Hi There
I have recently settled for property which was advertised as 4bed 2 Living and 2 Bath.
Now when i got property plans from council it shows it to be 3bed, 2 Living, 1 Study and 2 Bath
Study (3.6 x 3.8) which was changed to Bedroom have inbuilt robe added
is that an issue that robe is not in plans, and also can realestate agent advertise it as 4bedroom ?
Cheers
Why are you now concerned? What is the issue?
Robe which was added into study is not in plans with council !, do i need to get this updated ?
https://www.eldersrealestate.com.au/the-view/renovations-and…
A good rule of thumb is that internal renovations generally don’t need council approval unless they involve structural changes but most external renovations, extensions or building work will.
Thanks, and can real estate agent advertise it as 4 bedroom ?
@AAN: Would you be posting with concern if they advertised it as 3br + study but the study had a wardrobe?
Did you not inspect the property before you purchased?
@AAN: I’ve asked a former RE this question before and they told me if it’s got built-in robes, then it can be counted as a bedroom.
One thing to bear in mind is that you’ll pay higher council rates if you have more bedrooms.
@skittlebrau: Council rates are calculated from the land value (in Brisbane at least -> QLD land valuation), not from the number of bedrooms.
@AAN: The real estate agent can advertise it as a 8 car spot property with southern lights view. You have bought it, live with it.
Your local council could not care less if you added a robe to some random room of an existing house. It's certainly not something that you need to get updated.
What? I call my council every time I shit to let them know.
The previous owners for my house turned the garage into a big lounge room, council still think it is a garage. They won't care for a room change or internal changes.
Hmm… Would this apply to changing the footprint of a kitchen or adding a bathroom?
I wouldn't bother. If you increase the number of bedrooms the council might increase your valuation and your rates.
If it is too be used as a bedroom, make sure you have a smoke detector installed outside the door. This is a requirement for all bedrooms
Why are you looking for a problem?
It doesn't matter
Nothing is going to happen
Stop worrying
Ask your conveyancer, your conveyancer should pick that technicality.
Conveyancers don't generally read the sale advertisement. IME most aren't all that great with planning issues either.
Conveyancers that I have been through, usually tell you what you getting and what you can do with it lol
But bedroom vs study is like an old-age trick real estate people usually used in advertising since there no real standards between them, but OP already inspect the house and bought the house, otherwise lots of bed/study-times reading for you OP https://www.google.com/search?q=study+vs+bed+room
In my understanding, the study usually doesn't have windows, but if you put a bed in it, it's a bedroom. Then I have seen the bed room without windows, go figure.
Yes.
3 to 4 is usually fine. It’s 2 to 3 that could have an issue in Vic as under rescode, 2 bed developments only need 1 car park on site, but 3+ bed generally need 2 car parks (unless the permit sought dispensation for that).
Its fine. 3.4x3.8 is not a small room. If the property has settled I don’t think you’ll have much recourse
Our place has a 3.6x3 room (with a huge built in) as an FYI which will easily fit a Queen bed and small to medium sized bed side tables
i was just gonna say, the dimensions are pretty decent for bedroom standards these days
Agree. Looking to build a duplex and the 3 non-master bedrooms will be smaller than this (low 3 x 3m end).
Edit: For the record i will be using one of the bedrooms as my office/study, and it will have a built in.
Did you look at the house first? Did it look like a bedroom upon inspection?
Can you sleep in a study or study in a bedroom legally?
Police might arrest you if you snooze at your desk.
Fortunately they've never turned up during my work team meetings.
Just hope like Hell that the room changing police don't read OZB forums.
does the room have a window. after watching the block, if you enclose and area to makenitna bedroom it needs a window
Yes it does, its decent size window
I have a 1br apartment with no windows in the bedroom, am I not allowed to sleep in there anymore?
I have a 1br apartment with no windows in the bedroom, am I not allowed to sleep in there anymore?
Do you have a sky light? As that is a way around it no windows, but you generally need a fresh air source as well.
This is why you see lots of those apartments with a bedroom and a long skinny 'hallway' to the outside for a window.
Nope.
Unfortunately building standards were pretty shocking for about a decade or so. In vic at least, there are thousands of apartments with bedrooms with no windows it’s awful.
Thankfully the standards have changed and you get the hallway windows you talk about.
