What counts as a "bedroom" for the bedroom count?

Answered!
K-C-0
Level 2
Los Angeles, CA

What counts as a "bedroom" for the bedroom count?

Can anyone shed light on what the requirements are for a room to be officially considered a "bedroom" in my listing? Does a room have to be 100% dedicated to being a room in which someone sleeps in a bed, with no other use?

 

In my situation, I have two 100% bedrooms (each with a bed, closet) that aren't used for other purposes. However, I've turned another room that used to be used as a 100% bedroom into a multi-use "living room", which has a full-size futon/sofa for sitting/sleeping and a TV. As it used to be a 100% bedroom, the room has its own closet. Thus, my guests have 3 rooms in which they can hang their clothes in a closet, close the door and sleep in a bed.

 

I currently list my place with 2 bedrooms (only counting the 100% bedrooms). Should I be including the other room as a bedroom too, in terms of the bedroom count? I don't want to be in any way misleading to my guests. I already clearly describe the room layout and sleeping arrangements in my listing description. If I include the futon/den room in the bedroom count, and clearly explain the arrangement in the listing description, would that potentially cause guests to feel misled?

 

Thanks so much!! -- M

 

(* Sorry if this has been asked before but I searched but couldn't find anything)

1 Best Answer
Jeff158
Level 10
Caernarfon, United Kingdom

@Isabel2892 

That's why it has to be in the house rules as well as your description. Everything in the house rules has to be agreed to by the guest, airbnb will support you if its in the house rules section and a guest ignores it.

Go to your listing and click on "Booking settings" then scroll down to "House rules" and click edit.

Now add it to the section "Additional rules" as below

 

Untitled3.png

View Best Answer in original post

10 Replies 10
Monica4
Level 10
Ormstown, Canada

My fifth bedroom is actually in part of lounge area, but it is a huge room that is semi-partitioned and can be closed off with sliding draps. I think that if you can close off a room for privacy to sleep then it is a bedroom, but if it is an open part of another area and cannot be closed off I would not call it a bed"room". Maybe others here have a different take.

 

Since I don't rent individual rooms, just the whole house, a semi-enclosed room is acceptable as a bedroom. But if I were to do that in my own home I would not call it a bedroom unless that whole area is for the use of the guest.

my space is 100% private for guests, with no shared spaces.  the room with the futon would be a mixed use room (but only for guests). the home's only truly "common space" (i.e., with a hall, that people walk through to get to another room) is the kitchen/dining room. aside from the 1 bathroom, the other 3 rooms (each having a door, window and closet) are: 2 100% dedicated bedrooms, and 1 room that was previously a 100% bedroom, but I put in a TV and full-size futon people can use (during the day) as a couch for watching TV when the room is being used as a "living room", but a guest can close the door, put down the futon and have a closed-off "bedroom" for use (during the night) as a private sleeping space. i definitely don't want to mislead guests, but also wouldn't want to miss out if people are searching for 3 bedrooms and would be fine with an arrangement like mine. but I would prominently explain in very clear detail in the description what the arrangement is so no one would feel misled. Make sense? I've gotten feedback some saying it's ok, and other feedback saying that it's not ok. Very much on the fence! Thanks for the helpful advice.

I'd    STRONGLY DISAGREE    with that interpretation as a customer.          A Bedroom is private with a door and typically (in real estate) requires a closet (or armoir) and a secondary exit (window).

 

If you listed a place as 3 bedrooms and one was a futon in a common area with a screen or is only semi-enclosed, I would definately not be happy. 

 

Here's the test I think you should use: 
If you are in this questionable area having sex, is it going to be a problem if your    friend's kid      walked into the area? 

 

If you can't say yes to that questiona and feel certain that anyone else would too... I'd list it as a pull-out couch sleeping area or something that CLEARLY defines it as such.  

 

I gave my comments here some additional thought in light of what a "Policy" should look like for listing something as a BR and here are my additional thoughts.

