bedroom in a loft

[leedsbob]

we had our loft converted many years ago,full pp and building regs,the loft has a velux window which opens fully and in the gable end we have a double glazed window which either tilts and turns or opens fully out onto a garage single story roof so there are two methods of escape,we have recently decided to move and the agent will only class it as a "study" as it is without a door at the top of the staircase,whilst browsing for the next property we see loads of bedrooms i lofts either on a mezzanine or in barn conversions,we feel this downgrading of bedrooms is adversly affecting the value of the house with the market being so tough at pres,shall we just find another agent or is our present one correct,many thanks

[Peter Crosland]

Talk a few other agents and see what their take on it is.

Peter Crosland

[Owain]

A garage roof is unlikely to be a means of escape unless the roof is fire-containing and structurally fit for use as a walkway, has a finished pedestrian surface and guard rails, and a fixed stair to the ground.

The agent is a moron.

Both a study and a bedroom are habitable rooms and there is no difference in how they are treated for building regs purposes.

Is the house ground floor + loft, or ground and first floors + loft?

When was the conversion done?

Is there a door at the bottom of the stair?

If you have full PP and BR then there should be no reason not to market the property with the additional bedroom.

Owain

[leedsbob]

thanks for the advice,the property is a bungalow,the conversion was circa 20 yrs ago and there isnt a door at the foot of the stairs,happy new year all

[Tim Watts]

Similar to mine then. No problem.

To put this is perspective, our friends had a loft conversion done on a 2 storey end of terrace. The stairs (neither set) are guarded, although all the rooms leading to the landings do have doors and the kitchen is seperated from the bottom of the lower staircase by another room Not sure which factors play there, but that is a modern legal conversion.

[Owain]

If it's a bungalow with loft then the fire regulations are considerably relaxed, as most fire regulations kick in at 3 or more storeys.

So the agent is objecting to the fact that the bedroom doesn't have a door to stop people walking in while you're undressing. I don't think it stops it being a bedroom and described as such.

Not an arrangement I would like - as being possibly draughty and noisy

- but if the agent doesn't want the business find another agent.

Owain

[Rob]

I'd ask the agent why they don't describe the space as a bedroom. If it's a decent reason, stick with them - perhaps post back here with their thinking.

If they can't come up with a reason, you've exhausted any appeals system they have, and you've put a fair bit of money down, you could try and take it up with the NAEA if they're members. Or change agent.

Rob

[Hugo Nebula]

If it was before 1st June 1992, there were no requirements for means of escape in case of fire. The first requirements for means of escape from ground & first floors in dwellinghouses came in after this date, and required inner rooms to have an alternative escape (e.g., an escape window). The risk in your case is not to the first floor room, but the other rooms which are now inner rooms off the 'bedroom/study'. These are the ones that should have the escape windows.

I suspect your estate agent isn't referring to the means of escape issue (covered by the Building Regulations), but the desireability issue (not covered) of having a bedroom that doesn't have any means of keeping what goes on in there private. I'm sure that if I were a viewer with a family who was looking at a house that was advertised as having n bedrooms and I found that one of those bedrooms didn't have a door on it, I'd have words with the agent, and may not trust any of his other descriptions.