Stairs in a bedroom to loft, can room with stairs in still be classed as a bedroom?

Madhouse2_2

Back bedroom has an open stairway located in the centre of the room which leads to loft area which cannot be classed as a bedroom (doesn’t meet building regulations)

The “bedroom” which has the stairs within it can fit a single bed in it still but for valuation purposes would it be classed as a habitable bedroom? 

davidmcn

Building regulations are a bit of a red herring as (assuming this is a historic alteration) it's no longer enforceable, and nobody's keeping a register of "official" bedrooms. If you want to have a bedroom which can only be accessed via another bedroom, you can - but obviously buyers aren't going to value those as much as rooms which can be accessed independently. It's more like "bedroom with en suite study/playroom" etc. I'd be more concerned about the heat going straight up into the loft room.

Mickey666

I'm not sure what defines a 'bedroom' and I'm not convinced it really matters - potential buyers will decide for themselves when viewing.

Our previous house had a bedroom with a spiral staircase to the ground floor.  Didn't stop it being used as a bedroom, being described as a bedroom by the EA, or being questioned by potential buyers.  I also had one of the 'bedrooms' fitted out as a home office but that didn't stop it being described by the EA as a bedroom either, although the buyer was delighted to have a fully fitted 'home office' instead of an extra bedroom.

I wouldn't over-think things too much.  Houses are what they are and plainly visible to potential buyers.

Madhouse2_2

davidmcn said:

Building regulations are a bit of a red herring as (assuming this is a historic alteration) it's no longer enforceable, and nobody's keeping a register of "official" bedrooms. If you want to have a bedroom which can only be accessed via another bedroom, you can - but obviously buyers aren't going to value those as much as rooms which can be accessed independently. It's more like "bedroom with en suite study/playroom" etc. I'd be more concerned about the heat going straight up into the loft room.

In this instance I am the buyer and while we don’t have issue with the set up. 

NatWests valuation surveyor does and have undervalued it significantly due to now only classing it as a 2 bedroom discounting the loft (which we always knew couldn’t be classed as a bedroom) and the second double bedroom which has the stairs to loft in. 

Madhouse2_2

Mickey666 said:

I'm not sure what defines a 'bedroom' and I'm not convinced it really matters - potential buyers will decide for themselves when viewing.

Our previous house had a bedroom with a spiral staircase to the ground floor.  Didn't stop it being used as a bedroom, being described as a bedroom by the EA, or being questioned by potential buyers.  I also had one of the 'bedrooms' fitted out as a home office but that didn't stop it being described by the EA as a bedroom either, although the buyer was delighted to have a fully fitted 'home office' instead of an extra bedroom.

I wouldn't over-think things too much.  Houses are what they are and plainly visible to potential buyers.

Whilst I agree as it doesn’t bother us at all (we are the buyers in this scenario)
but NatWests valuation has come back significantly below agreed sale price stating it as a 2 bedroom due to stairs in the second double bedroom. 

greatcrested

If there is a bed in the room, it is a bedroom.

(you must win prize for longest signiture ever)

Madhouse2_2

greatcrested said:

If there is a bed in the room, it is a bedroom.

(you must win prize for longest signiture ever)

This is what I thought but not according to the valuation 🤦🏼‍♀️ Just wondering if he was just having an off day or if they’re all going to say the same thing. 

🤣 yes and it’s only getting longer with the continuing issues!

Norman_Castle

Madhouse2_2 said:

greatcrested said:

If there is a bed in the room, it is a bedroom.

(you must win prize for longest signiture ever)

🤣 yes and it’s only getting longer with the continuing issues!

Can't wait for the next update. Its a quandary, should I continue reading or wait for the movie to come out?

Titus_Wadd

Not much useful advice to offer, but I'd market the room as a teenagers room with mezzanine level.  The Estate Agent missed a trick!

moneysavinghero

Whether it is or not a bedroom is academic. Your bank says it is not and has valued it accordingly. Do you have enough deposit to make the down valuation irrelevant? Or can you find a new mortgage provider who will value it differently.

[Deleted User]

You can call it a bedroom if you like but I wouldn’t value it or pay as much for it as a near identical property that didn’t have the hooky loft conversion with the stairs in the bedroom.