@jjjaar: hallway windows have been around for decades.
Got some links to these apartments without windows as natural light/fresh air source has always been a legal requirement for a bedroom.
You can still sleep in it but when it comes time to sell you will have to advertise it as a studio apartment.
Otherwise it's false advertising since the bedroom doesn't meet building standards that classify it as a a 1br apartment.
Yeah needs a window to the outside of the house. Owner of my house built an extension and bricked up a window in one of the rooms and he tried to ask me if I'd mind someone moving in there. Like no dude, it's illegal, and if someone does move in and shares my bathroom I'll move out, and then they'll steal all yo stuff.
We once turned up after a delayed flight to a hotel in Melbourne late, and they'd double booked our room and were full to the brim. As we had nowhere else to go they put us in the most dodgy room in the world without a window.. with just an old janky bed in it.. Will never forget it. Still thankful they found us somewhere (and I think they took the night off the bill entirely), but understand why such rooms are not considered habitable. (Feels so suffocating and claustrophobic, like the whole building is sitting on top of you and you can't breathe). The room definitely was not one they normally let out and might have been something staff used on occasion - perhaps just for quick naps.
Can 3 Bedroom House Be Advertised as 4 Bedroom by Changing Study into Bedroom ?
If the room meets the legal requirements for a bedroom, then yes.
Generally that is a ceiling of a certain height, a fresh air source, a light source, rooms for robes and a minimum sized room with a door etc.
Look up yours states requirements to confirm it meets these.
Now when i got property plans from council it shows it to be 3bed, 2 Living, 1 Study and 2 Bath
That would have been what it was when built. Not all changes have to be council approved.
No wukkas. Rent out the room for $1000 a week.
is that an issue that robe is not in plans, and also can realestate agent advertise it as 4bedroom ?
Does it matter? You saw the house, you chose to buy the house based on what you saw.
REA can say whatever they want to say (often hyperbole, exaggeration, or puffery), and it should have no bearing on your decision to buy whatsoever.
Do the approved plans show it as a habitable room?
If so, no problems. If not, different story.
From what I’ve seen most properties with a small ‘bedroom’ are interchangeably advertised as a study or bedroom.
You’ve got a house you’re happy with, use the room as you prefer. It likely won’t matter at all.
I'd list it as a bedroom and let buyers use their imagination to turn it back into a study.
That’s exactly what they do. They often list as study/bedroom to help the owner imagine possibilities.
Around here, if it's a fully enclosed veranda with only louvers, or a sun room with floor to ceiling plate glass on three sides, or a wing of the lounge room with double sliding doors, or an underground tool shed extension to the garage with no windows, or if it's a backyard shed with a window and no electricity, or converted ceiling storage space that can only be accessed via a drop-down ladder, it's a 'bedroom'.
Have seen this happen often and never personally had a problem with it. Our first home was somewhat similar, a two bedroom advertised as a three, but with the third really better suited to being a second living area (as you literally had to enter the house from the back door only if you were going to use it as a bedroom!), but didn't mind as we of course looked through the place and were aware of the floorpan before making an offer. Did think it was a bit dodgy and a marketing ploy to bring people in though, as the house was definitely smaller than you were led to believe prior to viewing it in person.
So long as buyers get to view the property first, and then get to make the call on whether they proceed with the purchase or not I put it in the milder bag of possible real estate tricks and shenanigans.
Agents are always trying to up the bedroom count. I've seen them include a room that is a thoroughfare for the adjacent bedroom.
This.
I’ve seen them count a study nook as a bedroom.
They know no limits.
I’ve seen a garage listed as a bedroom!
What is a garage but a bedroom for your car?
Of course they would, their sole job is to sell the place for as much as possible.
If you're selling your place wouldn't you do the same?
Yes. That is how they advertised the house my wife and I bought. The "sitting room" was classified as a Bedroom. We turned it into a Study/Office, however, it could be changed to a bedroom if needed.
Agents do what they want. I've seen them advertise a room as a bedroom even though it didn't have a door. And I've seen them advertise an internal room with no outfacing windows (i.e. a study) as a bedroom.
