Blog · 11 October 2026 · Alan Morton

Is My House Haunted? Signs to Look For, and What to Do Next

It usually starts small. A creak on the stairs when everyone’s in bed. A door that won’t stay shut. The dog staring at an empty corner. Before long you’re lying awake asking yourself: is my house haunted?

First of all, you’re not alone, and you’re not being daft. Unexplained experiences at home are unsettling, and wanting answers is completely natural. As a paranormal investigation team in Hartlepool, we hear from people who feel this way all the time. Our honest advice is always the same: start with the everyday explanations. Most of the time there’s a simple answer. If there isn’t, we’re here to help.

Common signs your house is haunted, and what to rule out first

Noises, knocks and footsteps

The most common thing people report is bangs, taps, creaks, or what sounds like someone walking upstairs.

Rule out first: central heating and pipes expanding and contracting as they heat up and cool down, floorboards and timbers settling (especially in older houses), neighbours through a shared wall, and mice or other pests in the loft, walls or under the floor. Scratching or scurrying at night is a classic sign of rodents.

Cold spots and draughts

A patch of the room that feels noticeably colder than the rest.

Rule out first: draughts from gaps around windows, doors, floorboards, chimneys or loft hatches, and radiators that need bleeding or aren’t heating evenly.

Feeling watched, uneasy, or being touched

Some people describe a heavy atmosphere, a sense of a presence, or a light touch.

Rule out first: air movement and draughts on the skin. Infrasound, very low-frequency sound below what we can consciously hear, has been suggested as a possible cause of unease in "haunted" spaces. In a well-known 1998 study, engineer Vic Tandy traced eerie feelings in a laboratory to infrasound from an extractor fan ^[4]. Fans, boilers and traffic can all produce low-frequency vibration.

Important: headaches, dizziness, feeling sick, tiredness or confusion at home can be signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide has no colour or smell, and it can come from faulty or poorly maintained boilers, fires and cooking appliances ^[1]. If this sounds familiar, see When to call a professional below. Don’t wait.

Whispers, voices, or a presence at night

Hearing your name called, or waking up unable to move with a feeling that someone is in the room.

Rule out first: sleep paralysis. The NHS describes it as feeling awake but unable to move, speak or open your eyes, often with a feeling that someone is in the room or something is pushing you down. It can last up to several minutes ^[2]. It’s frightening, but it’s a recognised sleep issue. Sounds can also travel surprisingly far through walls, vents and pipes.

Objects moving or going missing

Things not where you left them, or doors swinging open.

Rule out first: doors and frames that aren’t quite level, draughts pushing doors, vibration from traffic or washing machines making things "walk", and the simple fact that busy households move things around without anyone remembering.

Pets reacting to "nothing"

Dogs barking at an empty doorway, cats fixed on a corner.

Rule out first: pets hear and smell far more than we do. Mice in the walls, birds in the roof or a cat outside can all set them off.

Electrical problems

Lights flickering, appliances switching on and off, or bulbs blowing.

Rule out first: loose bulbs, worn switches, overloaded sockets or faulty wiring. Electrical faults can be a fire risk, so don’t ignore them ^[3]. Paranormal investigators often use EMF meters, but these readily pick up ordinary household wiring and appliances, which is why we check for those first (more on our approach on our equipment page).

Keep a diary: a simple checklist

If things keep happening, writing them down is the single most useful thing you can do. For each event, note:

• Date and time
• Which room, and exactly what happened
• Who was there and who else noticed it
• Weather (windy, cold, stormy?)
• Was the heating, boiler or an appliance running?
• How you were feeling (tired, unwell, just woken up?)
• Any photos, videos or audio (and what was in shot)

Patterns often point straight to the cause, such as "only when the heating comes on" or "only on windy nights".

When to call a professional

• Gas engineer: if you suspect a gas or carbon monoxide problem, get your appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer and fit a carbon monoxide alarm. If you think you have symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, the NHS advises calling NHS 111, or 999 if someone is struggling to breathe, suddenly confused, weak or unconscious ^[1]. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 ^[5].
• Electrician: for flickering lights, burning smells, warm sockets or tripping fuses, call a registered electrician ^[3].
• Doctor: if sleep paralysis happens often, or you’re anxious about going to sleep or tired all the time, the NHS recommends seeing a GP ^[2].
• Pest control: for droppings, gnawing or scratching in walls and lofts.

Still can’t explain it? Free, confidential haunted house help in Hartlepool

Sometimes you’ve checked everything and something still doesn’t add up. That’s where we come in.

Our Haunted Homes service offers free paranormal help across Hartlepool and the North East, and it’s completely confidential. Here’s how it works:

• We listen without judgement. Whatever you’ve experienced, you won’t be laughed at.
• We look for natural explanations first. We’re a sceptic-friendly team, and we’d far rather find a draughty window than frighten anyone.
• If it’s appropriate, a small team visits quietly and respectfully. What we find is shared only with you.

You don’t need to be a "believer" to get in touch, and you don’t need proof. If you’d just like to talk it through, that’s fine too.

Curious about the local legends? Read our guide to the most haunted places in Hartlepool.

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Sources

1. NHS, "Carbon monoxide poisoning": https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/
2. NHS, "Sleep paralysis": https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-paralysis/
3. Electrical Safety First, "Safety around the home": https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/safety-around-the-home/
4. Tandy, V. & Lawrence, T. (1998), "The Ghost in the Machine", Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 62(851)
5. National Gas, "Emergency Contacts" (0800 111 999): https://www.nationalgas.com/emergency-contacts