Trade bodies give the thumbs-up to new room size guidance

Trade bodies give the thumbs-up to new room size guidance


Todays other news


There’s been a broad welcome from the industry to new guidance on room sizes on rented homes.

The guidance was released just before Christmas by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government – in case you missed it, we covered it here on Letting Agent Today on Christmas Eve.

Since October this year, rooms used for sleeping by one person over 10-years-old have had to be at least  6.51 square metres, and those slept in by two people over 10-years-old will have had to at least 10.22 square metres. 

Rooms slept in by children of 10 years and younger have had to be at least 4.64 square metres.

The Residential Landlords’ Association had expressed concern that the changes could have seen councils required to take action against landlords where a tenant gave birth and as a result there were two people in a room sized for one. 

A landlord or agent who sought to evict in this scenario would be carrying out unlawful discrimination.

 

However, the new guidance makes clear that this will not happen. It notes that in instances where a tenant has given birth to a child since moving into a House of Multiple Occupation, that there is an expectation that local authorities will not be acting in the public interest if they commence a prosecution.

David Smith, policy director at the RLA, says: “We warmly welcome this new guidance. It reflects considerable work between the RLA and the government in addressing serious concerns about the consequences of the room size changes. The government has clearly listened to our concerns and this document should provide much greater assurances to landlords and tenants alike.”

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has also welcomed the clarification 

 

Share this article ...

Join the conversation: Login and have your say

Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions. All comments are screened using specialist software and may be reviewed by our editorial team before publication. Letting Agent Today reserves the right to edit, withhold or delete comments that violate our guidelines, including those that harass, degrade, or intimidate others. Users who post such content may be banned from commenting.
By commenting, you agree to our Commenting Terms of Use.
4 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Recommended for you
Related Articles
Andrews Property Group is under charitable ownership...
Zak O'Sullivan is racing internationally this season, for the first...
David Smith Weill be answering agents' questions...
Some 7,700 homes have been lost in one year in...
The Welsh Government is backing the call for a 'compensation'...
There will be a greater emphasis on digitisation....
A consultation document is being released today....
Recommended for you
Latest Features
Andrews Property Group is under charitable ownership...
New tenancies in England and Wales are at their lowest...
The Scottish system would differ from the UK system in...
Sponsored Content
Tenants want a place they can call home—somewhere comfortable, safe,...
Letting agencies face the dual challenge of keeping both landlords...

Send to a friend

In order to send this article to a friend you must first login. Click on the button below to login or sign up.

No one likes pop-ups ...
But while you're here