What Makes a Room a "Bedroom?"

Additionally, the bedroom space is required by code to be protected by an arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI), a relatively new safety device intended to protect homes against fires due to faulty wiring. These safety features required by building codes must be followed by builders for new construction. However, existing homeowners would do well to follow these guidelines, particularly when converting an existing space in the home to a bedroom or sleeping unit. Putting a bed in the attic or the basement for one of the kids does not make that room a safe sleeping area. Even a finished basement might not have a suitable second means of egress. It is in the homeowner’s best interest to consider the safety aspects of any space being used as a bedroom. A homeowner should consult or hire a professional for installation of smoke alarms and AFCIs. A Real Estate Perspective An added bedroom brings added value to a home. Real estate agents know this—and so do homesellers. Fortunately, even real estate agents must follow a set of guidelines when labeling any given living space as a bedroom. “Although there is no national standard for a bedroom, Realtors® must follow a code of ethics when it comes to marketing a home, inches says Stephanie Singer, spokesperson for the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This code of ethics binds the agent to the same bedroom definition inferred by the national and local building code requirements on that space, including having two means of egress. In the real estate world, a space can be considered a bedroom if it has a door that can be closed, a window and a closet. The closet requirement is not covered in the IRC and is instead a bedroom feature more related to comfort and livability than safety. This lack of a national standard leaves some grey areas on a number of matters, like older homes built before bedrooms routinely included closets or a bedroom that has had its door removed. How an agent addresses these nebulous details might vary from agent to agent, or state to state. One thing is certain: Homebuyers are willing to pay more for a home with another bedroom, and this fact is a motivating factor for the home seller and real estate agent to stage as many rooms as bedrooms for showing. Fittingly, property assessors will follow the same bedroom definition when determining the number of bedrooms in a given home—that is, it must have a door, a closet and an egress window. It is in the interest of homeowners, sellers and buyers to know the subtle bedroom definition differences between the safety/builder perspective and the real estate/home value perspective, and to know one’s state and local guidelines for determining what can and cannot be considered a bedroom.

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