Overcrowding

Rule 1: Sharing a room

If two people of a different sex, both age 10 or over, and are not a couple have to sleep in the same room, that room is classed as overcrowded.

Rule 2: Not enough sleeping rooms

Rooms you can sleep in include these, as long as their floor size is larger than 4.65 square metres (50 square feet).

Use a tape measure or a room measuring phone app. Metres length x metres width = square metres floor size.

Rooms you can sleep in:

— Bedroom
— Living room
— Lounge
— Office

Exclude these rooms:

— Bathroom
— Hallway
— Landing
— Kitchen*

*Sometimes a large kitchen might count as somewhere you can sleep. Check with your landlord about their rules.

Calculate the number of people who sleep in your home

This is the number of people who permanently live in your home, and excludes visiting family members and friends.
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Anyone aged 10 or over = 1 person
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Children aged 1 to 9 = 0.5 person
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Children aged under 1 = 0 person
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Example: An adult, 2 children under 10, and a baby = 2 people

Number of people who can sleep in your home

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1 room = 2 people
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2 rooms = 3 people
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3 rooms = 5 people
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4 rooms = 7.5 people
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5 rooms  = 10 people
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Rule 3: Floor size of sleeping rooms

The floor size of a room you sleep in also determines the maximum amount of people that can sleep in it.
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Less than 4.65 square metres = 0 people
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4.65–6.5 square metres = 0.5 people
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6.5–8.35 square metres = 1 person
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8.36–10.21 square metres = 1.5 people
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10.22 square metres or more = 2 people
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If you measured your floor size in square feet use this table
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Less than 50 square feet = 0 people
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50–69 square feet = 0.5 people
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70–89 square feet = 1 people
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90–109 square feet = 1.5 people
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110 square feet or more = 2 people
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Next steps

Your landlord should be informed so they can take action to either transfer you to a larger home or provide additional room in your home. Landlords who knowingly allow their homes to become overcrowded are breaking the law. However, some landlords have different rules, so ask yours to provide their rules.

You can also have a legal right to mutual exchange, where you swap homes with another willing resident, who for instance wishes to downsize.

If you don’t currently live in social housing you may be eligible for priority on the council housing register.

Useful links on this website

Mutual exchange for housing association tenants

Mutual exchange for local authority tenants

External websites

Shelter: Help if your home is overcrowded

Downloads

House of Commons Library: The statutory overcrowding standard

Discover more on this website