Thank you very much. I didn`t think this could be considered a bedroom because there is only one exit, which is the door to the largest basement. This still leaves me quite confused, and I had never heard before that the house built before these guidelines is exempt. So who was right? Let`s take a look at how we answer the seven most important questions when it comes to counting the bedrooms in your home. Hello SC review issues. I am sorry to hear about your situation. Was the conversion of the garage allowed? Does the renovation look like high-quality work that looks like the rest of the house? It is difficult to say who is right in this situation. If there is no approval, I can understand why an appraiser would hesitate to call it a legitimate chamber. But if there is a permit and the area still looks like a glorified garage instead of the rest of the house, I can also understand why an appraiser would treat the area separately from the original footprint of the house. I`m not in tune with your market or how exactly your property is, so it`s hard to give an opinion. I know it`s frustrating to have an appraiser who doesn`t include that space, but when you step back and look at the value, is the value very different from what`s probably appropriate for your property since there`s no garage left? You might have a situation where the value has been knocked down (way too low), but at the same time, there are situations where we disagree with the methodology, but the value is more or less reasonable. Do you have any ideas? Thank you again for getting in touch. Read on, and you`ll see a full explanation of the legal requirements for a bedroom.

Here`s another tricky one, especially for historic owners. Most modern building codes require bedrooms to have a single entrance, meaning you don`t have to go through another bedroom to access the space. Agents collect comparative values based on factors such as square footage, neighborhood and, of course, number of bedrooms. Thanks for the practical information. I just had, I believe, a very inept appraiser who passed through my 1926 house in Placer County. He claimed that two of the bedrooms were not bedrooms because the closets were not at full height. These are dressing rooms with a ceiling of 2-3 feet 7` high, then fall to 4`. I will now be able to quote the IRC and have a good discussion with the next reviewer. Hi Jparker. Thanks for the photo.

It looks like a bedroom to me, even though it`s definitely on the small side. Sometimes when I walk through a house, I also consider the size of the other rooms in a house to determine what something is. For example, I recently evaluated a very detached house where all the rooms were large, but there was a small room that technically met the requirements of a bedroom. This room was probably designed as a cave by the builder due to the significant difference in size compared to the other chambers, and in my opinion, it was likely that the market would also see it as a cave. However, since it was technically a bedroom, I called it that (I actually said „small room” in my report and on my sketch). In your case, the „L” shape makes the room here a bit funky, so it may not be seen on par with other probably larger rooms in your home. This one looks like it does, but the appraiser will have to ask how buyers would see this space. There are technical definitions so that we can define something clearly, but we still have to ask ourselves how the market would view ownership. I hope this helps. Or, even worse, what happens if I invest in furnishing an extra bedroom, only to learn that it doesn`t meet the minimum legal requirements for a bedroom? Misrepresentation of bedroom numbers based on septic tank capacity occurs more often than you can imagine. As a real estate agent and salesman, you need to be careful. Lawsuits are currently underway where real estate agents and landlords are being prosecuted for falsely making a statement about the number of bedrooms.

Ryan: I have a house in a Natomas subdivision that has an office that, in the original plans, could have been a bedroom if you had chosen the builder to build the bedroom instead of an office. I want to turn it into a bedroom for the resale value of the fourth bedroom. I know I need permission to open the door, but how can I call it a fourth chamber on paper? Other states have requirements that you would probably never ask if you decide the number of rooms for your MLS list. Take Massachusetts, which says you can`t claim to have more rooms than your septic system is supposed to handle. Hi John. I am not aware of any bed size requirements. If anyone knows something, keep talking. If a room was only 70 m², I can`t think of a bed bigger than a single or twin room that would fit. I have seen such small rooms and the beds are always tiny. Thanks for the comment John. For some reason, something strange has happened over the years regarding a legal room. Many real estate agents have begun to develop the idea that a legal bedroom should have a closet.

Some may say this to try to get the best deal possible. Preparing to list your home and finding a suitable replacement can be difficult if you need to navigate listings and home descriptions. When ads take creative liberties, it can be frustrating as a buyer, especially if you walk into a home listed as a four-bedroom home and it turns out to be a three-bedroom home with a bonus room. To help you navigate the process of selling and buying homes, a Realtor.com-owned UpNest real estate agent can help. It`s not illegal if you sleep in an illegal room or accidentally buy a unit with an illegal room because you`re arrested and thrown in jail. It seems that there is no need for an exit outside the house, there must be an exit that allows you to leave the room even if it goes to another. Two doors leading to the same room or exit area would not be acceptable, as this room could burn and others could not. I know several houses that have interior rooms with no exit to the outside of the house. Each room should have a ceiling high enough for people to walk comfortably underneath, usually 7 feet high or more. Height requirements mean you can`t label a crawl space, bedroom, or space under stairs. The ceiling height of the bedroom may not need to be 7 feet all around, depending on the room.

Attic rooms, for example, will have a slope. But at least half of the ceiling should meet minimum requirements. Hi, I have a garden room and my teen wants to use it as a bedroom. Is it legal? It measures 10 feet by 10 feet with a connecting door in another identical room. There are double French doors for each room at the front and also 2 small windows that do not open There is light and electricity but no plumbing. The builder followed the guidelines and it was built at the right distance from the house and the boundaries. I have tried to research this, and all I can find is that I install mains powered smoke detectors. Is that all I have to do? I really hope you can help Cheer`s Katy Code requirements, which vary from state to state, determine what can and cannot be considered a bedroom, regardless of how that space was used. The codes are mainly for security reasons. A room can only be defined as a bedroom if it meets these code requirements, which may include specifications for fire safety measures and exit routes.