Not every house has a spotless record. If a house is old, several generations of families have lived in it, and the neighborhood has radically changed over the history of a home, chances are, at some point, a crime might have occurred on the property. So the question is, do you have to disclose if a crime is committed in a house? Will this affect the sale of your property, and if so, what kind of effect will it have?
In this FAQ, we’re going to explore what options you have when trying to sell a house that has a history of criminal activity inside of it. If you have any questions about this FAQ, or if you are interested in other aspects of the as-is house selling process, please call or contact our team at (314) 730-0366 or fill out this form here – Contact Us.
Can I Sell a Home If Crimes Were Committed Inside of It?
This is going to depend on what crime was committed. If someone was murdered inside the property, Missouri Laws do not require that the potential buyer is informed of the crime. However, there are other cases that require the buyer to be informed of the crime. The most notable is that if the house was used for methamphetamine production, this has to be disclosed by law as residual amounts of the drug can still be present in the property. Missouri also requires that the buyer be informed if the house was the site of endangering the welfare of a child through physical injury. In both of those cases, you are legally required to disclose those facts. The questions now is, what other situations are you required to disclose?
Do I have to make the Buyer aware of previous crimes committed inside the house?
Other than the two examples listed above, Missouri law does not require any further disclosures relating to crime. Listed below are several crime-related or death related incidents you are not required to disclose.
- Someone Passed in the House – Some states do require that you make the buyer aware if someone passed in the house. However, Missouri law does not require that you disclose any deaths on the property. One caveat to this is that if the buyer asks if someone passed in the house, you must then disclose that someone died in the house. It is not, however, legally required to disclose if the buyer does not ask.
- The Property was used to hide theft – As with the above scenario, you are not required to disclose whether the property was used for theft or the hiding of items that were stolen.
- Violent Crimes Committed – Violent crimes can be many different things, from spousal abuse, to fights, to attempted homicides. Legally, you are not required to disclose these events. However, should a potential home buyer ask, ethically, you should tell them and make them aware of the crime. If they find out after the fact, and have bought the house and are stuck with it, they may try to pursue you legally.
Sell Your House to an All-Cash, As-Is Company in St. Louis
Other than the things you are required to legally disclose before the sale of any property, our team is only interested in the house, and the condition the house is in. We aren’t interested in what took place inside of the house other than the legally required disclosed cases, and we won’t bother you with asking or knowing the history of the property. We just want to see what physical state the house is in, if it has any existing issues that a contractor can fix, and what it will require for our team to fix those issues.
Sell your As-Is property Now
If you’re interested in selling your home to a St. Louis All-Cash Home Buyer, Evervest Home Buyers is a local favorite. We have bought more than 700 homes and pride ourselves on helping local homeowners through the difficult process of selling their house. We will provide a cash offer for your home in as soon as a week, and we will make every effort to provide you with the most for your home. If you’re interested in scheduling a consultation, feel free to call (314) 730-0366 or Contact Us today!