Recreational Rooms-What are they truly used for??

"why are there listings out there that list apartments as let's just say a 2BD/2BA with a recreational room that could be used as a 3rd bedroom?"

The same reason why listings list 1000 square foot apartments as 2600 square feet.

The same reason why listings call an apartment with a sunken living room or a sleep loft a "duplex."

It's because BROKERS LIE.

Yikes, sorry for the typos, far too much coffee for this Mom today. I guess my question is this. If we did decide to rent a place with 2BD and a recreational room, and simply used it as another living room/computer room per se, what if we had guests over and they slept in our rec room on a futon or pull out couch?? Are we in violation? I could understand if there was not a window or the proper # of egress routes from the room, but in those units we are considering that is not a factor.

Thanks-

nellm, it can't legally be deemed a bedroom precisely because of the fire issue. It shouldn't be marketed as a 3rd BR, and if you rent it out, it could conceivably come back to bite you if you rent it as a 3BR, but otherwise there's nothing really stopping you from using it as a bedroom. Obviously, you're not getting much light down there, but you can put a bed without worrying that the police will come a knockin for it.

If it has a full bath down there, the tub or shower that made it full was probably added without a permit. The city doesn't allow them, as doing so would help make the cellar usable as a bedroom. The public-health theory is that people shouldn't house their kids in a windowless cellar, as in a 19th-century tenement.

If the cellar has legal light, air, and means of egress, then it would've been sold/permitted as a bedroom to begin with.

Oh gosh no, I would be no means be interested in renting it out as a 3rd bedroom, but I also don't want to get evicted if we have family come to town and stay for a week or so and they need to sleep in the rec room.

Thanks for the insight-

nellm, I mean, there are crazy landlords out there, but I have a hard time seeing anyone getting evicted for occasionally letting guests sleep in a rec room. I wouldn't be worried at all.

I have a new construction 1 bedroom duplex with the cellar level as a large rec room. The room gets a tremendous amount of light (which surprises everyone) and has both an air shaft exit below ground and a separate doorway leading to the hall. It essentially has 3 exits in case of emergency- but the law on the books does not account for this and was written for general circumstances. The developer offered me an opportunity to convert the half bath to a full bath after closing for a nominal amount- and of course I took him up on it- for personal use. I generally use the room as a recreation room, but a few days a year I use it for sleeping purposes when family comes to visit.

none of you are correct. if the op or anyone else chooses to use the rec room (or home office etc) as a bedroom that is their business. it simply can't be called that. BROKERS (matt, you fuck) are aware that people will use these rooms for bedrooms and may market them that way. Three 25 year olds on a budget don't care if there bedroom is techinically a bedroom or not as long as they can sleep there.

Thanks to everyone for their POV on the subject-

Matt,
'It's because BROKERS LIE.'
I think that's a little strong....

Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,
To guard a title that was rich before,
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

Now isn't that special!

bedroom

A place for husband to hide from wife and kids and watch TV or computer.

Story in today's paper about these: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/nyregion/a-rec-room-is-the-new-way-to-expand-an-apartment.html

Selling square feet w/o windows

I have a new twist to resurrect this thread...

In Queens there are a lot of 3-story buildings built in the early '70s that are legal 2-family houses with the 1st floor walk-in listed as a "rec room" on the CofO.

To be clear I don't mean a basement or an English basement like in a brownstone but a street-level first floor with windows, etc.

Someone I know of one of these that has a legal full-bath in the rec room (I saw it listed on the CofO).

My question is, can this space be used as a bedroom by one of their teenagers or is it illegal to use it that way? If it is illegal can the CofO be updated since it's not a basement/cellar space?

There is a full basement level in the house below the first floor that houses all the mechanicals, etc.

Thanks for any assistance.