Room size checker for HMOs and shared houses
Every licence for a shared house (the legal term is HMO) sets minimum sizes for bedrooms. Enter the room's measurements to see whether it's big enough.
Not legal advice. This tool follows the national minimums as we understand them. Your council's standards may be higher.
The minimum sizes
| Who sleeps in the room | Minimum floor area |
|---|---|
| One person aged over 10 | 6.51 m² |
| Two people aged over 10 | 10.22 m² |
| One child aged under 10 | 4.64 m² |
| Any room under 4.64 m² | Can't be used for sleeping |
How it works
We multiply the length by the width, or use the floor area you enter, and convert feet to metres (1 ft = 0.3048 m). Then we take off any floor where the ceiling is lower than 1.5 m. The rest is compared with the minimum for who will sleep there. A room that's exactly the minimum passes. We round the area down to two decimal places, so a room is never shown as bigger than it is.
Example: a loft room is 4.2 m by 3.0 m, but the ceiling is lower than 1.5 m for the first 1.4 m of its length. Only 2.8 m × 3.0 m = 8.40 m² counts. That's big enough for one person aged over 10, but not for two.
The law behind it
The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018 add these room sizes to every mandatory and additional licence for a shared house. Regulation 2 puts them into Schedule 4 to the Housing Act 2004. A selective licence doesn't carry them.
Questions
What is the minimum size for a single bedroom in an HMO?
6.51 square metres for one person aged over 10. It's a condition of every mandatory and additional licence for a shared house.
What about a double room for a couple?
At least 10.22 square metres for two people aged over 10.
Does floor under a sloping ceiling count?
Not where the ceiling is lower than 1.5 metres. That part of the floor isn't counted.
Do these sizes apply if my house doesn't need a licence?
They're licence conditions, so they apply to licensed shared houses. Any home can still be assessed for crowding and space under the housing health and safety rating system.
This page is general information about England, not legal advice. Rules change and every tenancy is different; if your situation is unusual, speak to a solicitor.