Bedroom standard

The Bedroom Standard is used to assess the size of home a household is eligible to bid for through Trafford Home Choice. It ensures that social and affordable rented homes are allocated fairly and that available housing is used effectively.

Applicants are normally only able to bid for homes that match their assessed bedroom entitlement. This entitlement is based on the household members included in the application and the rules set out in the Housing Allocations Policy. The Bedroom Standard rules allow one bedroom for each of the following:

  • every adult couple
  • any other adult aged 16 or over
  • any two children of the same sex aged under 16
  • any two children aged under 10
  • any other child
Bedroom entitlement is assessed using the Bedroom Standard rules within the Housing Allocations Policy. These rules determine how many bedrooms a household is eligible for based on the number of people in the household, their ages, and their relationships to one another. Only permanent household members included on the application are taken into account when calculating bedroom need.
When assessing overcrowding, living rooms and dining rooms may be counted as available sleeping space under the Bedroom Standard. This means that a property may not be considered overcrowded where a living room or dining room could reasonably be used as a sleeping area, even if it is not currently used in that way.
Children are expected to share bedrooms in line with the Bedroom Standard. This includes children of the same sex under a certain age, or children under a set age regardless of sex, as defined in the policy. Bedroom entitlement is not based on personal preference and is applied consistently to all applicants.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant may request to be considered for a property with more bedrooms than their standard entitlement. These requests are usually linked to medical, disability, welfare, or care-related needs and must be supported by appropriate professional evidence. Requests are considered by the HOST Panel and approval is not automatic.
Bedroom entitlement does not guarantee that a suitable home will be available. Due to high demand for social housing in Trafford, waiting times for certain property sizes can be long.