Adding another bathroom to a three bedroom property raises its value by almost £12,000 and makes it more desirable to buyers, a new research has shown.
Every three bedroom property should come with two bathrooms or an additional shower room of you’re on a tighter budget, if estate agents are to be believed.
Estate agents urge Government candidates to protect property market as stamp duty take hits new high
A study by Direct Line Home Insurance revealed that more than 70% of estate agents believe that bathrooms can help when selling a house. The numbers showed that a house with three bedrooms should ideally feature 1.8 bathrooms, when four beds are present it should have 3.6 bathrooms and five beds ask for 3.5.
Estate agents estimate that, across the UK, an additional bathroom would add 6.8% to the value of an average three bed property, or £12,000, for four bed houses the additional bathroom would increase values by 6.2% or £17,000.
About 95% of respondents believe four or five bedroom properties need to feature more than one bathroom and 43% think that a five bedroom home should have at least three bathrooms.
As space is a rare premium in a lot of UK properties, 57% estate agents also stated they believe a shower room would add just as much value to a home as a bathroom, especially among the younger homeowners who haven’t had any children yet.
Demand from Investors for UK Property is on the rise, RICS says
Rebecca Clapham is the head of household products at Direct Line and explained:
“As a new bathroom can add around £12,000 to the value of a home, which compared to the cost of fitting one, is a significant return and may be a good option for people wishing to improve their home but without the space to add an extra bedroom or improve their kitchen.”
And whilst an additional bathroom does add extra value to your home, 86% of estate agents also said that a new kitchen would be more desirable and 91% said another bedroom would be more desirable.