But what is most dodgy is what some profiteering developers have done with recent apartment buildings. They put a little cupboard or storage room at the back of the apartment. It doesn't have a fully closing door (probably for safety, in case someone sleeps in there and needs ventilation). It doesn't have a window. It has a view directly into the living room or kitchen. It has no privacy. And they call it a bedroom. Then they advertise the apartment as a 2-bedroom apartment. I asked an agent, "Why are you calling that a bedroom? It doesn't have a window or a proper door. I don't know anyone who would want to sleep in there." The agent said, "This is how they're designing apartments nowadays." In my opinion, it's dishonest and unethical. I wouldn't buy from such an agent.
Why are you complaining
That’s bigger than my bedroom.
Did you check section 32 before you bought it?
Did you even look at the house, it’s a very simple question.
@82norm yes i inspected the house. realestate agent said this is a bedroom but previous owners chose to use as study as they were a small family.
this room has bi-fold door but its decent size 3.6 x 3.8. i am happy with what i have purchased.
i got worried after looking at building plans submitted to council. but feedback here is that its not an issue if it was a study in original plans
When we built in 2008 we had to have a certain amount of open outdoor space per bedroom so we had to call one a study on the council application.
I have a similar question. How large does the room have to be in order to be considered a bedroom and not limited to just a study?
It has a large window and fully closing door. Size is about 2.4x3.0m.
Curious as another house on the street is considered 4x2 with the study as a room, while the one I'm in is a 3x2 with study. Thanks!
There might be per state requirements but Australia wide it's something like 6.5m sq. By that standard your room qualifies. As mentioned elsewhere here ceiling must be 2.4m+. It also can't have a tiny door and the window must be a decent size.
Thanks for sharing. I'm in WA, just south of the river.
The windows are 1.55m wide and 1.3m tall so that should be good. Doors are a set of double doors about 1.5m wide.
The ceiling could be a problem. About 2/3 of the study is 2.4m high, but there's a bulkhead (boxed in gyprock) running the entire length of the wall above the windows that drops the height to only 2.1m. Not sure why it was put in by the previous owners.
I'm building a house with 1 bedroom, 3 studies with built-in robes.
I'm expecting a good rate on council taxes because it's only 1 bedroom.
I am surprised that you did not pick this up on the Contract Of Sale document. Looks suspicious to me.
@SteveD floor plan was not part of contract of sale or Section 32
What a bargain! Sold earlier this year for $300K after being sold in 2017 for $400K
Property history
Sold
$300,000
Sold March 29, 2023 by AB Property Consultants - NorthmeadSold
$400,000
Sold September 16, 2017 by AB Property Consultants - Northmead
Thank you everyone, based on comments. I dont need to update any plans with council and as long as room is decent size with windows to outside it can be advertised as bedroom. Cheers
More to it than that, ceiling has to be min 2.4m for 2/3 of floor space, window size must be at least 10% of floor space over 1.5m tall, etc.
But these restrictions apply to a study too.
Lol.
As long as its a 'habitable room' (minimum ceiling height and possibly room size applies) then this is no problem as far as I'm aware.
We recently converted one downstairs room (a space we weren't really using much) into two rooms, one of which is now my daughter's bedroom and the other my home office. We effectively now have a 5 bedroom home but because the ceiling heights down here are a bit below the minimum height to officially be classified as habitable rooms we know that the house will still be classified as 3 bedroom if sold. That's all good because the rooms are a great use of the space for our needs and both have good windows and light.
I've seen a study alcove without even a door called a 'bedroom' before lol
How is this a question after settlement?? And is the OP seriously complaining about a 3.6 x 3.8 room with built in robes being a bedroom??
It's just a label on the plans. When you inspected, there was not likely a sign on each bedroom or the study as per plan. The study no doubt looks just like a bedroom minus robes (which are not obligatory in bedrooms anyways).
I just don't get the issue. Floor area is important, room use is not.
If it wasn't something you worried about before settlement, why worry now?
Not even a first world problem.
The only thing that is a no no is advertising a room without a window as a "bedroom".
As long as it has a window, I think it can de described as a bedroom. In the end, who cares? You inspected the property and were presumably happy with it. Council is not going to care about the floorplan of the house.
I buoght my house described as 4 bedrooms. But in fact, I use the "living room" at the front of the house that was in the agents floorplan as "living room 2". I am quite happy to hence describe my house as 5 bedrooms.
Congrats on the settlement.