Is this room even legally a bedroom?

Harrysmum03

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

I don't understand why you are so keen to prove that the bedroom isn't legally a bedroom.

If you don't like the layout of the house don't take it, it sounds like it will be appreciated more by a family that actually requires a five bedroom house

It's nice to see that your council is actually trying to make full use of all its assets, how refreshing.

If the bedroom turns out to not be "legal" after I move in I would then loose a bedroom and in theory a dining room as it would have to be used as a bedroom.

Harrysmum03

GwylimT wrote: »

Of course not, that would make it slightly acceptable!

Please tell me your joking?
I've heard of people being told they can use their kitchen as a bedroom if it only has electric and not gas but to be told your third bedroom has a gas boiler and no ventilation? Takes the Mick! And to not even be fit for purpose (fit a bed) absurd.

DRP

Harrysmum03 wrote: »

Please tell me your joking?
I've heard of people being told they can use their kitchen as a bedroom if it only has electric and not gas but to be told your third bedroom has a gas boiler and no ventilation? Takes the Mick! And to not even be fit for purpose (fit a bed) absurd.

I would imagine the boiler has a vent to the outside.

I've lived in several places with the boiler in a bedroom - it is/was fairly common.

Ectophile

What's wrong with a (modern) gas boiler in a bedroom? Many are room-sealed these days, and can be put almost anywhere, with no need for ventilation.

Harrysmum03

Yeah true, most are room sealed nowadays.
Just not very nice to look at in a bedroom especially one with such limited space where you can't even fit a bed.

Prothet_of_Doom

I went to look at a room in a HMO for rent, in the basement, and it had a small stair case built in front of the window, to meet building regulations of it being a fire escape.

DTDfanBoy

I can't imagine how traumatic it must be to not only lose two spare bedrooms but be forced to choose between having a spare bedroom or a dining room, the welfare state certainly isn't what it used to be.

First world problems can be such a !!!!!, I'm sorely tempted to give everything away and go live in a hut in Africa _party_

Furts

Harrysmum03 wrote: »

All I want to know is, can this room be classed legally as a bedroom with a window just 37in wide and 9in high?

Harrysmum03 wrote: »

If the bedroom turns out to not be "legal" after I move in I would then loose a bedroom and in theory a dining room as it would have to be used as a bedroom.

Hi Harrysmum03, welcome to the Forum, and feel free to tick the thanks icon if you think anyone has offered help - a little token of appreciation may calm some ruffled people.

There are many interesting points made in many threads, and there are numerous grey areas. Some are: the bedroom status and fire safety would be viewed differently if it were a three storey house as opposed to a two storey; Fire Regulations guidance did change in the 1990s, so escape windows, open plan living rooms, stairs within a downstairs room were considered; regulations are not retrospective with regards to compliance...

Then there is the concept of a bedroom - other than London (where I am not aware of the current status) there are no requirements on room sizes. Again a grey area in many ways.

A peculiar British "thing" is marketing homes according to the number of bedrooms. Other countries do it the correct way by reference to floor area. Hence the bedroom tax is a peculiar British response to a peculiar British problem.

Cutting through all this I am suggesting OP is both right and wrong. The room can be called a bedroom provided by some means a person can sleep it in - within reason size does not matter. But the window does not comply. Hence the solution is not to reclassify the bedroom, but to alter the window, or means of escape. The council should be addressing this. However, in defence of the council, most alteration and maintenance work is done to abysmal standards, by contractors working for peanuts, controlled by councils who demand cheap work and then turn a blind eye to the end results. Thus the situation of apparent non compliance occurs.

The concept of a downstairs bedroom is progress - this should be applauded. Most people eat in a kitchen and dining rooms are redundant. Add to this the current thinking on Lifetime Homes and downstairs bedrooms are the way forward. They are for children, the disabled, the sick and the elderly. Indeed, I have built my home with this in mind, including an office which can be changed to a walk in shower room complete with a floor gulley beneath my work station where I am currently typing this reply.

Hope this helps.

andrewf75

Furts wrote: »

A peculiar British "thing" is marketing homes according to the number of bedrooms. .

I have never understood why we persist with this

Most people don't even know the number of square metres of their homes, yet this is by far the most descriptive way of telling someone how big a house is. Everywhere else in the world does it by sqm and people can visualise instantly the size.

Its madness.

tommyjj

Even if it can be classed as a bedroom, which it can, the pertinent question is surely what you class it as?

If you consider it too small to count as a fifth bedroom, then you need to value the property as a four-bed instead, and decide whether it represents good value.