How we calculate your bedroom need

When you apply for housing, we assess the number of bedrooms your household needs. This helps us determine which properties you are eligible to bid for and whether your current home is overcrowded. We use the Council's minimum bedroom standard to calculate bedroom need.

A separate bedroom is usually allowed for:

• A single person
• A married or cohabiting couple
• Two children under 10, regardless of sex
• Two children of the same sex, regardless of age, unless there is a gap of 10 years or more and one child is aged 16 or over

Who is included in the assessment?

We will normally include:

• You and your partner, if applicable
• Children who normally live with you
• Other household members who have been accepted as part of your application

Children who stay with you but whose main home is with another parent or carer are not usually counted as part of your household for bedroom entitlement. We may ask for evidence, such as Child Benefit information, to confirm who is responsible for their main care

Pregnancy

If you are pregnant, your unborn child will be included in the bedroom assessment once you are 24 weeks pregnant and have provided supporting evidence of the pregnancy.

Overnight carers

An additional bedroom may be considered where a household member requires a live-in overnight carer on a permanent basis. Supporting evidence from Adult Social Care or an Occupational Therapist will be required.

How we assess overcrowding

We compare the number of bedrooms your household needs with the number of bedrooms available in your current home. When carrying out this assessment, we consider the best use of all rooms within the property, not just those currently used as bedrooms.

You may be awarded overcrowding priority if your household is:

• One bedroom short of its assessed need (Band C)
• Two bedrooms short of its assessed need (Band B)
• More than two bedrooms short of its assessed need (Band A)