Court: Home sellers don’t have to disclose crimes
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania court has ruled home sellers don’t have to disclose if their property has been the site of a murder.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports a panel of Superior Court judges reaffirmed in a decision last week that such a reputation does not count as a “material defect” and does not have to be disclosed to a buyer.
In the case, Janet S. Milliken bought a 14-year-old Delaware County home in 2007 and learned in September it had been the site of a murder-suicide the previous year. She sued, saying she wouldn’t have bought the house if she had known.
In a dissenting opinion, Superior Court Judge John T. Bender acknowledged Milliken had suffered a six-figure loss.