Buying a house in Texas? Not all deaths on property are required to be disclosed by sellers

SAN ANTONIO – The real estate market in Texas is on fire right now with a 23% increase in home sales for Bexar County just in the last year.

With so many houses up for sale and each one only on the market for an average of 36 days -- based on April 2021 marketing statistics for the San Antonio area -- there are some questions new homeowners might not think to ask in the rush to purchase a new home.

There are certain instances where sellers must disclose whether or not a person has died on the property but not all deaths must be reported.

According to Texas Property Code, a seller does not have to disclose a death on the property if the death occurred due to natural causes, suicide or an accident unrelated to the condition of the property.

However, “if the death is related to the condition of the property, regardless of whether by accident or not, the seller has a duty to disclose,” said San Antonio Board of Realtors Communications (SABOR) Manager Taylar Staff.

Sellers must also disclose any and all murders that they are aware of that have occurred on the property.

“It is considered material information that a prospective buyer would want to know,” Staff said.

A total of 41,939 new listings hit the market in April in Texas, according to SABOR.

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