What's considered a room?

Thoughts please, can you consider a 3 by 3.4m room with big windows and high ceilings a bedroom if it doesn't have BIR or a door (only a frame for installing a door)?

 

House or apartment?

What does the planning permit call it?

 

You could

But you should consider whether others would consider it a bedroom, in particular valuers. A while back we had a client with a property where one living room was converted into a bedroom. It took about 3 valuers before we found one that listed it as a 4 bedroom instead of a 3 bedroom and this had a big impact on value.

 

Semi detached townhouse, not sure about planning permit, might have a look on the contract of sale.

 

Its for renting out purpose, valuations have always considered it a bedroom, when we bought it it was advertised as a bedroom,, but the property manager disagrees. I have seen plenty of cases where rooms without doors or robes have been labelled as bedrooms

 

What is stopping you putting a door on the room to remove any uncertainty?

A door creates privacy, hmmm something that may need to be considered for a bedroom (so kids can study, get changed etc) - a small investment will solve this issue.

Building code requirements: Window 10% of floor area, ventilation 5% of floor area, a habitable room must have a ceiling height of 2.4m minimum (not average). If it is less than 2.4m then it is not a habitable room and can only be used as a utilility room (eg kitchen, bathroom, hallway, storeroom).

 

Yes, door would make it a bedroom without question, but not having it allows it to be used as a second living area.

 

If you want to call it a bedroom, then put a door on it and stop any argument with the PM, if you want a second living area, call it that.

If the door is going to get you an extra $30/wk (as a bedroom) it'll pay for itself but the ramifications are that a 4 bedroom house may come with the expectation of 2/3 bathrooms and a second living area.

 

A property will have a planning permit or DA for the permitted build and use. A occupancy certificate is validation that compliance is met. If you do things to change that, the certificate can become void.

If the occupation cert says 3 bedroom it takes a new DA or a new occ cert (if the changes are exempt development works) to change this.

 

Had a 4 bedroom rental of ours revalued recently and they only counted it as 3.

I think their requirements were - has a window, and is under main roof. Both were met but valuer was apparently blind or something.

In the eyes of being able to rent it out as a 4 and attract appropriate sized families to it, no issue at all though.

 

Thank you for the replies, it's 2 bedrooms without counting this extra room.

 

Create a 3rd bedroom for $31 - think of the ROI!

 

What do the plans say that are on council records from when the house was built, or any changes were made.
You should have these from when you purchased the property.

 

Had a look at contract of sale, the occupancy permit doesn't mention number of rooms, nor does the plan for subdivision

 

General rule of thumb would be that the room would require a door. No reason that it can't be a second living area even with a door- plenty of media rooms and similar like that? You'll also get a lot of annoyed prospective tenants if it doesn't have a door- been there, done that.

 

Thanks all, I think you have all answered my question sufficiently, will have a think about installing a door if it doesn't rent out easily.

 

If the room was designed to be used for something else other than a bedroom , its quite possible the frame size of the doorway is a lot larger than that of a standard door ,with the intention that a sliding door was to go in.
Whick may add to the cost if a carpenter is required to build a new frame or lower the height of the doorway.

 

I have seen some listings get around calling it a bedroom and use the term "multi-purpose room"

 

Regardless of what you call it, if a tenant wants to use it as a bedroom it will need a door.
Marg