A stigmatised property (凶宅) is a home where an unnatural death has occurred. Taiwanese law has no formal definition of the term. In practice, courts and the Ministry of the Interior look at three things: the death happened inside the private part of the building, during the seller’s period of ownership, and it was unnatural. This guide covers how to check, how to write it into the contract, and what remedies exist afterwards.
Three numbers to remember:
| Item | Figure | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Core test in practice | 3 elements | Private part, period of ownership, unnatural death |
| Rescission for fraud | 1 year | From discovery of the fraud, at most 10 years |
| Warranty against defects | 5 years | From handover; must be exercised within 6 months of notice |
Based on the Civil Code and the Ministry of the Interior’s standard contract for existing homes (data updated July 2026).
Definition and disclosure: two forms are the key
The core of the practical test is a homicide, suicide, carbon monoxide poisoning or other unnatural death inside the private part (專有部分) of the building during the seller’s ownership. This is also the scope the seller must disclose on two forms: the property disclosure statement (不動產說明書) and the building condition confirmation (建物現況確認書).
The new version of the building condition confirmation, in force from 1 April 2026 (Ministry of the Interior amendment announced 19 December 2025), keeps a two-column design. The seller must tick both whether anything happened during their ownership and whether they know of anything before their ownership, and give the year and month, the cause and the source of information.
| Item | Scope | What the seller must fill in |
|---|---|---|
| Unnatural death | Homicide, suicide, CO poisoning, other unnatural death; the core is private part plus period of ownership | Tick and state year/month, cause, source |
| Before ownership | Whether the seller knows of an earlier event | One of three: confirmed none, knows of one, does not know |
| Borderline cases | Events in common areas or other units are still facts affecting value | Note on the form or in a rider; disclose conservatively, keep evidence |
Our view: The most common borderline case is a fall from unit A whose body lands on the balcony of unit B. In practice unit A must usually disclose and unit B is not treated as stigmatised, but the effect on price and on buyers’ feelings is real. Our advice is always conservative disclosure plus evidence. Foreclosed homes have an extra safeguard: under Article 81 of the Compulsory Enforcement Act, the auction notice must state special circumstances such as an unnatural death inside the building.
The five-step procedure
Do these five steps before paying earnest money (斡旋金), the deposit paid with an offer. Each step leaves a written record or a screenshot that becomes your evidence if a dispute arises.
- Documents first. Ask for the latest property disclosure statement and have the agent explain it clause by clause, with both parties signing. Fill in the building condition confirmation at the same time; both the “during ownership” and “before ownership” columns must be completed, never left blank.
- Cross-check public records. Look up the same unit and same community on the actual-price register 2.0 (實價登錄) for recent sales at a noticeably low price. Search the Judicial Yuan judgment database with the address plus keywords for suicide, homicide or unnatural death. For foreclosures, check whether the notice mentions an unnatural death.
- Ask the community. Write to the management committee or property manager asking whether they have ever assisted police or fire services, and whether any incident is on record. If you ask verbally, request a written reply. The borough office and neighbours can also be asked, but avoid naming individuals.
- Double protection in the contract. Add a rider with a seller’s guarantee and a truthful-disclosure clause, with the consequences of breach. Write the acceptable evidence sources into the clause: courts, auction notices, government authorities, mainstream media. Your agent or a lawyer can draft it, or use the Ministry’s standard contract as a model.
- Keep evidence throughout. Save the forms, messages, images, replies and screenshots. Photograph the home before and after handover. Evidence taken at the time always beats evidence reconstructed later.
A noticeably low registered price or a quick resale is only a risk indicator. It does not prove stigma, and a normal price does not prove the absence of it. Indicators tell you to check further; the conclusion rests on the objective data from steps 1 to 3.
Why is this so hard to check?
Because there is no official database. Taiwan has government websites for sea-sand and radiation-contaminated buildings, but no official channel for buildings where an unnatural death occurred. A Legislative Yuan research report identified the gap and suggested that police notify land offices to keep a register, but because the term has no legal definition and naming addresses raises privacy and labelling concerns, nothing has been built.
The second gap is the disclosure system itself. The disclosure statement only compels the seller to declare events during their own ownership; for earlier periods it only asks whether they know. After several resales the current seller may genuinely not know. The actual-price register notes special transactions, but only covers data since it started in 2012, while the average building in Taiwan is over 30 years old.
The third gap is privacy. Police and borough chiefs usually refuse to discuss incidents at a specific address. Private crowd-sourced websites and an accident-map app rely on user reports and news indexing, with omissions and errors, and courts do not accept them as sole evidence. Use them as a first lead only, then return to the five steps.
Found out after handover? Remedies and deadlines
If concealment comes to light after handover, the law gives two routes with very different deadlines.
Warranty against defects (Civil Code Articles 354 and 359): you may rescind the contract or claim a price reduction. Under Article 365, you must act within 6 months of notifying the seller, and at most 5 years from handover. If the seller deliberately concealed the defect the 6-month limit does not apply, but the 5-year limit still does.
Rescission for fraud (Civil Code Articles 92 and 93): if you can prove the seller or agent deliberately concealed or misrepresented, you may rescind your declaration of intent to buy. The deadline is 1 year from discovery of the fraud, and at most 10 years from the declaration.
Agent liability: under Article 26 of the Real Estate Broking Management Act, if brokerage staff cause loss through intent or negligence, the brokerage and the staff are jointly liable. That is why the signatures in step 1 matter: they also confirm the agent did their duty of inquiry.
Our view: Deadlines run from when you knew, but courts also look at when you should have known. If you hear a rumour and sit on it, the clock may already be running. In the first week after noticing something wrong, do three things at once: preserve evidence, send a registered notice to the seller, and consult a lawyer.
FAQ
What is the legal definition of a stigmatised property?
There is none. The practical test has three elements: inside the private part of the building, during the seller’s ownership, a homicide, suicide, CO poisoning or other unnatural death. The building condition confirmation also requires the seller to declare whether they know of an earlier event.
How do I check a specific home?
Follow the five steps: clause-by-clause disclosure and the condition form; price register and court judgments; a written question to the management committee; a seller’s guarantee in a rider; and evidence kept throughout. Any single channel can miss something.
Are online stigma databases reliable?
Only as leads. They are user reports plus news indexing with no verification, and courts do not accept them as sole evidence. Confirm through judgments, auction notices and written committee replies.
If another unit in the building had an incident, is mine stigmatised?
Generally no. The boundary is the private part, so an event in another unit or a common area normally does not make yours stigmatised. In borderline cases the unit where the event occurred is usually expected to disclose. If price is a concern, have the seller guarantee it in a rider.
What if I discover it after handover?
Two routes: the warranty against defects (rescission or reduction, within 6 months of notice and at most 5 years from handover), or rescission for fraud if you can prove deliberate concealment (1 year from discovery, at most 10 years). The brokerage is jointly liable for intent or negligence. In the first week, preserve evidence, send a registered notice and consult a lawyer.
Conclusion
The answer to “what if I buy a stigmatised home” is not to ask a few more neighbours, but to complete the five steps and keep evidence at the time. We work Taichung communities daily and can help write the disclosure clauses into your rider; contact us with the community you are looking at. This page is general information, not legal advice; consult a lawyer for your case. Related: offer documents explained and the buying process.