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is there a legal definition of what is a bedroom?

10 replies

mousymouse · 11/04/2011 14:48

a room with space for at least a (normal sized) single bed + a window?

when would a bedroom not be a bedroom? i.e. boxroom with a toddler bed in it that is declared as bedroom?

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greencaveman · 11/04/2011 14:49

Don't know, but I have viewed houses where the smallest bedroom would not accomodate a normal single bed.

BehindLockNumberNine · 11/04/2011 14:50

When we were househunting a year ago we came across many 3 bed semi's where the 3rd bedroom would NOT fit a single bed. Yet the houses were being sold as having 3 bedrooms.

So I don't know really....

BehindLockNumberNine · 11/04/2011 14:51

x post with greencaveman Smile

mousymouse · 11/04/2011 14:51

hmm, I have looked at google, but they only give the legal definition in the US which is a room with a closet and a second fire exit i.e. window...

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mousymouse · 11/04/2011 14:52

according to the us definition we are living in a studio suite. but a big one :o

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DooinMeCleanin · 11/04/2011 14:54

When my parents had their house valued they were told they coould not count the loft conversion as a bedroom because it had no proper staircase amoungst other reasons, so there is a legal definition, but I don't know if it relates to size.

An estage agent should be able to tell you.

domesticslattern · 11/04/2011 14:55

I too have viewed a house where the smallest "bedroom" would not accommodate a normal single bed. I have also viewed a house where the "bedroom" was 20 foot plus by five foot. I call that a corridor meself.

Basically, if it is a room with a window, they were calling it a bedroom.

In both cases I was totally pissed off with the estate agent wasting my time. So even notwithstanding legal definitions/ lack of, think about whether people want to have a house completely misdescribed to them!!

Kendodd · 11/04/2011 15:00

I was once working with a family, trying to get them housed by the council. They accepted a 'three' bed house, with their four children and although the smallest bedroom was big enough to fit a single bed, the council had put the hot water tank in the middle of the room so there was no space even for a cot. I spoke to the council for her and they said there was nothing they could do, and that the house was three bedroom. I don't know what happened after that.

mousymouse · 12/04/2011 09:35

and what about attic conversions?
if the rooms have nearly no standing room apart from beeing pokey?

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BehindLockNumberNine · 12/04/2011 11:05

When we had the loft coverted in our previous house (a small victorian semi) we had a standard / normal staircase installed. Headspace in the loft room was 6ft5 in the centre of the room (the whole length of the room but only for 2 foot width before the room sloped each side)
So headroom was tight.

For council tax purposes, and again when we came to sell the house last summer) that room was classed as an 'occasional room / bed 3'.

It had proper stairs and fitted a single bed comfortably. So the limited headroom did not matter too much.

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