Posted by: Nick Fundytus

Question of the week:

What is a “1+1 Bedroom?”

When a listing on MLS says 1+1 Bedrooms, does that mean there is a Den? How would you search for a 1 bed + 1 den apartment?

Nick's Answer:

Realtor here! A few definitions that may be useful that are often confusing for new buyers that we use in our MLS (Ottawa):

  • 2+1 bedrooms: The first number is the number of above-grade (above-ground) bedrooms, and the second is below-grade (floor is below ground level). 2+1 means two bedrooms upstairs and one in the basement or partially sunken level.

  • 2.5 baths: Means two bathrooms are full (have a toilet, sink and a shower or tub) and one is a powder room (toilet plus sink only).

  • 3-piece bath: Full bath that has only a toilet, sink and shower, but not a bathtub.

  • Jack and Jill bath: A bathroom connected to two bedrooms directly like a shared ensuite for both, but no direct hallway access.

  • Cheat suite: An ensuite bath (attached to a bedroom, usually the primary) that also has hallway access. Named because it “cheats” as double duty between a regular guest and ensuite. The cheekier theory behind the name is that it gives a means for a lover to be snuck out of the bedroom when the spouse gets home.

Searching for a one bed, one den apartment is tricky, as most MLS tools (including Realtor.ca) typically don’t let you filter with “den” as a criteria. Your best bet is to include all one and two-bedroom apartments in your target area and look at the descriptions, since den will typically be mentioned in the first line or two of the text, and many 1+dens are incorrectly listed as two bedrooms.

Good luck on the search!

Source: I’m a Realtor in Ottawa, Ontario.

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