In Japan, homes where someone passed away — by suicide, murder, fire — or was found dead alone, are emerging as an option for bargain hunters, with some homes available at significantly reduced prices. These kind of homes, known as jiko bukken or stigmatised properties, carry a history that can make them difficult to sell or rent, despite their affordability.
According to a BBC business report, as property prices rise and the increasing cost of living becomes insurmountable, some people are pushed to consider homes that would otherwise be avoided.
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Under guidelines issued by the Japanese government in 2021, estate agents are required to disclose certain deaths that have taken place in the homes that they are trying to sell, to prospective tenants and buyers. For rental properties, such disclosures are generally required for three years, while information about these incidents must be disclosed indefinitely for properties being sold, according to the BBC report.
The BBC report features Ryua, an entertainer who rents a 25 square metre bedsit in Tokyo's Setagaya ward. From the moment Ryua first walked into her rental apartment in Tokyo she believed it to be haunted.
"When I visited the place for a viewing there was a man standing there, glaring at me," she said. "Since the estate agent couldn't see him, I realised he must be a ghost."
Ryua was informed that a man had died by suicide in the apartment which was the detail that had contributed to a substantial reduction in rent. According to BBC, she pays 45,000 yen per month, as compared with the expected rent of 62,000 yen, which constitutes a discount of nearly 30 percent.
Despite the property's dark past, Ryua decided to move in with the reduced rent making the apartment an affordable option in an expensive city like Tokyo. She has however described experiencing paranormal activity ever since she moved into the house. Four years later, and still in the same apartment, she said that she continues to experience paranormal activity on a daily basis. She stated that she hears endless footsteps and the ghost talking.
The BBC also reported on Diane Tincher, a 69-year-old American woman, who purchased a three bedroom house in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan. Tincher has lived in Japan for nearly 40 years and works as a tour guide. She reportedly paid 20 million yen for buying the Kagoshima property. The report states that similar homes in the area can sell for as much as 45 million yen, making Tincher's purchase roughly half the price of comparable properties.
While pitching the house to Tincher, the estate agent had informed her that an elderly woman had died alone in the home, which had in turn affected its market value. Tincher stated that she discovered the property through Oshimaland, which is a website that lists homes associated with incidents and provides details about their histories.
"I don't believe in ghosts. But I know that the Japanese are very superstitious," Tincher said. "If there is a ghost I'm thankful to her every day... to live in such a splendid and affordable home."
While a house where there has been a murder or suicide would probably be harder to sell or rent out anywhere else in the world, Tokyo estate agent Erik Oskamp stated that Japanese people are particularly superstitious and averse to the idea of stigmatised properties.
"[Even] an apartment next to a cemetery will be difficult to rent out, especially if you can see the tombs from the kitchen," explains Oskamp. "The worst thing is if a suicide has happened in the apartment. Even if somebody has jumped from the roof, many renters will move out. Other issues are a serious crime or a lonely death."
Oshimaland, launched in 2005, initially focused on Tokyo before expanding across Japan and internationally in 2011, the BBC reported. The website is crowdsourced, allowing members of the public to submit information about properties associated with deaths and other incidents. Its founder, Teru Oshima, told the BBC that such properties were previously considered unattractive options for buyers and tenants.
However, rising house prices and broader living costs have contributed to changing attitudes towards these homes. A 2025 survey cited by the BBC found that more than half of Japanese respondents would consider renting a jiko bukken property if the price was sufficiently low.
While the homes continue to carry a social stigma, their discounted prices are increasingly drawing people looking for affordable housing.
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