Overcrowding
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
According to the Housing Act 1985, a dwelling is overcrowded when the number of persons sleeping in it contravenes the room standard or the space standard.
[edit] Room standard
The room standard is contravened when the number of persons sleeping in a dwelling and the number of rooms available as sleeping accommodation is such that two persons of opposite sexes who are not living together as husband and wife must sleep in the same room. Children under the age of ten shall be left out of account, and a room is available as sleeping accommodation if it is of a type normally used in the locality either as a bedroom or as a living room.
[edit] Space standard
The space standard is contravened when the number of persons sleeping in a dwelling is in excess of the permitted number, having regard to the number and floor area of the rooms of the dwelling available as sleeping accommodation.
The permitted number of persons in relation to a dwelling is whichever is the less of:
- The number specified in Table I in relation to the number of rooms in the dwelling available as sleeping accommodation, and
- The aggregate for all such rooms in the dwelling of the numbers specified in column 2 of Table II in relation to each room of the floor area specified in column 1
Table I
| NUMBER OF ROOMS | NUMBER OF PERSONS |
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 7½ |
| 5 or more | 2 for each room |
Table II
| FLOOR AREA OF ROOM | UMBER OF PERSONS |
| 110 sq. ft. or more | 2 |
| 90 sq. ft. or more but less than 110 sq.ft. | 1½ |
| 70 sq. ft. or more but less than 90 sq. ft. | 1 |
| 50 sq. ft. or more but less than 70 sq. ft. | ½ |
No account shall be taken for the purposes of either Table of a room having a floor area of less than 50 sq. ft.
NB English Housing Survey, Headline Report, 2020-21, published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in 2021, states: ‘Households are said to be overcrowded if they have fewer bedrooms available than the notional number needed according to the bedroom standard definition. See bedroom standard.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Building regulations.
- Code for sustainable homes.
- Decent homes standard.
- Densification.
- Draft housing standards.
- Draft London Housing Strategy (blog November 2013).
- GLA Housing Design SPG.
- Housing Standards Review.
- Laying the foundations: a housing strategy for England.
- Micro flats.
- Minimum room size.
- Minimum space standards.
- NHBC technical standards.
- Technical housing standards – nationally described space standard.
Featured articles and news
Recognising culture as key to sustainable economic growth
Creative UK Provocation paper: Culture as Growth Infrastructure.
Futurebuild and UK Construction Week London Unite
Creating the UK’s Built Environment Super Event and over 25 other key partnerships.
Welsh and Scottish 2026 elections
Manifestos for the built environment for upcoming same May day elections.
Advancing BIM education with a competency framework
“We don’t need people who can just draw in 3D. We need people who can think in data.”
Guidance notes to prepare for April ERA changes
From the Electrical Contractors' Association Employee Relations team.
Significant changes to be seen from the new ERA in 2026 and 2027, starting on 6 April 2026.
First aid in the modern workplace with St John Ambulance.
Ireland's National Residential Retrofit Plan
Staged initiatives introduced step by step.
Solar panels, pitched roofs and risk of fire spread
60% increase in solar panel fires prompts tests and installation warnings.
Modernising heat networks with Heat interface unit
Why HIUs hold the key to efficiency upgrades.
Reflecting on the work of the CIOB Academy
Looking back on 2025 and where it's going next.
Procurement in construction: Knowledge hub
Brief, overview, key articles and over 1000 more covering procurement.
Sir John Betjeman’s love of Victorian church architecture.
Exchange for Change for UK deposit return scheme
The UK Deposit Management Organisation established to deliver Deposit Return Scheme unveils trading name.
A guide to integrating heat pumps
As the Future Homes Standard approaches Future Homes Hub publishes hints and tips for Architects and Architectural Technologists.