Is basement egress window in laundry room good idea or overkill?

Question

I'm looking at a 3BR SFH built in 1996 to hold as LTR or possibly flip. It currently has two finished rooms in the basement, neither of them with a proper egress window. The larger of the two rooms is pretty big and would naturally make a good 4th bedroom, so if I buy this property I would probably put in an egress window in to make it a legal 4th. The other finished room is pretty small and best use would probably be a laundry area. If I put in laundry hookups, do I need an egress window in this room as well? What if I market it as a den or office or storage area? I'm concerned about liability if I put tenants in. I only have one other rental property and it doesn't have finished basement space.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

You only require egress windows in sleeping rooms. If a fire were to break out in the living room or laundry room, people could escape by going out the egress window in the bedroom or by going upstairs and exiting. Egress windows in the laundry room are completely unnecessary.

if you have a shared space like a family room, and the space / budget allows, then I recommend adding an egress window just because it increases natural light.

Is basement egress window in laundry room good idea or overkill?

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