Source: https://www.hauseit.com/legal-bedroom-requirements-nyc/
Timestamp: 2019-02-20 07:37:43
Document Index: 168804296

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 27', '§27', '§ 27', '§27', '§82', '§179', '§82', '§179', '§82', '§179']

What Qualifies as a Legal Bedroom in NYC? (2019) | FAQ - Hauseit NYC
Buying in NYC, Legal Bedroom NYC
What Qualifies as a Legal Bedroom in NYC?
Posted by hauseit on January 8, 2019
| Buying in NYC, Legal Bedroom NYC
A legal bedroom in NYC must have minimum dimensions of 8 feet on either side, including a minimum ceiling height of 8 feet and must be at least 80 square feet in size. Furthermore, a legal bedroom must have at least two forms of egress, one of them being a window no smaller than 12 square feet. For a bedroom to be considered legal, it must be possible to access a bathroom without having to pass through any other bedroom.
NYC real estate agents are notorious for stretching the truth, especially when determining what rooms qualify as legal bedroom in New York City. In this article, we’ll explain the requirements of a legal bedroom in NYC in detail. We’ll also dispel false truths about legal bedrooms in NYC, such as the myth that all bedrooms must have a closet.
A windowless bedroom is not considered to be a legal bedroom in NYC. This is a commonly asked question for buyers who are considering loft units. Many floor-through loft apartments in NYC have a large square footage but very few windows. Just because there is ample space to modify the floor plan and add rooms does not mean that you will be able to create legal bedrooms.
Window regulation for legal bedrooms in NYC is addressed in § 27-2058 of the NYC Administrative Code (excerpts below):
§27-2058 Lighting and ventilation of living rooms in multiple dwellings erected after 1929
If storage space is important for you, ask your buyer’s agent what options are available in the building you are considering. A seasoned buyer’s broker will know to request the storage unit and bike hanger documentation from the listing agent. If the building does not have separate documentation regarding storage, the storage policies are likely discussed in the house rules documentation.
Pro Tip: Be careful of loft apartments being advertised as duplexes with so called bedrooms on the second floor. Often times, these second floors are no more than mezzanine levels created out of a single floor loft apartment with high ceilings. Very often, these so called second floors will simply have a ladder to the sleeping area rather than a true staircase. The easiest way to determine whether a duplex is truly a duplex is to consider the ceiling heights and the legal requirements discussed in this article for a legal bedroom in NYC. Do both floors have a minimum ceiling height of 8 feet? If so, this means the total ceiling height of the unit in the open areas must be at least 16 feet. Please read our guide to buying a duplex apartment in NYC if you’re considering buying this unique property type!
The minimum dimensions of a habitable room are covered in the NYC Administrative Code, § 27-751 (excerpts below):
§27-751 Minimum dimensions of habitable rooms.
Source: New York Multiple Dwelling Law: §82 & §179 **
New York Multiple Dwelling Law: §82 & §179 **
§82. Privacy. In every apartment of three or more rooms in every class A multiple dwelling erected after April eighteenth, nineteen hundred twenty-nine, there shall be access to every living room and bedroom without passing through any bedroom.
§179. Privacy. In every apartment of three or more rooms in every class A converted dwelling there shall be access to every living room without passing through any bedroom, and to at least one water-closet compartment within the apartment from every bedroom without passing through any other bedroom.
Pro Tip: Very often you’ll see owners of studio apartments try to convert their apartments to a one bedroom by adding in an artificial wall to create a private sleeping area. These arrangements usually won’t result in a legal bedroom, either because the sleeping area won’t have a window or two means of egress. If the bathroom is connected to the sleeping area, the very act of putting in an artificial wall can seal off the bathroom to everyone else in the apartment, and thus render another bedroom illegal because you’d have to traverse through this new sleeping area in order to reach the one bathroom. Keep in mind that very large loft apartments can legitimately create legal bedrooms, typically by walling of parts of the living room and making sure each bedroom has a window.
The topic of illegal bedrooms is much more important if you are buying a condo or buying a co-op apartment in NYC. Unknowingly purchasing an apartment which is incorrectly marketed as having more bedrooms than what is legal can cost you money down the road. This is because you won’t be able to market it as having as many bedrooms you thought it had when you purchased it.
Pro Tip: Prospective buyers and tenants must do their own due diligence before proceeding with a transaction as real estate laws are very favorable towards sellers and developers in New York State. Furthermore, listing agents are very prone to misrepresent facts about the properties they are marketing in NYC, especially when it comes to the number of legal bedrooms an apartment has. All too often we’ll see a studio apartment marketed as a legal 1 bedroom apartment, and sometimes the square footage will be significantly inflated as well! If this scares you, it should. Make sure you work with a seasoned buyer’s or tenant’s agent who will guide you through all these traps and pitfalls. If you work with an experienced real estate agent through Hauseit, you’ll also receive a check from your agent for a portion of his or her commission at closing!
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