OP
Rental Property Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2015 · 31 posts · 3 votes
8y
Hahaha some of the responses are pretty funny! I would rather not break the lease since they haven’t been there for a year yet. 😕 just hope this isn’t a way of them trying to get out of breaking the lease.
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Bryan Devitt
Contractor · Oxford, MA · Member since 2018 · 807 posts · 745 votes
8y
If they break the lease, take them to court. It would be worth it just to see the judge's reaction as they explained why they were forced to leave early
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Matthew Paul
Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
8y
Boo
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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
8y
Charge them for having additional, unauthorized tenants.
Seriously, I would tell them to abide by the lease. If they can't handle the home, for whatever reason, they can break the lease and suffer the consequences.
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Maegan King
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Rental Property Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2015 · 31 posts · 3 votes
8y
I told them that we never experienced hearing voices or items moving for the 5 years that we lived that house. I recommended "sageing" though I am no voodoo spirit talking kind of person. I am trying to remain as professional as I can be just didn't know how to react or what to say when I got their e-mail.
My husband thinks it's their way of trying to get out of the lease, but they didn't not mention anything about wanting to move in the conversation I had with them.
I guess we will cross that bridge if moving out is brought up.
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Aaron K.
Specialist · Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
8y
I am torn on this issue, because you don't want to be the jerk of a landlord who holds a tenant to a lease for a property that a tenant sincerely considers to be faulty/ haunted and is scared to live in, but at the same time ghosts aren't real.
I think their are companies/ researchers who professionally debunk these things if you want to try that. For feelings of dread I have also heard of that being a gas leak situation, so there are multiple options depending on what the tenant wants to do and what you are willing to do for them.
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Jennifer T.Pro Member
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
8y
I would ask them if they want to break the lease, but would remind them of the consequences in the lease for breaking it. If those consequences are not outlined in the lease, then I would be prepared to offer them my terms for breaking it. In a nutshell, I wouldn't want to be out one dime of money and would also want some kind of fee for the time it would take me to find new tenants. Because "hauntings" are not grounds for inhabitability.
They also might be fine living there and only mentioned the "odd" things happening to see if you all had experienced something similar. Like in a "weird, is it just us?" way.
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Patrick M.
Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
Must just be me, because as 1 of 9 siblings all I can think of is all the practical jokes to be played!
I am not sure if you have said if your tenants have even asked for anything or if they are just seeing if you heard of anything before? Or testing the waters?
If they want out of the lease and you are going to let them out in 30-60 days then I would definitely, verbally, let them know it is because of some very concerning things that you have learned about the house since they first alerted you as well as the little girl. And that her name is Sarah, btw. And leave it at that.
My 4 unit is a former general store and as with many small, old towns, the rear was the mortuary/embalming location before the bodies were then taken back to homes for the wake/funeral. I don't believe in any of that- but when I was finishing the last unit in the evenings, there was definitely a ghoul about. My wife laughed her arse of when I would call all freaked out or come home with a chalk white face.
Good Luck!
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Maegan King
OP
Rental Property Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2015 · 31 posts · 3 votes
8y
They e-mailed me the following:

"So this is a very weird question but when y'all (meaning my husband and I) lived in the house did you ever notice strange thing happening? We keep hearing a little girl's voice talking and laughing in the living room. It's very creepy" Then later followed by "It's not a big deal. Just a little creepy. We wondered if maybe you guys experienced some of these things too. No biggie"

Originally posted by @Jennifer T.:

I would ask them if they want to break the lease, but would remind them of the consequences in the lease for breaking it. If those consequences are not outlined in the lease, then I would be prepared to offer them my terms for breaking it. In a nutshell, I wouldn't want to be out one dime of money and would also want some kind of fee for the time it would take me to find new tenants. Because "hauntings" are not grounds for inhabitability.
They also might be fine living there and only mentioned the "odd" things happening to see if you all had experienced something similar. Like in a "weird, is it just us?" way.
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JD MartinBusiness Member
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Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
8y
I wouldn't recommend anything, especially not anything that suggests you believe in hocus-pocus (whether you do or not) like "sageing". If they asked me that question I would simply say "No, nothing unusual in 5 years of residency" and leave it at that. Let them proceed as they may.
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Joe SplitrockPro Member
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Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
8y
@Maegan King why on earth did you play into this delusion by suggesting "sageing"? The plain and simple answer is no there were no voices. There are no voices because ghosts are not real. They are probably just watching some spooky TV show and getting freaked out. Don't feed into it being real in any way and NO do not break their lease.
Good luck with them going into court and telling a judge the place is haunted.
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Maegan King
OP
Rental Property Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2015 · 31 posts · 3 votes
8y
@Joe Splitrock I guess I wanted to offer some kind of remedy. I left it at that, but did not mention anything to them about breaking their lease.
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Joe SplitrockPro Member
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Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
8y
Originally posted by @Maegan King:

@Joe Splitrock I guess I wanted to offer some kind of remedy. I left it at that, but did not mention anything to them about breaking their lease.
I understand trying to help, but ghosts are not real so the only solution here is for them to stop letting their minds play tricks on them. Don't feed into it or you will unintentionally make it worse. Good luck.
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Chris MasonPro Member
Moderator
Lender · CA · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 10k+ votes
8y
Similar ghost thread from four months ago.
1 Reply
Comfort S.
Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 58 posts · 13 votes
8y
oh jeez, I laughed so hard after reading this.. sorry :-( but I couldn't help it.
this seems like some made up trick to get out of a lease, or they watch way too many exorcist movies Idk. you and your family lived there for 5 years and didn't hear voices.. so, IF they are suddenly hearing voices and things are getting moved around by other "room mates" it probably means THEY came with "these ghosts" and I would ask them how many ghosts are there in the house, whatever they say, 2 or 3, then say "oh well I can't believe you guys brought in additional tenants without my consent, unfortunately rent has to be adjusted because of the EXTRA tenants" haha
seriously, ask them if they are looking to break the lease and move out of the haunted house? most likely you will hear a resounding yes, then go from there lol.
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Michael Plante
Deland, FL · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
Originally posted by @Maegan King:
My tenants are telling me that out rental, which is actually the house me and my family use to live in is haunted.
Tenants expressed serious concern that they are hearing little girls voices and finding items moved or things out of place.
Im not sure what to do or say as we had never heard any voices or had things move for the 5 years we lived there. Please help!
You said please help
Help with what?
Move the tenants asked you to do something about it?
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Maegan King
OP
Rental Property Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2015 · 31 posts · 3 votes
8y
@Michael Plante In asking for help I meant advice on how to respond to this situation. They have not said they want to break the lease, I think they just wanted to see if we had similar occurrences happen to us. For now I guess I will just wait to see if they ask to break the lease and then go from there with the motions.
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Patrick M.
Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
In the event of any lease issues I would buy my little niece a burner phone and have her call in the middle of the night.
"I can't play jump rope because the lawn needs to be cut and it makes Him mad."
"He doesn't like the trash cans being left out, you're making Him mad again."
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