Bedrooms are one of the most important selling features of a home, so the description of a bedroom can have significant implications for both buyers and sellers.
Unfortunately, there is no official definition of a bedroom. In a May 2018 FVREB NewsReal article about bedrooms, a Codes and Standards Coordinator for the Office of the Fire Commissioner was quoted as saying, “Who’s to say what defines a bedroom…It depends on the building code you are following.”
We recently had an example of a condo listed as having two bedrooms. However, only one of the bedrooms has a window, resulting in complaints from other REALTORS® who claimed that the condo should be listed as a one bedroom and den. This condo was originally marketed by the developer in 2011 as a having two bedrooms. A search of the 2024 assessment of the condo on the BC Assessment Authority (Authority) website listed the condo as having one bedroom.
We asked an Authority appraiser, who advised that the Authority has no specific definition of a bedroom. They advised they appraise value on total square footage and not on the number of bedrooms. However, they determine that a bedroom should have a window, closet and a door.
A primary consideration in determining if a space is indeed a “bedroom” is safety. The 2024 BC Building Code (Code), section 9.9.10.1, deals with “Egress Windows or Doors for Bedrooms”. That section says that “except where the suite is sprinklered, each bedroom or combination bedroom shall have at least one outside window or exterior door openable from the inside without the use of keys, tools or special knowledge…”.
In the above example, the condo has a sprinkler system. So, according to the Code, classifying the windowless second room as a bedroom, would not be problematic.
Of course, homeowners are free to use whatever space they want as a bedroom. However, REALTORS® need to take care not to misrepresent the features of a home.
A rule of thumb is that a bedroom should have:
- An interior access door for privacy;
- A window big enough to escape through in case of emergency;
- A closet; and
- A reasonable floor space and ceiling height.
Exceptions are if the bedroom has a door with direct access to the exterior or if the building/suite has an approved sprinkler system. Some older buildings do not have sprinkler systems.
The advice we provided in our condo example, was to continue listing the property as having two bedrooms, but to include a note in the REALTOR® remarks to advise that, the second bedroom has no window, but the unit has a sprinkler system. Including a link to the Code would further assist to clarify the situation and avoid questions and complaints.
If the property is a condo, it is useful to see how similar units in the same building are/were marketed, so that “apples can be compared to apples”.
Source: Professional Standards