Overcrowding of current accommodation
Overcrowding is measured by the number of bedrooms a client's household has compared to how many bedrooms the household needs.
The guidelines for identifying overcrowding are:
- there should be no more than 2 persons per bedroom
- children 10 years of age or older of the opposite sex should not share a bedroom
- children under 18 years of age and the same sex can reasonably share a bedroom
- single adults, couples and parents should have a separate bedroom
Note adults are considered to be someone aged 18 years or over, or if aged 16 or 17 years are (or have been) married or in a civil union.
Overcrowding not assessed for clients 'not living in any accommodation' or in emergency housing
You do not need to assess overcrowding for clients who are 'not living in any accommodation' or who are living in emergency housing for the time being. These clients have already been assessed as 'at risk' (4) adequacy.
Client is illegally sub-letting
If clients are illegally sub-letting, adequacy must be assessed on the number of bedrooms they have access to in the property. The issue of no rights to the tenancy must be considered under the lack of security of tenure.
