The "living-dining room" can count as two rooms

The Court of Cassation admits this since each of the spaces has a minimum surface area and distinct equipment.

In the lawsuit between a tenant and the owner, when the number of rooms was discussed, the Court said that although it was a single space, the living-dining room should be considered as two separate living rooms. .

Each exceeds nine square meters, has a ceiling height of over two and a half meters, has openings to the outside and a radiator, observe the judges to come to this conclusion.

The tenant observed that the central separation was very partial, that these two spaces could not therefore be isolated from each other and that the surface was not a criterion to determine whether it was a room or two. But his arguments were rejected.

The number of rooms in a dwelling is important in determining, particularly in the case of social housing, whether the dwelling is under-occupied, taking into account the number of people who live there. It is also important for old leases, subject to the law of 1948, because the large number of rooms can allow a reassessment of the rent.

(Cass. Civ 3, 14.3.2019, Y 18-11.409).