'I live with a ghost': Japan's haunted homes attract bargain hunters

What happened: A BBC report describes Japan's "jiko bukken" market, homes discounted because a death occurred there, and the buyers and renters who accept the stigma for lower prices. Key numbers: Ryua pays 45,000 yen a month instead of 62,000 yen, an almost 30% discount on a 25 sq m flat. Why it matters: Government guidelines from 2021 require agents to disclose suicides, murders, fire deaths and lonely deaths, for three years on rentals and indefinitely for sales. Rising house prices and living costs have made stigmatised homes more acceptable.

A BBC report describes Japan's "jiko bukken" market, homes discounted because a death occurred there, and the buyers and renters who accept the stigma for lower prices.

Government guidelines from 2021 require agents to disclose suicides, murders, fire deaths and lonely deaths, for three years on rentals and indefinitely for sales. Rising house prices and living costs have made stigmatised homes more acceptable.