There are two main tests that help define overcrowding: the ‘room standard’ and the ‘space standard’. These guidelines outline how many people can live in each room, who should share a room, and the minimum size for a room to be considered suitable for sleeping.
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As housing becomes more difficult to come by in the UK, household overcrowding inevitably becomes more common. Around 850,000 families are living in overcrowded homes in England, according to Resolution Foundation research. The data showed that people who are renting, on low incomes, part of an ethnic minority or in a single-parent household are most likely to live in a house or flat that’s too small for their needs.
This is “despite adding 13 million bedrooms to [England’s] housing stock” since 1994, said Felicia Odamtten, economist for the organisation.
“Although we do have enough suitably sized homes to go around, policy measures to address under-occupation and overcrowding by encouraging ‘right-sizing’ are unlikely to be effective.
“If we want to address these worrying levels of overcrowding, then we need to build more larger homes, especially in the social rented sector, and ensure that appropriately-sized housing is affordable for people in all tenures.”
Who has to share a room?
One of the key tests for overcrowding looks at who is expected to share a room. Couples are generally expected to share a bedroom and children of the same sex can share a room until they reach a certain age. But once children of the opposite sex reach the age of 10, they should ideally have separate bedrooms.
If you have teenage children, for example, and they’re forced to share a bedroom with a sibling of the opposite sex, this would be considered overcrowding according to the room standard.
The rules are designed to prioritise privacy and fair living conditions, particularly as children grow older and need their own space. Plenty of families make do with what they have out of necessity, of course, but the law recognises that there are limits to how much sharing can be expected. Adults who aren’t in a relationship aren’t expected to share a bedroom, for example, and elderly relatives or people with specific health needs may also need their own space.
Number of rooms
The second test for overcrowding is the number of rooms available in your home. The room standard defines overcrowding by counting how many rooms are used for sleeping, then comparing that number to the household’s needs. The rules state that an average room can sleep two people. So, if you have three rooms available for sleeping, your home should be able to accommodate six people.
An important caveat is that when it comes to defining what is and isn’t overcrowding, the rooms considered are not just bedrooms. If your living room is doubling up as a bedroom every night, this could indicate that your home is overcrowded.
The number of rooms needed varies based on the household. If you’re unsure how many rooms your family should be using for sleeping, you can compare your household size to the number of bedrooms in your home, taking into account who is expected to share.
Room sizes
Having a handful of rooms might be a good start, but in practice they can only be of so much use if they’re not a decent size.
Even if you have the right number of rooms, the space might still be too cramped for the number of people living there. A room has to be of a certain size to be seen as suitable for sleeping in, and if the space is too small it won’t count towards the number of bedrooms your home has.
As a general rule of thumb, any room smaller than 50 square feet is too small to be classed as a sleeping space. For rooms between 50 and 70 square feet, only one person can sleep there (and this is generally considered only big enough for a child younger than 10). Rooms larger than 70 square feet can accommodate two people. This means that even if you think you have enough rooms, overcrowding can still be an issue if the rooms are too small to meet the legal requirements.
What counts as a bedroom?
The general rule is that any room used for sleeping can be considered a bedroom. But rooms like the kitchen or bathroom are excluded (exceptions are sometimes made for large kitchens), while other spaces such as living rooms or dining rooms can be counted as bedrooms if they’re used for that purpose.
So, how many bedrooms do you need? The answer depends on the number of people in your household, their ages and their relationships. In most cases – couples can share one bedroom, children under 10 can share with a sibling of the same or opposite sex, and older children of the same sex can also share a room. But children over the age of 10 who are different sexes should have their own rooms.
Your home could be classed as overcrowded if your family’s living situation doesn’t meet these guidelines. Maybe your teenage son and daughter are sharing a room because there isn’t enough space – that would likely be considered overcrowding.
How to report overcrowding in a house
It’s important to report the situation to your local authority if you believe your home is overcrowded. Overcrowding isn’t just cramped, it can also pose a risk to your health, and so the council has a responsibility to address it.
You can contact your local housing department to report overcrowding and they will assess your situation. They might visit your home to inspect the conditions you’re living in and check whether your household meets the legal standards for overcrowding. If they do ultimately decide your home is overcrowded, the council might be able to help you find a bigger property, or they could offer advice on other housing options. They might also direct you to help with benefits you could be entitled to, which could pay towards rent costs for a larger place – you can get a rough idea yourself by using an online benefits calculator.
You can still report overcrowding to the council if you’re renting from a private landlord. These landlords have a legal obligation to make sure their properties are suitable for the number of people living there, and if your home doesn’t meet the necessary standards, the council can step in. But bear in mind that councils sometimes have different standards for what they’ll consider overcrowded.
Is overcrowding Illegal?
Overcrowding can be a tricky issue, especially when it comes to the legal side of things. While living in an overcrowded home isn’t necessarily illegal for tenants, landlords could be breaking the law if they allow too many people to live in a property that is too small.
The laws around overcrowding are designed to protect people from being forced to live in conditions that are too cramped. Overcrowding can lead to a range of problems, from poor mental health due to a lack of privacy, to physical health issues caused by poor ventilation or sanitation. That’s why there are legal limits on how many people can live in a property, and why it’s important to report overcrowding if it becomes a problem.
For tenants, the legal side of overcrowding mostly comes into play when it comes to the council’s responsibility to help. If your home is deemed overcrowded, the council has a duty to help you find alternative accommodation. While the process can take time, especially in areas where social housing is in short supply, there are options available to ensure that you’re not left living in poor conditions indefinitely.
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