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Overcrowding

Domestic dwellings

The occupation limit for a property is assessed against two standards set out in the Housing Act 1985 based on the number and sizes of the rooms available.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

The occupancy standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation are more stringent than for singly occupied dwellings because of the increased risk to health and safety arising from the sharing of facilities and greater fire hazards.

We have set out standards that contain minimum sizes of bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens and the maximum number of people that can share them.

Associated documents:

• Overcrowding  (0.22 MB)

• HMO categories  (0.46 MB)

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