'I live with a ghost': Japan's haunted homes attract bargain hunters
Summary
Japan’s “incident properties,” or jiko bukken, can rent or sell for less after deaths such as suicides or lonely deaths. Some buyers and renters accept the discount despite the stigma: Tokyo resident Ryua says she pays about 30% less for her apartment, while American resident Diane Tincher bought a rural house for less than half the usual price of comparable homes.Key Facts
- Japan’s 2021 government guidelines require agents to disclose suicides, murders, deaths by fire, and deaths discovered after an extended period.
- For rentals, agents must disclose covered deaths for three years; for properties offered for sale, they must disclose them indefinitely.
- Ryua says she was told a man died by suicide in her Tokyo apartment and that she hears footsteps and voices there.
- Ryua pays 45,000 yen a month for a 25-square-meter apartment in Setagaya, compared with an estimated 62,000 yen without the discount.
- Tokyo estate agent Erik Oskamp says properties linked to suicides, serious crimes, or lonely deaths can be difficult to rent.
- Diane Tincher paid 20 million yen for a three-bedroom house in Kagoshima; similar homes in the area can sell for up to 45 million yen.
- Tincher says the agent told her the house was discounted because an elderly woman had died alone there.
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