Would this put you off?

[NewpyMum]

Would you be put off by this basement room? Listing here

We have a two bed flat with a basement room (full brand new ventilation system and protected means of escape so totally compliant) without a window.

My husband was a building control surveyor and it’s all signed off so we 100% know that it’s legal and I’m not asking about that aspect of it.

For us it’s been perfect as an office/spare room and then a room for our children. Actually amazing because I never have to worry about too might early morning and late night sun disturbing their sleep or super high and low temperatures because it’s a well controlled temperature all the time.

But as we are now having viewings, the majority of the feedback is that they don’t like the room. We kind of knew this might be an issue but hoped the rest of the flat would speak for itself and have a lower price to compensate for this.

Would really like to hear your thoughts on this.

For context, it’s in a great location (5 minute walk from station that takes you to London Bridge and Victoria in 15 minutes) and is a lovely local area on the south side of Croydon. Also comes with garage and private off street parking.

Does a second bedroom with no window outweigh all of this?

In the UK you have to have a window in a habitable room

https://buildsafe.co.uk/building-regulation-for-windows-in-bedrooms/

Agree with the other comments. If it was marketed as a 1 bed flat with a bonus room, I'd think it was handy. But it's a stretch to call it a 2 bed when one of the bedrooms is a windowless room.

I think the flat feels a bit out of proportion too. Your hallway looks pretty big, your living room is massive and your main bedroom is a decent size. But the kitchen and bathroom are pretty small and the bonus room/"second bedroom" being on a different level is a bit of a pain if you need a wee or a water top up.

I've seen basement rooms that have a kind of high window (if you look from the outside it's just above street level) or steps/opening down on the outside, so wouldn't necessarily assume a basement room had no window. I wouldn't necessarily mind a bedroom in the basement, but would be put off by no natural light.

This is what I thought too - you can’t advertise it as a bedroom.

Yes, it’s a 1 bed with an extra room, not a 2 bed. If you marketed it as that and the price reflected that then you’d probably get a lot of interest as it’s a lovely 1 bed property.

The kitchen is very small and the shower room is away from the living room and bedroom-very awkward layout and most definitely a 1 bed with office/storage room.
The place seems suitable for a couple but not for a family.

It's beautifully presented and location is fine.

While the basemnet is cited as the issue the kitchen/ bathroom situation isn't great due to oversized living room. Your sq footage should convert to a very decent 2 bed if you had regular sized room iyswim.

I agree with others you need to market as a 1/2bed

It's a 1-bed with a bonus study/hobby room. How do you escape if there is a fire? Beautifully presented though!
The shower room off kitchen would also be a no for me (plus no bath), and no garden?

Thank you, but please do read my original message. The requirement for a habitable room is means of escape and ventilation, which we have both with a full protected route and mechanical ventilation.

I agree you need to market it as a 1bed with a bonus room/ study.

But while your flat is very nice, other things would put me off: small kitchen with no where to eat, bathroom off kitchen, carpet.

Gorgeous flat, I think if it was priced as a 2 bed people would expect a window.

It would put me off if I wanted a 2 bed. I wouldn't mind that room as an office, snug or playroom but wouldn't want it as someone's bedroom as it would feel too dungeon like. Fine to put a sofa bed in there for someone to occasionally sleepover but not to be an actual permanent bedroom.

It's a lovely flat but it needs to be marketed as a one bed with a basement room with no window, if a buyer doesn't mind using that room as a bedroom then that's up to them but it needs to be made clear so that people who are wanting two actual bedrooms are aware of the set up of this flat.

And while it might be a full protected fire route (fire doors, etc) - the potential parents are still on a different floor (and behind a fire door) from potential children.

There is no way I would be happy with the set up for little kids (and I'm relatively cavalier!), and I can't imagine an older child being happy in a room with no window.

I think marketing it as a 1 bed is the only sensible thing you can do

Seems to me like it counts as a habitable room (because it has ventilation and an escape room) but can't be classed as a bedroom (because it has no window). In which case, you have a one bedroom flat.

Agree with others, should market it as gym/office room. I know loads of people who bought two beds for the office/occasional spare room. Aim for those types, not families. With the garage and rail links it’s perfect :)

A windowless room would put me off. I could only use it for storage.

If I wanted a one bed flat with study / spare occasional guest room it wouldn’t put me off. And I can imagine if I lived in the flat then had a child, I would be happy to use it as a baby room for a little while till we moved out - needs must, sometimes. But I think most people will be very put off by it being advertised as a bedroom - especially as it doesn’t say in the listing that it has no windows, I think? Great of course that it’s ventilated / fire escape route etc, but most people want to be able to see out.

Thanks for all thoughts on this. We are now considering relisting as a 1 bed with details on the additional room making it clear that it is compliant as a room if desired but mainly advertising as one bed with extra space.

We would naturally bring the asking price down a little to reflect this. Thanks for your thoughts on this. We would rather have a one bed that people can be impressed by in its scale and features than a two bed that people get underwhelmed by with the downstairs room.

But habitable room is not necessarily the same as a bedroom. There are different regulations with it comes to rooms that you refer to as bedrooms and this is not legally a bedroom. Habitable room just mean it's not a bathroom, utility room, hallway etc.

Yes, it's a 1 bed with a cellar.

Someone near me did something similar - marketed a 2 bed as a 3 bed. The third bedroom was on the landing and couldnt even fit a single bed in it. Its annoying took ages to sell.

Its annoying and dishonest to be frank, just re-list it as a 1 bed with a cellar.

This isn't correct. Habitable room is defined as the below in the Building Regulations guidance, and this is these are the regulation that covers the safety of buildings. There are some standards for new homes which talk about floor area and height of bedrooms specifically, but they are standards (not legally binding), are applicable to new builds, and don't mention anything about windows.

I understand this is a common misunderstanding about bedrooms.

Habitable room A room used, or intended to be used, for people to live in (including, for the purposes of Approved Document B Volumes 1 and 2, a kitchen, but not a bathroom). - Building Regulations Part B, Vol 1 (Dwellings) Page 123

Was going to post to say the same. Plus you can get nice, properly 2bed flats for less nearby. It seems over priced?

The document you have linked to is 192 pages long. My point was that habitable room can be a dining room, a living room, a bedroom etc. Bedrooms have different requirements. You can of course use the room as a bedroom if you want, nobody can stop you, but you can't market it as a bedroom.

"Building regulations in the UK require all bedrooms to have windows. These are primarily meant to lower the risk of injury in case of a fire. They serve as ventilation for the room and also help to provide emergency exits. While the government can’t stop you from using windowless bedrooms, you will get into legal hot water if you rent the room to lodgers or tenants as a bedroom. When selling or renting out the house, you can market any windowless rooms as studios, playrooms, home gyms, or even home offices."

A habitable room is not the same as a bedroom.

All bedrooms in the UK must have windows by law.

100% this. ^