The GhostBusters Ruling

"Lets get into the legalities of home ownership and ghosts. Does the paranormal increase property value? is more ghosts better for your home or worse? And what does the law have to say about selling homes with ghosts?"

Presented by: Cristina
Category: Ghost

Have you been sold a haunted house without your knowledge? You may be entitled to compensation. Today, a seller in New York must, by law, inform any potential buyer that a house is haunted. You can thank Stambovsky v. Ackley for that.

The Ackley family bought their house in Nyack in 1977 and began to experience paranormal activity, mostly benign. Gifts given to children would go missing and, more mysteriously, the daughter's bed would shake if she didn't wake up in time. They family also saw ghostly figures standing over them in bed. The story was famous enough to be reported in the newspaper multiple times.

When they went to sell the house in 1989, they failed to disclose this information to their buyer Strambovsky, who filed suit after he found out. He lost his case, which ended up before the New York Supreme Court. They ruled that whether or not the story was true, the buyer was entitled to know. Strambovsky won his case and the first legally recognized haunted house was established. No subsequent owners have experienced anything paranormal.

Takeaway: If you anything in your house that might effect the lives of the people moving in, you should probably let them know.

Trivia

 * Patreon skit: Mal buys a wedding dress.