What is a Bedroom Anyway? A North Carolina Real Estate Guide
In the world of North Carolina real estate, what constitutes a "bedroom" is a surprisingly common and complex question. While the legal definition provides clear, black-and-white criteria, popular opinion and market perception often introduce a lot of gray area.
This guide breaks down the legal rules and common perceptions to help you navigate the process of buying or selling a home in North Carolina.
The Legal Lowdown: What the Law Says
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) provide a foundation for what a room must be to be legally considered a bedroom.
Size and Dimensions: A room must be at least 7 feet in any horizontal direction. This is the reason a hallway can’t be called a bedroom.
Egress: A bedroom must have direct access to the exterior, typically through a window or an exterior door. The IRC sets minimum opening area requirements at 5.7 square feet, with a minimum height of 24 inches and a width of 20 inches. The bottom of the opening can't be more than 44 inches from the floor.
Square Footage: There are no legal minimum square footage requirements for a bedroom in North Carolina, although the current building code is 100 square feet.
Septic System: If applicable, the home must have adequate private septic for all rooms defined as bedrooms.
Permitting: According to an update from the NCREC in November 2023, unpermitted space, like an unpermitted addition, must be calculated separately from the living area and therefore cannot be legally considered a bedroom.
No Closet? No Problem: Legally, there is no requirement for a bedroom to have a closet.
Lofts or Limited Access: There are no legal restrictions from calling a lofted, non-private area a bedroom. Similarly, a room accessed through another bedroom can legally be called a bedroom.
Below Grade: As long as a room meets all the legal criteria of a bedroom, there is no restriction against it being located below grade.
Bathroom Access: A room does not legally need to have access to a full bathroom on the same level to be called a bedroom.
The NCREC currently has no official definition of a bedroom. They advise brokers to use common sense and reasonable judgment when determining if a room can be listed as a bedroom. The Doorify Multiple Listing Service (DMLS) also has no definition and encourages real estate agents to refer to the building code at the time the house was built.
Popular Opinion: What Buyers and Appraisers Expect?
While legal definitions are important, the market's perception of a bedroom is often what matters most in a real estate transaction. This is where things get tricky and subjective.
The Closet Debate: Most people feel that a bedroom must have a closet that is accessible from the room and is suitable for hanging and storing clothes. While the IRC doesn't require it, from a marketing standpoint, a closet is what makes a room feel like a bedroom to most people. The exception is homes built before 1945, when closets became more popular, so buyers are more willing to accept bedrooms without them in older homes. Appraisers may also consider a room's lack of a closet and deem its utility to be something other than a bedroom.
Unpermitted Rooms: While not a legal bedroom, buyers will often accept an unpermitted room as a bedroom if it has the functional utility of one. Some buyers, however, may consider the cost of getting the area permitted as a factor and look for a discount on the price of the home.
Limited Access and Privacy: A room accessed through another bedroom will likely not be considered a true bedroom by most buyers due to privacy concerns. A room like this is often viewed as a sitting room, nursery, or office instead.
Lofts and Open Areas: A lofted space might be accepted as a bedroom in a one-bedroom condo. However, in a larger home, like a four-bedroom house, it is not recommended to call a non-private loft area a fifth bedroom.
Bathroom Access: If a bedroom is on a level without a full bathroom, its functional utility is limited, which can negatively impact desirability and market value. This is particularly true if all other bedrooms in the home have private bathrooms. Most real estate professionals would not consider a bedroom without bathroom access to have functional utility due to privacy issues.
Egress Windows: Buyers generally expect to be able to easily climb out of a functional egress window. It's common for windows to be painted shut or broken, which would not provide adequate egress.
Square Footage: Some people believe a bedroom should be large enough to accommodate typical furniture, generally a minimum of 70 to 80 square feet.
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