This is a republish of a post originally published in August 2015.
Many of you have wondered what defines a bedroom. Does a den count as a bedroom? Does a bedroom have to have a closet and a window? A ceiling height requirement? All of the above? The official answer is there is no official answer. ARMLS does not have an established description of what constitutes a bedroom. If you’re eager for a definitive answer, we suggest speaking with your broker. Often times they will have a set interpretation you can use when entering listings.
It’s important to be aware that another brokerage might not have the same definition as yours. When this happens, we can help with discrepancies but because we don’t have a concrete classification, there is no rule being violated.
Anonymous
How difficult is it to define a Bedroom ?
Madison G
It might seem straightforward, but lots of people have their own bedroom definitions (ex: must have a closet, must have a window and closet, must only have a door etc). Because of all these variations, we leave it up to the brokers to decide how to define it.
Anonymous
Maybe they should put this to a vote and define what a bedroom is. This would definitely solve the issues.
Madison G
We had that same idea. But when we held subscriber focus groups to determine a definition, people couldn’t come to a consensus. So we turned to national groups and organizations to get their definitions and found they all conflict with one another. This is why we’ve backed away from defining a bedroom and let Brokerages take the lead.
Anonymous
My daughter purchased a home. It had 3 rooms, one without a closet. It was listed as a 3 bedroom and appraised. I challenged it and was told bedrooms only need windows. In 2017 I sold it and was told by an appraiser, it needs a closet. So I added one. I think they make it up as they go along.
Anonymous
What is the definition of Bedroom “plus” in MLS?
James Marcus
Hello! The Bedrooms Plus field is a bit more concrete: https://armls.com/ever-wonder-bedroom-plus-field
Anonymous
I just listed a 2-bedroom house, but I think I get to decide how many bedrooms there are, don’t you? This bedroom has an oven in it! This bedroom’s got a lot of people sitting around watching TV. This bedroom’s over in that guy’s house! Sir, you have one of my bedrooms, are you aware? Don’t decorate it!”
Mitch Hedberg r.i.p.
James Marcus
Classic, it’s a favorite around the office.