'Flat belonged to killer Dennis Nilsen' reveals honest estate agent

A flat that was once home to notorious serial killer, Denis Nilsen, has gone on the market. The flat on Melrose Avenue in Willesden Green, looks like a lovely property in great condition, and in a popular area. However, when a buyer got in touch to arrange a viewing, she discovered the property's horrible past.

The property is on the market with a number of agents. It has much to offer, as there are 900 square feet of beautiful period rooms, a conservatory, and a south facing garden.

However, the Telegraph reported that when one buyer contacted an agent she received an email saying: "Just to make you aware, this property used to be lived in by the notorious serial killer, Dennis Nilsen. He did commit murders in the flat. I feel morally obligated to let you know that."

In fact, the two-bedroom flat was home to Dennis Nilsen in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was where he killed most of the men he was convicted of murdering, and stored them under the floorboards. The bodies were then burned behind the house.
%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-property-guide%
The newspaper reported that the flat had been on the market for around a year, and one offer had been made of £490,000. It suggested that if the property didn't have such a terrible past, it would be worth closer to £600,000.

Horror houses

While Nilsen was carrying out his horrific crimes, he moved house to a flat in Muswell Hill. This property had no access to the garden, and it was his attempts to flush away his evidence that led to his arrest. The Muswell Hill property has also changed hands a number of times, and has not been easy to sell.

The first time it was on the market for 18 months before going to auction and selling for just £250,000. At that point the agent advised potential buyers to read up on the history of the property before buying. The buyer then renovated the property, and put it back on the market, but it took two years to sell, and fetched just £300,000 earlier this year.

House you live there?

It's perfectly understandable that some people cannot a the house's past behind them, and couldn't imagine living somewhere that something terrible had happened.

However, for those who feel differently, choosing to live in a home like this can mean a huge price reduction, that can have a profound effect on your quality of life right now. Arguably, by the time a home has been around for the best part of 100 years, it will always have seen some things you don't necessarily want to dwell on, these homes are just an extreme example. And while there were some terrible things that happened in the house, there have also been decades of positive life-affirming things that have gone on in every home too.

Carol Schuller Miller bought a property in Colorado, which many people wouldn't have. The home gained notoriety after JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen, was found murdered in the basement on Boxing Day in 1996.

Miller moved in in 2004, and although her family moved on less then ten years later, she told Westword she always felt there had been more good things happen in the home than bad ones. She added: "Some people are making this a dark monument as opposed to thinking about the restoration that can occur after a tragedy. And I believe that in our darkest tragedies, God doesn't run. He comes."

But what do you think? Would you live in a home with a dark past? Let us know in the comments.