Has someone died in your home?

The site, aptly named DiedInHouse.com , allows homeowners (or home buyers) to check whether someone has ever passed away in a chosen address.

It was first founded by CEO Roy Condrey when a tenant renting his property in Columbia reported that it was haunted. Condrey tried to confirm whether any deaths had occurred in the property but failed. Indeed, it is not legally required in all states of the US to report a death in a residence. Only violent deaths must be disclosed by law.

Texas, for example, is a non-disclosure state, only requiring homeowners to disclose violent departures from the living world. It is no surprise, then, that Texas is one of the most popular states for visitors to the site.

“It occurred to me that a service which told people who died in their homes before they moved in would be popular,” Condrey told the Houston Chronicle (via The Daily Mail). “It's harder to find things like this out than you think.”

“It would bother me if I knew someone died in my house,” he added . “For instance, I couldn’t live in a house where there was a murder-suicide.”

Once a home has been associated with a death, it becomes a “stigmatised property”. This stigma makes it much harder for agents or sellers to achieve an asking price on the property.

Some realtors are therefore spooked by the website’s existence. Condrey, though, argues he is providing a legitimate service for $11.99 per request.

“Some people don’t have a problem with knowing someone died in their home,” continued Condrey.

“But when you remind them that this knowledge could affect their home values, they Change their tune.”