Value's definition of a bedroom

Hi Experts

I'm looking to put an offer for an house that has been advertised as 4 bedrooms whilst the 4th bedroom seems more like a study to me, as it does not have any BIR.

I've heard from someone (not an authority on these matters) that if a room does not have robes, it will not be deemed as a bedroom by a valuer. Can someone please verify if this is true? If I want to put in robes to the room, approx what would the cost be to convert it into a bedroom?

Regards

 

Lol really? Step back and think about this for a second.

I guess the heritage house I'm selling has zero bedrooms!

 

“Someone” is wrong.

The only legal definitions of a habitual room, which may be designated as a bedroom, relate to ceiling height and ventilation.

Built-in wardrobes only became a regular item in the 1960s. In our first homeL only the main bedroom had a built in wardrobe.

 

BCA - Building Code of Australia. Its not even a constant.

How to tell if your bedroom isn't actually a bedroom

 

From a valuers perspective for mortgage assessment, my definition of a bedroom is;
-equal or greater than 9m2 area
-adequate natural ventilation and lighting
-clearance of 2.4m
-not a thoroughfare to another area, i.e. a walkway to the courtyard..

 

We have a room in our house that meets @Thomacino's definition of a bedroom and that we use as a study. It has no BIR, nor room for one. It's 9.5m^2, so It would make a reasonable bedroom for a child, but you wouldn't want to put a Queen bed in it. It was counted as a bedroom when we bought it. We've since had it valued four times (twice by local REAs and twice by our banks' valuers). One of the REAs didn't count it as a bedroom, but the other one and both the bank valuers did.

 

REA's don't value, but anyway.

Why is the REA not considering it as a bedroom? I imagine it is regular square shaped?

BIR's do not define a bedroom, hence not included in my view, the window or door could be in an odd place preventing a BIR. Plus people have wardrobes..

I would ask the REA why he thinks its not a bedroom, there might be a legitimate reason (unmarketable?) he thinks otherwise, but from what I can tell, no reason why its not a bedroom...

 

Yes, it's a regular square shape with a nice window out onto the front yard and a normal door centred in one side. She just said she thought it was too small to count as a bedroom. The actual valuers, though, did count it as a bedroom.

 

Odd.. Well that's her opinion, an odd one but her opinion..

 

This tends to be the American definition, not the Australian one. "someone" either comes from the US or has been watching those American flipping shows on the TV.

 

If only this were true lol. I'd stick a small BIW in the broom closet and voila, instant 4 bed house!

 

I've had this before with one of the properties i manage. Its one where a lounge room had an internal wall built to split it into a smaller lounge room and created a 4th bedroom.

Facilitated the valuer going through, and they only compared it with 3 bedroom houses. It was because they didnt think it was under the main roof, eg thought it was converted from garage when it wasn't. So main roof and window i think are the main things valuers are looking for, along with a door to differentiate it from being a study.

 

Just because u create an internal wall, doesn't mean its now an extra bedroom.
The size of the living room/new bedroom and how it is presented during the inspection is what would determine whether it is a new bedroom or not.
I admit, I have inspected properties where internal configurations were undertaken and they were convincing. If done well and it harmonises with the rest of the floor plan then I treat it as an additional bedroom.
On the flipside, an average job would work against you as it would be an essential repair (mortgage purpose). That said, would a broker elaborate how 'essential repairs' are treated from the finance side of things.
i.e. Short form mortgage purpose report with essential repair and estimated costs of repairs at $50,000. The valuation completed at say $500,000. Does the mortgagee assess the value at $450,000 or $500,000?