Every person living in a property needs enough space to do normal things like cook, relax and sleep.
As a landlord you should consider the following points to work out how many people your property is suitable for:
- Bedrooms should be big enough to fit all the furniture needed, like a bed and a wardrobe/drawers and space to move around
- People who share a bedroom should be the right age and sex
- Adequate size living space for the household
- Open plan dwellings may be acceptable for a single person or for a couple, not for larger households
- There may be a lack of privacy if facilities are shared
- There should be enough space to separate different household activities. This will be dependent on the number of people sharing the space, and whether they are part of the same household
- If kitchens are shared, is there enough room for cookers, fridges, sinks and worktops
- Is there space outside to dry washing
- Is there outside space for children to play. If not, is there anything close by such as a park
Children and babies are included in the number of people permitted to live in a property.