Would you buy a flat with a windowless bedroom?

horsewithnoname

mclopa said:

Hello
We've been looking for a flat to buy as an investment for rental income. We found a block that we like and there are a couple of possibles. One is a 2 bedroomed ground floor flat with ensuite - so 2 bathrooms. However, one of the 'bedrooms' has no windows. Our surveyor classified the flat as 1 bedroom with an extra (windowless) room. I have now read that fire regulations require bedrooms to have 2 methods of escape (ie door and window). The estate agent thinks there's no problem with renting (or selling) as a 2 bedroom property. I'm very uneasy. Anyone else been in a similar situation? If so then what did you do? And any opinions on what I should do?
Thanks

Would you be happy to live in this flat? If not, don’t expect other people to. 

annetheman

Schwarzwald said:

I recently was allocated a windowless room in a hotel. I only booked for 1 night.
within 5 minutes i was back at reception to upgrade to another room.
windowless bedrooms are horrible!
i would neither buy (unless i can create a window) or rent such, leaving regulation even aside. 

Big No for me.

Exact same situation this brought to mind for me! I booked into a hotel with a windowless room and I felt claustrophobic and like I was losing my mind, quite literally. It was indeed horrible. Gives me feelings of PTSD thinking about it, to be honest...

Regulations will dictate what you do, OP, is there any possibility to turn the windowless room into a den/living room or a store? If the living room is separate, then that would obviously turn into your second bedroom, but probably you're asking this question because it's got a living-kitchen combo only (otherwise I'm sure you'd have considered this...)

pinkshoes

mclopa said:

Hello
We've been looking for a flat to buy as an investment for rental income. We found a block that we like and there are a couple of possibles. One is a 2 bedroomed ground floor flat with ensuite - so 2 bathrooms. However, one of the 'bedrooms' has no windows. Our surveyor classified the flat as 1 bedroom with an extra (windowless) room. I have now read that fire regulations require bedrooms to have 2 methods of escape (ie door and window). The estate agent thinks there's no problem with renting (or selling) as a 2 bedroom property. I'm very uneasy. Anyone else been in a similar situation? If so then what did you do? And any opinions on what I should do?
Thanks

So it's not a 2 bedroom flat but a 1 bedroom flat with a large walk in cupboard. 

If it's on the market for the same price as 1 bedroom flats then fair enough. As a LL, you could only rent it as a 1 bed and should NOT be allowing any tenant to use it as a bedroom either!

I lived in a flat like this in Oxford where there was a room the size of a single bedroom off the lounge, but no window! I used it as a music room and my rent was the same as other 1 beds.

Shelldean

Schwarzwald said:

I recently was allocated a windowless room in a hotel. I only booked for 1 night.
within 5 minutes i was back at reception to upgrade to another room.
windowless bedrooms are horrible!
i would neither buy (unless i can create a window) or rent such, leaving regulation even aside. 

Big No for me.

This! For me was horrible. We were staying 3 nights and managed one in the windowless room.

35har1old

pinkshoes said:

mclopa said:

Hello
We've been looking for a flat to buy as an investment for rental income. We found a block that we like and there are a couple of possibles. One is a 2 bedroomed ground floor flat with ensuite - so 2 bathrooms. However, one of the 'bedrooms' has no windows. Our surveyor classified the flat as 1 bedroom with an extra (windowless) room. I have now read that fire regulations require bedrooms to have 2 methods of escape (ie door and window). The estate agent thinks there's no problem with renting (or selling) as a 2 bedroom property. I'm very uneasy. Anyone else been in a similar situation? If so then what did you do? And any opinions on what I should do?
Thanks

So it's not a 2 bedroom flat but a 1 bedroom flat with a large walk in cupboard. 

If it's on the market for the same price as 1 bedroom flats then fair enough. As a LL, you could only rent it as a 1 bed and should NOT be allowing any tenant to use it as a bedroom either!

I lived in a flat like this in Oxford where there was a room the size of a single bedroom off the lounge, but no window! I used it as a music room and my rent was the same as other 1 beds.

Some tenants will do there own thing matter how you word the rental agreement and to expect a agent to monitor this perhaps once a year having given notice of inspection not likely to catch them using it.Had agent who only noticed changes at final inspection.
I already new that alterations had take place by doing a drive by months before.

Bookworm105

Shelldean said:

Schwarzwald said:

I recently was allocated a windowless room in a hotel. I only booked for 1 night.
within 5 minutes i was back at reception to upgrade to another room.
windowless bedrooms are horrible!
i would neither buy (unless i can create a window) or rent such, leaving regulation even aside. 

Big No for me.

This! For me was horrible. We were staying 3 nights and managed one in the windowless room.

I am frankly amazed that fire regulations would allow a hotel to offer an windowless bedroom in the first place 

as a landlord i think you'd be liable if anything happened because of poor escape route

saajan_12

I wouldn't focus on what its "classed" as - who is doing this classification what happens if it fails? I'm not sure how relevant the fire or safety considerations are, as many flat bedrooms have a small window with no balcony / stairs so not a method of escape anyway.. Especially if you let it as one until on a joint & several tenancy to one household, then who sleeps where isn't really your concern and there's fewer rules on the 

The point is what can you sensibly let it as and one day sell it as - its considerably worse compared to a 2 bed with windows in each. Its marginally better than a 1 bed as a couple could use it as a study or storage, but maybe not by much as the room sizes will likely be smaller than most (if a 1--bed was previously cut in half). 

Regardless of marketing, if no one's willing to pay a 2-bed price then its as useful to you as a 1-bed. 

user1977

Bookworm105 said:

Shelldean said:

Schwarzwald said:

I recently was allocated a windowless room in a hotel. I only booked for 1 night.
within 5 minutes i was back at reception to upgrade to another room.
windowless bedrooms are horrible!
i would neither buy (unless i can create a window) or rent such, leaving regulation even aside. 

Big No for me.

This! For me was horrible. We were staying 3 nights and managed one in the windowless room.

I am frankly amazed that fire regulations would allow a hotel to offer an windowless bedroom in the first place 

The regs are more to do with ventilation than fire - after all, how many hotel windows can you open more than a crack (if at all)? Fire escape assumes you're leaving via the door. Windowless hotel rooms are permissible - you get them in many of the city centre capsule-esque hotels.

dander

Agree with everyone else here - a room without a window is a cupboard. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

lincroft1710

Bookworm105 said:

Shelldean said:

Schwarzwald said:

I recently was allocated a windowless room in a hotel. I only booked for 1 night.
within 5 minutes i was back at reception to upgrade to another room.
windowless bedrooms are horrible!
i would neither buy (unless i can create a window) or rent such, leaving regulation even aside. 

Big No for me.

This! For me was horrible. We were staying 3 nights and managed one in the windowless room.

I am frankly amazed that fire regulations would allow a hotel to offer an windowless bedroom in the first place 

as a landlord i think you'd be liable if anything happened because of poor escape route

A few years ago "Mrs" Lincroft was on a short break with her sister and they stayed in a windowless room in a very large hotel on the NE coast.