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How many rooms in the house?


rowland
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Hi

Thinking of putting house up for sale but can't remember which rooms count towards T1, T2, T3 etc. classification. I seem to remember that the bathroom or the kitchen are not included but not sure. Also we have two bedrooms but also a mezzanine that is used as a bedroom - does that count as three bedrooms?

Thanks in advance

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In property descriptions  T1, T2 (often using the alternative F1, F2 etc) mean 1, 2 etc rooms plus kitchen and bath. Mezzanine and certain terraces/loggias (closed-in) are often not counted  in the 'official' surface area of the property - mezzanines depending on height - usually if below 1.80 metres, same applies to any part of the dwelling - for example a loft space below a sloping roof, part of which may be less than 1.80 metres high.

However, while property searching I have come across properties that had what I would describe as a permanent loggia - tiled roof, windows, virtually an extension of the living room - but it was described as an apartment with 28 square metres plus a loggia of 12 square metres. I have also seen some pretty solid mezzanines that I would have thought qualified as an extra floor, but which were described as mezzanines......

In preparing your property description for sale, best to be as explanatory as possible to help potential buyers.

Hope this helps.

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After reading the posting last night I looked at loads of French sites on this question and ended up even more confused, i think for houses its straight forward as PDR has said but when its apartments and studios and they start adding the "bis" thats where I come unstuck.

This is my take and I am asking PDR to correct me please.

Studio flat (one large room + sdb) = T1/F1

One bed apartment (lounge, bedroom + SDB) = T2/F2

Now it was said that a seperate kitchen is not counted nor the bathroom, all clear with that but what throws me is when they add the "bis" so a studio flat with a seperate kitchen is called a T1 bis, a flat with une cuisine americaine is called a T2 bis, if the kitchen is not counted why mention it? I think it may be something to do with when a coin cuisine becomes something large enough to warrant the name rather than just a sink and a rechaude.

How do you think that I should describe the first of my flats PDR? They are a grenier conversion with charpente apparente so presumably I can call them thus, one very large (for a studio room) where one entire end is a fully fitted end equipée kitchen dining/study area, the bed is a hideaway wall bed in the lounge end disguised amongst the wall unit, its open plan to atke advantage of the light from both elevations but two distinct areas, superficie 28m2 of which probably 22m2 habitable due to the roof slope.

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Just got in and read your message, Chancer. Frankly, I think the shorthand T or F 1, 2 etc are more confusing than useful, particularly when used with a T1bis. I have since 'T1bis' more often used to describe a basic studio, with perhaps an extra bed alcove or extra space. For all properties, the assumption is that there will be a kitchen(ette), either American (I have told my colleagues this means nothing to some Brits or am I out of date, better to say 'open plan') or separate (in which case usually stated as such, as some people do not like open plan) unless stated otherwise. This followed by the number of 'rooms', 1 for a studio, 2 for living plus bedroom, etc. As the numbers get llarger you might need to explain what the 'rooms' are - living, dining, bedroom(s), study etc.

Re kitchen/kichenette best pperhaps to exlplain if it is (fully) 'equipped' or not. A kitchenette without further explanation might be interpreted as separe though small, as opposed to open-plan (part of the living room).

I think you last paragraph description is fine - the more detail the better.

Best regards, P-DdeR.

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Your description makes the most sense out of all the stuff out there, if studios were correctly labelled as T0/F0 and bis was never used as its so meaningless than all would be hunky dory.

I am trying to decide what to call my apartments as the strap line if you like, what will be written on the facade of the building or banderolle; the web site will have the detailed description.

They will be meublée de tourisme so do I call them apartements T1 bis or studios T1 bis or perhaps lofts T1 bis or a combination?  I want to keep it simple but want to avoid enquiries from people who think they are something they are not.

The target market will be people working away on mutation staying 4 or 5 nights a week, probably all French, the second and third phases could be one bed flats or studios, everyone I have asked have said that if they were staying away from home they would prefer an open plan, airy and bright studio with lots of storage space to having one small bedroom that blocks the through light but I would appreciate your thoughts.

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Don't the French love to make things complicated and confusing, the fact that anybody has to ask the question says it all !

I think for the majority of people looking for a house the number of bedrooms is probably at or very near the top of their list so why not say that, like they do in the UK ?

There is what appears to a useful glossary here

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At the risk of sounding curt, and I really dont mean to be, the answer is because I am not in the UK and my customers will almost certainly not be English, they would of course be welcomed but my targetting will be the French working on mutation over the road from me.

Having described UK properties to French people in the manner you describe many times, 3 bedrooms, semi - detached etc all I ever get is a glazed expression, they want to know how many pieces (rooms, not bedrooms) and how many square metres habitable and nothing else is comprehensible to them, I had to measure up my UK house to be able to describe it, then they get into the nuances of what is and isnt habitable and I explain that its really irrelevant as we dont have such a measure and I get the impression that their brains are going to explode.

A similar reaction can be gotten by explaining that Bac + 1,2... 5, etc doesnt mean anything in most countries outside of France.

Plus these are small apartments rented à la saisonière, not a principal residence or a house, I need to describe them in the same way as other similar rental properties but not misdescribe them which is the real challenge.

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I was thinking more in generalities that about any particular case.

I'm sure the French would be confused simply because they will not be accustomed to a property being described in that way - just as we find talk of 'T' this or that and square meters pretty meaningless - I'll wager few British buyers have ever walked into an Immo and asked for a 'T' xyz with xxx m2 !

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  • 4 weeks later...
Thank you for such an informative thread. I can now understand the descriptions in the adverts I see.

Too bad that the prices of equivalent properties to our chez nous have got rather less than what we have invested - initial price plus necessary improvements over a period of 5 years.

Still thinking that our main home should remain in UK but  are still wondering.

Richard

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