Does Not Having a Bath Devalue a House in the UK?

Yes, not having a bath can devalue a house. How much importance a feature, such as a bath, has on the property selling price will depend on a number of factors such as the type of people your prospective homebuyers represent and the area in the UK where the house is located.

Your future buyers

Consider the type of homebuyers who are likely to offer on your home. Houses with at least three bedrooms, for example, are likely to attract families with children or couples that are thinking of soon having children. A large house with no bath could be a major red flag for these families as a bath tends to be the most convenient way to wash babies or young children.

On the other hand, homeowners of small houses or flats may not see it as big of a risk to remove baths. More and more surveys are revealing that adults are preferring showers over baths. If your prospective buyers are working adults with no children then there is less of a chance that not having a bath will reduce the value of your property. Some elderly homebuyers may also prefer a walk-in shower to a bath as it may pose less of a trip hazard.

Buyer’s lifestyle

This is speculative but it may also be worth considering the lifestyle your average buyer leads. For example, a busy working professional who lives near central London may still buy a bathless home without devaluing it because they don’t have a lot of time to enjoy a long bath.

Amount of bathroom space

Some sellers might find a bath less attractive if it takes up a large amount of space in what is already a small bathroom. Whatever you replace the bath space with might be able to counter any loss in value from removing the bath.

Level of competition among buyers

The removal of a bath is less likely to affect the value of a house if there is high competition for properties in your area. Buyers may feel like they have less room to negotiate if properties in your area are selling like hot cakes.

Should you remove the bath?

Ultimately, it’s your house and you should do whatever you see fit, especially if you intend to live in the property for many years. Those who are renovating their home with the expectation of selling in the short-term, however, may want to consider the above factors with more thought. It may help to get more opinions from local estate agents and tradesmen. You could, for example, ask local estate agents to share what a typical buyer looks for in a home that has a similar stature to yours.

Are you certain of having the bath removed but still worried about the house getting devalued? One middle-ground solution might be to have the bathroom renovated in a way that allows future buyers to easily fit a new bath in should that be their preference.