Rules about what constitutes a bedroom? (NC) (disclosure, agent, commission)
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I need know know if, to be considered a bedroom, a room has to have a door.
We looked at a house not too long ago that's listed as a 4BR, but I swear, I don't remember that room having a door.
It had a tiny closet (think coat closet here), and a rather nice full bath
But, no door. It had what looked like an area big enough to be closed off by 2 double doors, and lead directly into the bonus room.
I ask because it seems like it should have a door to be listed as a bedroom on the MLS.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be comparable to other 3-br houses in the area instead of 4-br houses?
It has to have a closet. They may taken the door off, or opened up the entry to the room. You can always put a door back on. To be sure, ask the agent who showed it to you.
It has to have a closet. They may taken the door off, or opened up the entry to the room. You can always put a door back on. To be sure, ask the agent who showed it to you.
That's what I thought. Just wanted to be sure.
It's an awkward bedroom (removed from all but the bonus) and the closet is microscopic. Pity. I like the house, otherwise.
I saw a house like that on HGTV a couple of years ago. The prospective buyers were concerned about the lack of a door on an upstairs bedroom. They followed the realtor's advice to have one installed and, in the re-visit a few months later, it was lovely.
It has to have a closet. They may taken the door off, or opened up the entry to the room. You can always put a door back on. To be sure, ask the agent who showed it to you.
Sorry but this is wrong. A bedroom does not need to have a closet. To be a bedroom it has to have minimum standards as to size, ceiling height, natural light, and egress. And each state and/city may have their own rules but I have yet seen one that required a closet. As far as a door, I don't know, interesting question. I would just put on a door or ask the seller to if it was important.
According to the International Residential Code (IRC), there are certain features a room must have before it can be called a usable bedroom. Many of these features have to do with both safety and livability. Minimum room proportions-
Habitable bedroom space as having 7.5ft. of head space with a minimum room dimension of 7ft. in any horizontal dimension. Minimum standards for egress-
Habitable bedrooms must have at least 2 exits, at least one of which must be a door. The second exit can be a window that also must be a minimum dimension. The IRC sets the minimum opening area at 5.7sq/ft. with a minimum opening height of 24 inches and width of 20 inches. Some convening authorities require larger openings. And depending on setbacks between structures, some walls can not have windows at all. Closet-
IRC doesn't require a bedroom to have a closet, but from a marketing standpoint a closet is what makes a room an actual bedroom. If the room doesn't have a closet, then your Realtor and potential buyers probably won't see the room as a bedroom either.
To know for sure what standards are allowed for your particular location, it's best to check with the local Building Department. Most convening authorities have adopted the IRC standards- but they can supersede them with more stringent standards.
Sorry but this is wrong. A bedroom does not need to have a closet. To be a bedroom it has to have minimum standards as to size, ceiling height, natural light, and egress. And each state and/city may have their own rules but I have yet seen one that required a closet. As far as a door, I don't know, interesting question. I would just put on a door or ask the seller to if it was important.
She asked what constituted a "bedroom" in NC. I suggested she contacted the agent who showed her the property. Buyers should not have to get into the building codes, that is a "disclosure" issue when it comes to selling a property. A licensed home inspector can easily answer that question, and a Realtor cannot call it a bedroom on the MLS if it is NOT a bedroom.
After being in this business for a while I am convinced that it means what ever the listing agent wants it to mean because very few Realtors out there really know what it means.
Oh2az2id is correct. It really is just a safety issue thing having nothing to do with closets. I had one Realtor tell me all of basement bedrooms in a house were non-conforming because there was no bathroom on that floor. That was the first I had ever heard that and I believe that is also wrong. So, then if you live in Amish country and have no indoor plumbing your entire house is non-conforming?
According to the International Residential Code (IRC), there are certain features a room must have before it can be called a usable bedroom. Many of these features have to do with both safety and livability. Minimum room proportions-
Habitable bedroom space as having 7.5ft. of head space with a minimum room dimension of 7ft. in any horizontal dimension. Minimum standards for egress-
Habitable bedrooms must have at least 2 exits, at least one of which must be a door. The second exit can be a window that also must be a minimum dimension. The IRC sets the minimum opening area at 5.7sq/ft. with a minimum opening height of 24 inches and width of 20 inches. Some convening authorities require larger openings. And depending on setbacks between structures, some walls can not have windows at all. Closet-
IRC doesn't require a bedroom to have a closet, but from a marketing standpoint a closet is what makes a room an actual bedroom. If the room doesn't have a closet, then your Realtor and potential buyers probably won't see the room as a bedroom either.
To know for sure what standards are allowed for your particular location, it's best to check with the local Building Department. Most convening authorities have adopted the IRC standards- but they can supersede them with more stringent standards.
"One of which must be a door" in this case a doorway would be considered a door and be included as one of at least 2 exits. An actual door can be missing and it still conforms.
Another very important point in what constitutes a bedroom is the capacity of the septic system. A home may have 4 useable actual bedrooms, with the possibility of one as an addition w/o a building permit. But in the MLS it has to be disclosed as a 3 bedroom because of the septic because of the original ISDS. A home may also have a 4 bedroom ISDS, but only have 3 bedrooms and plans for additional expansion to 4.
Here is the definition of a bedroom from the NC Real Estate Commission website:
"To be or not to be... A bedroom?
Reports are that some brokers are mischaracterizing certain rooms as “bedrooms”.
Specifically, in order to enhance the marketability of homes listed for sale, they are submitting information to multiple listing services and through advertising identifying as “bedrooms” rooms which were never designed or intended for such use.
As a result, prospective purchasers seeking homes with the number of bedrooms shown in the MLS are frustrated and angry when their agents show them homes where one or more of the “bedrooms” is clearly not suited for that purpose - even though the seller may have used the room as a bedroom.
The question then arises, “What is a bedroom?” Although there is no clear answer, here are some factors to consider when classifying a room as a bedroom:
Is there a clothes closet in or conveniently available to the room? However, since bedroom closets were not a common design feature in many older homes, do not disqualify rooms in these homes which do not contain closets if they were clearly intended to be used as bedrooms
Is there sufficient space in the room to accommodate standard bedroom furniture? 8’x10’ is suggested for a single bed, and 10’x11½’ for double beds.
Does the home comply with governmental regulations (septic tank requirements, fire and safety codes, etc.) pertaining to bedrooms? When in doubt, check with the appropriate local government agency . To paraphrase a classic song, “A room is not a bedroom, just because there’s someone sleeping there.” So, save potential buyers and their agents time and trouble, and save yourself possible action from the Real Estate Commission by using your common sense and exercising reasonable judgment when determining whether a room is, for listing purposes, a bedroom."
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