This article looks at residential space standards and should help you interpret the vendor's plans and
measurements before you visit a property.
First things first, here’s some basic
numbers you can work to;
| Property Type | Number of beds | Number of people | Good area in sq m | Good area in sq ft |
| Single storey ---------------- 2 Storey House ---------------- 3 Storey House |
studio 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 ----------------- 2 3 3 4 4 ----------------- 3 4 4 |
1 2 3 4 4 5 6 5 6 ------------------- 4 4 5 5 6 ------------------- 5 5 6 |
37 50 61 70 74 86 95 90 99 ------------------- 83 87 96 100 107 ------------------- 102 106 113 |
400 540 655 755 795 925 1020 970 1065 ------------------ 895 935 1035 1075 1150 ------------------ 1100 1140 1215 |
You can also print off our handy Click and Print Guide to Target Areas
These figures are based on the Mayor of London's 'London Plan', July 2011 and represent the minimum square
footage standards for new housing in London. While ‘minimum’
might not sound impressive, these areas represent an improvement on
typical home building space standards for the last 10 years. A ‘good’
square footage will always be subjective but homes of these sizes
should feel decent and livable. If you have your eye on somewhere
smaller than the target space standards above, ask yourself, would
you be happy with one less cupboard or one less wardrobe compared to
the another property?
Of course, there’s more to
residential space standards than Gross Internal Area. The next thing
to look for is individual room sizes. Again, here are the key numbers
to look out for;
| Room | Good area in sq m | Good area in sq ft | Minimum width in m | Minimum width in ft |
Double Bedroom
Single Bedroom*
Open-Plan Kitchen / Living |
12
6
22 (2 people)
24 (3 people)
27 (4 people)
30 (5 people) |
129
65
236
258
291
323 |
3m
2m
4m** |
9'10''
6'6''
13'1'' |
* HATC Ltd recommend a minimum area of 7
sq m and width of 2.6 m. From personal experience as an architect and
a tenant, I’ve found 6 sq m (i.e 2m x 3m) to be viable and more
realistic.
** HATC Ltd recommend as little as 3.2m
width for living areas. While their research is much more extensive
than my own, I recommend you aim a little higher.
Internal dimensions are often shown on
estate agents’ plans, although its also a good idea to take a tape
measure with you when viewing properties just to be sure. If the
spaces don’t measure up, the rooms may still be useable, but won’t
be so flexible or comfortable. For instance , a single bedroom that
is less than 2m wide, will fit a single bed but only in one position.
You won't have the flexibility to move furniture around when you feel
like a change.
You should also be wary if the stated
square footage appears to be high but the property includes a long
hallway or large rooms with no natural light. These spaces are not so
useful and can give a false impression of the useful square footage.
Too many cupboards at the expense of
space in bedrooms can also be an issue, as can too few cupboards
overall or storage in the wrong space. Windows in odd locations,
debatable inclusion of en suites bathrooms and unusual circulation
can also reduce the practicality of a large home.
Ultimately your choice of home will be
the result of a combination of factors. Hopefully though, with our
handy Click and Print Guide you can gauge the useful square footage
of properties on plan before dedicating a whole day and countless
emails and missed calls to arranging a viewing.