Technical Requirements:
 

• The dwelling provides at least the gross internal floor area and built-in storage area set out in Table 1 below

• A dwelling with two or more bed spaces has at least one double (or twin) bedroom

• In order to provide one bed space, a single bedroom has a floor area of at least 7.5m2 and is at least 2.15m wide

• In order to provide two bed spaces, a double (or twin bedroom) has a floor area of at least 11.5m2

• One double (or twin bedroom) is at least 2.75m wide and every other double (or twin) bedroom is at least 2.55m wide

• Any area with a headroom of less than 1.5m is not counted within the Gross Internal Area unless used solely for storage (if the area under the stairs is to be used for storage, assume a general floor area of 1m2 within the Gross Internal Area)

• Any other area that is used solely for storage and has a headroom of 900- 1500mm (such as under eaves) is counted at 50% of its floor area, and any area lower than 900mm is not counted at all

• A built-in wardrobe counts towards the Gross Internal Area and bedroom floor area requirements, but should not reduce the effective width of the room below the minimum widths set out above. The built-in area in excess of 0.72m2 in a double bedroom and 0.36m2 in a single bedroom counts towards the built-in storage requirement

• The minimum floor to ceiling height is 2.3m for at least 75% of the Gross Internal Area

Additional Notes:
 

• Built-in storage areas are included within the overall GIAs and include an allowance of 0.5m2 for fixed services or equipment such as a hot water cylinder, boiler or heat exchanger.

• GIAs for one storey dwellings include enough space for one bathroom and one additional WC (or shower room) in dwellings with 5 or more bed spaces. GIAs for two and three storey dwellings include enough space for one bathroom and one additional WC (or shower room). Additional sanitary facilities may be included without increasing the GIA provided that all aspects of the space standard have been met.

• Where a 1b1p has a shower room instead of a bathroom, the floor area may be reduced from 39m2 to 37m2 , as shown bracketed.

• Furnished layouts are not required to demonstrate compliance.

The Gross Internal Areas in this standard will not be adequate for wheelchair housing (Category 3 homes in Part M of the Building Regulations) where additional internal area is required to accommodate increased circulation and functionality to meet the needs of wheelchair households.

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Download Government Housing Space Guidelines