What is a habitable room?
A habitable room is a room intended for people to stay in, such as a living room, bedroom or study. In Dutch building regulations the term is verblijfsruimte, which the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl) defines as a room located in a habitable area for people to stay in. The habitable area (verblijfsgebied) is the larger whole; the habitable room is a room within it. A habitable area can consist of one habitable room or several. The Bbl has applied since 1 January 2024 and replaced the Bouwbesluit 2012. Other countries define habitable rooms in their own regulations, so the figures below apply to the Netherlands only.
Requirements for a new home in the Netherlands
- Largest room: at least one habitable area contains a habitable room of at least 11 m² and 3 m wide (article 4.164), usually the living room.
- Width: every habitable room is at least 1.8 m wide.
- Height: at least 2.6 m above the floor, or 2.2 m in a mobile home (table 4.162).
- Daylight: every habitable room has an equivalent daylight area of at least 0.5 m², determined under NEN 2057 (article 4.147).
- Ventilation: at least 0.7 dm³/s per m², with a minimum of 7 dm³/s; with a cooking appliance at least 21 dm³/s (article 4.122).
- Sound between rooms: between two habitable rooms in the same home the airborne sound level difference is at least 32 dB, unless they are openly connected or one is reached directly through the other (article 4.115, not for mobile homes).
Existing homes
For existing buildings (chapter 3) the minimum is lower: one habitable room of at least 7.5 m² and 2.4 m wide, a height of 2.1 m, at least 0.5 m² of equivalent daylight area and ventilation of 0.7 dm³/s per m² with a minimum of 7 dm³/s. For alterations the height requirement is also 2.1 m (article 5.17).
| New home | At least 11 m² and 3 m wide, usually the living room (article 4.164) |
|---|---|
| Existing home | At least 7.5 m² and 2.4 m wide (chapter 3) |
Application
Whether a room is a habitable room is decided in the design. If you want to use a loft, basement or outbuilding as a bedroom or study, it must meet these requirements. If it does not, it remains a non-habitable room, such as a storage loft.
Tips
- Daylight is not the same as window area: the equivalent daylight area takes obstructions on your own plot into account, such as an overhang, balcony or extension. Buildings on the neighbouring plot are ignored under the Bbl, but windows less than 2 m from the plot boundary do not count either (where the plot borders a public road, water or green space, you measure to its centre line).
- Plan the air supply: when adding a room, plan the fresh air supply straight away, for example a ventilation grille.
- Check the current text on wetten.overheid.nl; article numbers and values can change.
Related terms
- Habitable area
- Non-habitable room
- Use area
- Daylight factor
- Ventilation grille
- Verblijfsobject
Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.