Bedrooms and Closets

[Maurice Burnett]

I am in the process of purchasing my very first multifamily unit investment property. The property listing stated that it was 3-units with 3-bedrooms in each unit. The home inspection was completed, and the appraisal was completed. The appraisal reports lists the property as 3 units all with 3 bedrooms. Yesterday I went to visit the property and noticed that the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms did not have a closet. I've looked at the Chicago code to attempt to understand if it can still be considered a bedroom. There are doors on both of the rooms as well as the room having the required sized windows. Because there is not a closet, is it still considered a LEGAL bedroom? If it is considered a bedroom, even without a closet, where in the code does it state that fact? Or does it just need to have a closet within a certain distance even if the closet is not directly in the room?

[Tom Shallcross]

@Maurice Burnett - yes, for code you need a closet of at least 15 sq ft and below is a link to the city’s bedroom requirements. 

Chicago Residential Design Guidelines

Even if you wanted to avoid the code, you are severely hurting your rental pool and quality of tenant by not providing closets.