Do you think this would be ok for a live-in

[Anonymous]

Our current nanny isn't working out (she's not able to work the hours she agreed to when we hired her) and I am strongly considering a live-in now. We have a finished basement with a bedroom and a full bath. The house is on the older side but the basement has new carpeting and the bathroom has been redone. The bedroom has old carpeting but we would replace it and paint the room. It has a full size bed and a dresser. There is no closet in the room but they sell closets at the container store that I would get for the nanny. The basement is large and has a big play area but we really only go down there a couple of times a week at most and only during the day with the children. We almost never go down there at night unless we need something from the storage area. There is a sofa and we would put a tv down there for the nanny as well. There are windows in the basement but not in the bedroom. The biggest downside to the basement bedroom is that the hot water heater is in a closet next to the bedroom there. Do you think this would be a problem? The alternative is a bedroom upstairs and it does have a bathroom attached but the bathroom also connects to one of the children's rooms. The child could use a different bathroom but his room would be close to the nanny's. It is also much quieter in the basement than it would be upstairs, especially if the nanny wanted to sleep in on her days off.

[Anonymous]

If there are no windows in the bedroom, its not a legal bedroom. It would be both depressing, and a fire hazard. But I'm sure there are some who will chime in and say they wouldn't care.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it would be better to offer the upstair room or to move your storage to the bedroom and make the main basement area into a bedroom (which would mean you and kids don't have access at all without knocking first). Other than that, I think many nannies would be fine with the upstairs room.

[Anonymous]

Not acceptable. You need to put a window in the bedroom for it to be legal and safe. If there was a fire, she'd have no way to get out.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks! I didn't realize the window issue. Upstairs it is then.

[Anonymous]

I personally think the basement sounds pretty good. I'd let the nanny pick what she prefers, just to be on the safe side.

[Anonymous]

It is a shame the basement room doesn't have a window, because otherwise that sounds great. Maybe offer the basement room to her as a private sitting room? So that if things are too crazy upstairs or if she wants to crash down there on the weekends so she can sleep in, she has that escape option.

[Anonymous]

As a live in nanny I have lived in basement rooms with no window. Only issue was bugs. The basement rooms sounds great. Why not let her choose.

[Anonymous]

I am in a basement room with no windows. I do a rent exchange for a basement apartment, so there are other windows, just not legal sizes and not in the basement. It does concern me from a fire perspective, but the main door outside is 1/2 flight of stairs away. That said, it is nice and dark and cool and quiet which is great for sleeping in the summer. The girl I watch as part of the exchange is going to kindergarten in the fall so most likely I'll move then, but am not completely sure I'll move. All that said to give the nanny a choice and also consider having a legal egress window installed. I think it's around $2k to have one dug out.