#1 Real Estate Queston; Define A Bedroom

Unfortunately Kristin I believe that we are the least authority to define a bedroom.  The homeowner and the prospective homeowners are the opinions that really count.  The other governing bodies need to be consistent (tax authorities, building departments, appraisers, counties, etc).  It's no wonder we ever get anything done with all of the conflicting guidelines.

Kristin:

Great post, I have seen sun porches classified as bedrooms, and then there was a home that had a lean shack that the family used as a bedroom (no kidding). One item that I feel is missing is the heating system not being connected to some of the bedrooms (can a bedroom - really be a bedroom without heat?). What is up with that? Here in San Diego the weather is 90% of the time very nice but we do get frost warning and when it rains it does get cold.

Sleeping room is a new one for me. I'm glad it's clarified.

I've always defined a bedroom as having a door, window and closet. If it's missing one of those elements we usually call it a den.

Here is the same answer I left on Charita's post:

I believe which ever law is the strictest... State, County, or municipal. I think our RE rules and guidelines follows one of the above.

Charita - As a licensed CA MLO, for lending purposes, how many bedrooms a home has is based on how many bedrooms have been legally permitted and recorded.  However, if the tax records and the title report are conflicting from what is actually there, chances are that is a case of some unpermitted work that was done at some point in the properties history.  JMHO

On another note, here in CA, I had heard that a room is not considered a bedroom unless it has a closet.  If it doesn't have a closet then it's just a den or office or bonus room but not a bedroom.  Not sure if that's recorded anywhere but I'm sure it is somewhere.

It is real-estate-speak to insist that for a room to be classified as a bedroom, it must have a closet.

We can refer to Webster's definition as "a room furnished with a bed and intnded primarily for sleeping." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedroom

Or the local city/county building codes. In our city of Alameda CA, for example, it states explicitly that "closets are not required." Refer tp http://www.cityofalamedaca.gov/getdoc.cfm?id=155

 In our city where there are a ton of Victorians, many of which were built with no closets at a time when armoire and wardrobes were used instead, we have to explain that a room doesn't have to have a closet to be considered a bedroom or sleeping room.

See what other authors have to say

What is the legal definition of a "bedroom" for real-estate purposes?

The San Francisco Association of Realtors (SFAR) does not have an official glossary or dictionary of terms that defines bedroom.

The California Association of Realtors (CAR) likewise does not have an official glossary or dictionary that defines bedroom.

Bedroom also is not specifically defined by the San Francisco Housing Code, the San Francisco Building Code or even the San Francisco Rent Ordinance. However, at least the housing code is instructive: "Where terms are not defined, they shall have their ordinary accepted meanings within the context with which they are used. Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, copyright 1986, shall be considered as providing ordinary accepted meanings."

Webster's Online Dictionary provided the following definition: "a room used primarily for sleep, rest or sexual activities. It may or may not contain a bed."

The right answer is: consult your local housing code, but don't automatically conclude that a room must have a closet to be considered a bedroom.

It is good to know. Yet, as you know here in CA some sellers and their agents call almost any room as a bedroom( dens, basement rooms, converted garage, etc.). I even saw a balcony that was converted into bedroom without permit, of course. I asked why? Because the price for SqFt is $700+!