Agents make killing on 'haunted houses'

The reputation of estate agents will not be improved by their latest marketing ploy - listing so-called 'haunted houses' for sale or rent because the occupants have died.

The property descriptions come complete with the gruesome details of the occupants' deaths.

Jilted girlfriends who commit suicide and drug addicts who accidentally set themselves alight do little for a property's value, which mean the canny buyer can grab a bargain in the city's cutthroat housing market.

That's the theory behind the 'Haunted House' section recently launched in English on Hong Kong property website Square Foot.

The online agency believes that while Chinese homebuyers may find the subject taboo, some expatriates will jump at the chance of cheaper housing. Square Foot trawls local media, for details on all current deaths - either by murder, suicide, accident or natural causes.

The company has already hailed it a success, despite the fact that according to the code of ethics issued by the Estate Agents Authority, agents are under no legal obligation to tell prospective tenants if there has been a death at a property.

Square Foot's database covers all of Hong Kong and the listings can be searched by address, date and district. Shrewd local landlords have also spotted a good opportunity to make some money.