Basic standards for homes privately rented to one household
One household can be either:
- a single person living on their own
- 2 people sharing with no other occupants
- a single family
Homes privately rented to one household do not need:
- planning permission – unless you plan to extend the property
- a licence from us
If you’re a private landlord or letting agent, you must provide your tenants with minimum living standards and housing conditions.
Bedroom size requirements
A property’s bedroom sizes must be a minimum of:
- 4.64 metres square for a child under 10 years old
- 6.5 metres square for a child over 10 years old
- 10.22 metres square for a couple (2 adults over 18 years old) sharing one room
Safety checks and documents
At the start of and during a tenancy, you must provide a valid and in date:
- Gas Safety Certificate – this must be renewed by a Gas Safe engineer every 12 months
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) – this must be renewed by an accredited electrician every 5 years
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
- window restrictors (restricting opening to 100mm) to all upstairs windows which are 1,100mm or less from floor level
- a written tenancy agreement or written information about your tenancy before it starts
Fire safety detectors
You are required to provide working detectors fixed to a wall or ceiling. The minimum is:
- a smoke detector on each floor
- a heat detector in the kitchen
- a carbon monoxide (CO) detector near to a gas boiler or a solid fuel burning appliance, such as a wood burning fire
Other household amenities
You are required to provide:
- a mechanical extractor fan vented to the outside of the building in all bathrooms and kitchens
- fixed and programmable heating in each room – for example, either a radiator with thermostat value or programmable storage heater
- windows in working order and weather-proof
- window restrictors (restricting opening to 100mm) to all upstairs windows which are 1,100mm from floor level
- fixed handrails for all stairs
Full housing standards guidance
This webpage does not include everything you need to provide as a private landlord. It aims to give you a general idea of the housing standards and living conditions we expect in private rented properties.
For full guidance, view or download the private sector housing amenity standards guide.
Contact our Housing Standards team
You can contact us online.