 

If the area is not listed as a legal bedroom on your parcel map (think real estate listing) it shouldn't be listed as a bedroom. In general, the following 7 requirements must be met:

 

  1. Minimum square footage: Although this can vary from state to state, 70 to 80 square feet is generally the acceptable minimum. 
  2. Minimum horizontal footage: A bedroom must also measure at least 7 feet in any horizontal direction. That is why you can’t call a hallway a bedroom!
  3. Two means of egress: There have to be two ways out of a bedroom. A door and  one of the following; a window, though a skylight would also qualify as a secondary means as well in some locations in lieu of a window.
  4. Minimum ceiling height: At least half of the bedroom ceiling has to be at least 7 feet tall.
  5. Minimum window size: The window opening must be a minimum size, usually 5.7 square feet.
  6. A heating and cooling element: We're talking a heater (a space heater won't qualify) as well as a way to cool it down, whether that's by opening a window or good old AC.
  7. Misc:  Bedrooms cannot exit to a garage or contain a gas appliance (waterheater or other), unless meeting non-vented requirements even if the appliance is vented. 

In general: These are common among most counties & states throughout the US. I can't speak to non-US properties, but I would be hard pressed to be happy with something listed as a Bedroom that didn't meet those requirements. 

 

For airBnB there should be 1 or 2 other requirements;

8.  A Bed (preferably a nice one 🙂

9. A closet or wardrobe <-Though you can get creative about this one.

 

I think if you can 

Isabel2892
Level 2
Lisbon, Portugal

I have a 3 bedroom that complies with these 7+2 requirements. Nevertheless, 2 of the bedrooms are inter-connected (railroad). I state this in the description, sayig that because of this is ideal for families and close friends, but one guest who didn't read it before booking wrote that is not a 3 bedroom and Airbnb sent me a notice about it, saying that description might be misleading, What to do?Thanks!

Jeff158
Level 10
Caernarfon, United Kingdom

@Isabel2892 

Add to your house rules that bedroom 3 is only accessible through bedroom 2.

The guests have to confirm they have read the house rules prior to booking. 

Isabel2892
Level 2
Lisbon, Portugal

Thanks! I always have that in the description. But what to do if they didn't read it and endangered my listing?

Jeff158
Level 10
Caernarfon, United Kingdom

@Isabel2892 

That's why it has to be in the house rules as well as your description. Everything in the house rules has to be agreed to by the guest, airbnb will support you if its in the house rules section and a guest ignores it.

Go to your listing and click on "Booking settings" then scroll down to "House rules" and click edit.

Now add it to the section "Additional rules" as below

 

Untitled3.png

Robin129
Level 10
Belle, WV

A sofa-bed is not a bedroom, but an additional bed. Just be honest. Two bedroom with sofa-bed, sleeps ______ adults.  And make sure that is spelled out in the descriptions and rules so when that grumpy guest shows up you will be covered. They don't read the full listings. 

---> That's how I look at most guests, like cousins. And you know, some of those cousins are kooks.
Mary4156
Level 2
Westfield, IN

@K-C-0  We just stayed at a property that the listing of five “bedrooms.”  
In reality, it had three private bedrooms (which we consider Isolated with locking doors. Closet is nbd to us if you have a dresser or luggage stand.)


Of those, two were upstairs, which were accessed Only through another multiuse room (itself considered a bedroom) which contained 2 double pullouts and a single daybed.  

The third private bedroom was downstairs, ADA accessible.  
The fifth bedroom was actually the great room, shared by the dining and kitchen areas which contained two double sofa sleepers, a single sofa sleeper and a day bed.

 

What the host considered two “bedrooms” did not have closets, storage for suitcases, private belongings etc which made things awkward and cluttered.  

Fortunately, we’re a close family!  

In fairness, the hosts didn’t exactly hide this fact, but instead called the 4th and 5th both multiuse rooms AND bedrooms.

 

Additionally, I think the listing would better serve guests by listing this as a 3 Bedroom, 2 multi-use room house with private sleeping for 8 and non-private for 18.  That would be more accurate.  It would also greatly benefit by adding a floor plan.

 

In summary, hosts gain nothing with an inaccurate or misleading listing.  In the long run, you gain MORE bookings with ACCURACY.

-INHO from a frequent VRBO and AirBNB guest.