What is a bedroom?

JuzaMum

If you are an estate agent it is a room you can fit a bed in - even if you have to saw the legs off to fit it over the bulk head (seen when house hunting). Bedroom 4 in my house if a tiny 1.9m x 2.2m. It makes me smile when I see comments stating this is illegal. My youngest son prefers that to sharing with his sister and we have space in the rest of the house for him to play.
What do you think a bedroom is and do I need to fear the bedroom police?

Marvel1

Bed fits in the room = bedroom.

Silvertabby

If it has a window, then it's a (bed)room.

If it doesn't have a window, then it's a cupboard.

eddddy

The RICS (who value and survey homes) say:

There is no statutory definition of the term 'bedroom' in the UK. The term is used to describe a room used for sleeping in and where you would expect to find a bed or other such piece of furniture designed for sleeping on.

Link: http://www.rics.org/uk/knowledge/glossary/what-is-a-bedroom/

The RICS also quote the Valuation Office Agency Rent Officers' Handbook (which relates to rented property):

The simple test to apply is, for this type and size of property in this or a similar area, how has the property been let, and how do occupants use the accommodation? The size of the room is irrelevant. A room that would never be thought of as a bedroom or living room in a large country house might well be perfectly acceptable to most people, for those same uses, in an expensive, densely populated city.

ReadingTim

Appreciate the phrase "bedroom police" is a bit tongue in cheek, but if "the authorities" (social services, police etc) are looking into where one of your children is sleeping, you probably have more serious things to worry about than merely the size of the room....

If on the other hand, "bedroom police" also encompasses "busy bodies", "nosey parkers", "do-gooders" and the likes, the correct definition (and therefore response) can be found by referring them to the case of Arkell vs Pressdram.

pollyanna24

When I was viewing houses, some of them had a bedroom that you couldn't shut the door when there was a single bed in it.

Okay, a bedroom, but not one I would want to stay in.

ripplyuk

I remember reading the council’s definition and they said a bedroom had to be able to fit a single bed and a chest of drawers to store clothing. There was no size reference for this chest of drawers so I’m guessing that could be the tiny, bedside cabinet types.

I’d prefer a bedroom to have daylight. Either a window or skylight.

chelseablue

Bedroom 3 in my house is 2.74m x 2.39m

Can only fit a single bed in there

PasturesNew

JuzaMum wrote: »

Bedroom 4 in my house if a tiny 1.9m x 2.2m.

In "old money" that's 6'3" x 7'3"
Which is bigger than my old bedroom when I lived at home.

There is no single definition of a bedroom, just recommendations by a variety of organisations, for a variety of purposes.

As for the police, they reduced the minimum height, just so they had some that'd fit into today's modern houses.

If that were the size of Bedroom 1 it'd be a bit tight, but that's your FOURTH bedroom, and still "big enough".

moneyistooshorttomention

chelseablue wrote: »

Bedroom 3 in my house is 2.74m x 2.39m

Can only fit a single bed in there

Two bedrooms and a box room then.

There are a lot of 2 bedroom houses described as being 3 bedroom - because of the box room being counted as a bedroom.

chelseablue

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Two bedrooms and a box room then.

There are a lot of 2 bedroom houses described as being 3 bedroom - because of the box room being counted as a bedroom.

Yes that's how I describe it

But when I come to sell it I'll advertise it as a 3 bed like it was when we bought it :rotfl: