It's an interesting question. Some people would like to know if their apartment has ever been a crime scene, because it may now be haunted by the vengeful spirits of the dead. In many states, there are laws that specifically address this; some states have no laws regarding it at all. Massachusetts law actually explains how a landlord should treat a unit that is expected to be the site of "supernatural phenomenon." Find your state below to see what the law is where you live. If you live in one of the many states where a landlord doesn't have to tell you about a murder, there are still a few things you can do to figure out if your apartment has a violent past.
Alabama
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Alaska
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Arizona
No! Arizona law goes out of it's way to protect landlords in this case. You are barred from pursuing any legal action against a landlord for not disclosing a death or felony that occurred in the unit. As an added bonus, you can't take your landlord to court for not mentioning that your next door neighbor is a sex offender.
Arkansas
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment! Arkansas state law has a special name for a unit that is suspected to have been the site of a homicide, suicide or felony: "psychologically impacted." The law outlines the difference between "psychological impact" and material defects; landlords are legally required to disclose material defects, but not any deaths on the property.
California
Yes! Your landlord is required by law to tell you is any death has occurred in the unit in the last three years. The only exception is if the death was a result of HIV or AIDS - because these immune deficiency syndromes are considered disabilities, which are protected by the state's Fair Housing laws, landlords are not allowed to disclose information about them to prevent discrimination.
Colorado
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment! Unless the previous tenant died as a result of some physical issue with the unit that could also be a danger to you, Colorado law says that landlords don't have to mention it.
Connecticut
Sort of! Connecticut law doesn't demand that a landlord disclose any deaths that have occurred in a unit, but it does state that you can require disclosure before renting.
Delaware
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Florida
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment! Florida state law clearly states that certain "material facts" about a unit that must be disclosed, and clearly states that a death on the property doesn't qualify.
Georgia
Yes! According to Georgia state law your landlord must disclose to you any death that occurred in a rental unit if you ask them directly. The law specifically states that they only have to answer to the best of their knowledge, and they only have to tell you if you ask about it.
Hawaii
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Idaho
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Illinois
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Indiana
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment! In fact, Indiana law states that a landlord is never required to disclose a death on a property, any felonies committed in a unit, any gang activity, any drug manufacturing, or any "discharging of a firearm involving a law enforcement officer."
Iowa
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Kansas
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Kentucky
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Louisiana
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Maine
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment!
Maryland
No! While many states simply don't have laws addressing this, Maryland is an interesting exception. Maryland state law specifically says that a landlord never has to disclose any information about a death that occurred in a rental unit.
Massachusetts
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. Massachusetts law states that a landlord does not have to tell you if anyone died on the property or if it expected to be the site of "parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon."
Michigan
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment
Minnesota
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. Minnesota state law says that landlords don't have to tell you if anyone died in the unit, if it is believed to be haunted, if a sex offender lived there or lives nearby, or if there are any retirement homes in the neighborhood(????)
Mississippi
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Missouri
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Montana
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Nebraska
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Nevada
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
New Hampshire
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
New Jersey
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
New Mexico
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. State law protects landlords from being forced to tell you if anyone died in a unit or if any felonies were committed on the property.
New York
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
North Carolina
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
North Dakota
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Ohio
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Oklahoma
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Oregon
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Pennsylvania
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. In fact, a case on this topic went all the way to the state's Supreme Court in 2010. A woman purchased a home for almost half a million dollars, spent thousands of dollars renovating it, and then realized it was the site of a (highly publicized) murder suicide. The court ruled that the realtor had no reason to disclose this fact before selling the property, and the judge even implied that the crime had been covered in the news so much that the buyers should have known.
Rhode Island
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
South Carolina
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. South Carolina law says that a landlord doesn't have to tell you if anyone died on the property or reveal if any sex offender live nearby. It does prevent landlords from lying about these facts, though.
South Dakota
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Tennessee
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Texas
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. State law says that, as long as the person didn't die because of some problem with the unit that could put future tenants at risk, a landlord doesn't have to tell you if anyone died in a unit.
Utah
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. Utah state law calls properties that have been the site of a death or felony "stigmatized" properties, and specifically states that a landlord is never required to tell you if a property is stigmatized.
Vermont
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Virginia
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Washington State
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Washington D.C.
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
West Virginia
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Wisconsin
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment. Wisconsin law states that a landlord never has to tell you if anyone died on a property unless it had a material effect.
Wyoming
No! Your landlord does not have to tell you if anyone has died in your apartment.
Still curious?
If your state doesn't require a landlord to tell you about any deaths on the property, you still may be able to find out, you freak. Because the internet is a terrifying hellscape and there is a website for literally anything you can think of, DiedInHouse.com exists. For only $12, you can search your address to find out if there was ever a meth lab, a house fire, or a death in your apartment. Go wild.
Rachel Bell
