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Find out how many bedrooms your household is entitled to under the bedroom standard — before you waste time on a swap that won't get approved.
Looking for a home swap? Join free and list your home in minutes — it's free to find and arrange a swap.
Join freeWhen you apply for a mutual exchange, your landlord checks whether the new property is the right size for your household. If the swap would leave you over-occupying (too many people, not enough bedrooms) or significantly under-occupying (too many spare rooms), it can be refused.
Most councils in England and Wales follow the bedroom standard — a set of rules laid out by the government. This calculator uses those rules to give you an estimate, so you know what size property to search for.
This calculator gives guidance based on the standard rules. Your council may apply these slightly differently — always check with your housing officer if you're unsure. For official guidance, see GOV.UK bedroom entitlement rules and EntitledTo.co.uk for benefits calculations.
Add each child with their age and sex so we can work out sharing rules.
Based on the bedroom standard, your household needs:
You should be looking for properties with . Your landlord may also approve a swap into a property with one bedroom more than you need, but this depends on your council's policy. Swapping into a property with fewer bedrooms than you need is unlikely to be approved.
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The bedroom standard is used by most councils and housing associations in England and Wales to decide how many bedrooms a household needs. Here are the rules:
One bedroom for each adult couple — if two adults are in a relationship, they share one bedroom.
One bedroom for each remaining adult (16+) — any adult not in a couple gets their own room.
Two children under 10 can share — regardless of sex. A boy and girl under 10 can share a room.
Two children of the same sex aged 10-15 can share — but a boy and girl aged 10+ must have separate rooms.
Any remaining child gets their own room — if a child can't be paired, they need a separate bedroom.
Under the UK bedroom standard you get one bedroom for each adult couple, one for each other adult (16+), two children under 10 can share regardless of sex, and two children of the same sex aged 10-15 can share. Any child who cannot be paired gets their own room. Use the calculator above to work out your exact entitlement.
It depends on their ages and sexes. Three children under 10 need two bedrooms (two share, one has their own). A 12-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl would need two bedrooms (the two boys share, the girl has her own). Enter each child above to get the exact answer.
It depends on their ages and sexes. Four children under 10 can share in two pairs, so you would be entitled to two bedrooms for them. A wider age or sex mix needs more; for example two boys aged 10-15, a girl aged 10-15 and a younger child could need three bedrooms. Enter each child above for the exact answer.
It depends on their ages and sexes, but five children typically need two to three bedrooms. Five children all under 10 share in pairs (three bedrooms — two pairs plus one on their own). Use the calculator above for your exact entitlement.
Yes, a boy and girl can share while they are both under 10. Once either child reaches 10, they are normally entitled to separate bedrooms under the bedroom standard.
Aim for the number of bedrooms the calculator shows. Some councils also allow a swap into a property with one extra bedroom, but swapping into a home with fewer bedrooms than you are entitled to is usually refused.
If you rent from a council or housing association and have more bedrooms than you need, your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element can be reduced — the under-occupancy charge, often called the bedroom tax. One spare room typically means a 14% cut, two or more means 25%.
Find real home swap listings that match your bedroom needs.
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