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Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 Index
c SD No.0378/13 Page 1
c HOUSING (STANDARDS) REGULATIONS 2013
Index Regulation Page
1 Title ................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Commencement .............................................................................................................. 3
3 Interpretation ................................................................................................................... 3
PART 2 4
MAXIMUM PERMITTED OCCUPANCY AND MINIMUM SPACE
STANDARDS 4
4 Maximum permitted occupancy levels ....................................................................... 4
5 Minimum space standards for premises ..................................................................... 4
PART 3 5
STANDARDS OF REPAIR ETC. 5
6 Repairs, decorations etc. ................................................................................................ 5
7 Outbuildings, yards etc. in common use ..................................................................... 5
8 Installations in common use .......................................................................................... 5
PART 4 7
GENERAL DUTIES 7
9 General safety .................................................................................................................. 7
10 Duty to display notices .................................................................................................. 7
PART 5 7
OFFENCES AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 7
11 Notices to remedy defects ............................................................................................. 7
12 Offences ............................................................................................................................ 8
PART 6 8
TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS 8
13 Transitional Provisions .................................................................................................. 8
Index Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013
Page 2 SD No.0378/13 c
SCHEDULE 1 9
MINIMUM SIZES AND MULTIPLE OCCUPANCY 9
PART 1 9
MINIMUM ROOM SIZES AND MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY FOR HOUSES IN
MULTIPLE OCCUPATION 9
PART 2 9
MINIMUM SIZES AND MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY FOR FLATS 9
SCHEDULE 2 10
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR PREMISES 10
Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 Regulation 1
c SD No.0378/13 Page 3
Statutory Document No. 0378/13
c Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011
HOUSING (STANDARDS) REGULATIONS 2013
Approved by Tynwald:
Coming into Operation: 1 January 2014
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture makes the following
Regulations under section 12 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011.
1 Title
These Regulations are the Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013.
2 Commencement
If approved by Tynwald, these Regulations come into operation on 1 January
2014.
3 Interpretation
(1) In these Regulations unless the context otherwise requires —
“the Act” means the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011;
“the Department” means the Department of Environment, Food and
Agriculture;
“flat” means a separate set of domestic premises, whether or not on the same
floor —
(a) forming part of a building; and
(b) either the whole or the material part of which lies above or below
some other part of the building;
“house in multiple occupation” is as defined in the Housing (Definition of
House or Flat in Multiple Occupation) Order 20131;
“habitable room” means a room used or intended to be used as living
accommodation, but does not include a room used or intended to be
used exclusively as a kitchen or bathroom;
1 SD 0377/13
Regulation 4 Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013
Page 4 SD No.0378/13 c
“local authority” in relation to a flat or house in multiple occupation, means the
local authority in whose district those premises are located;
“net floor area”, in relation to premises or any room within those premises,
means the internal floor area of the premises or any room within those
premises, including all rooms, passages, staircases, chimney breasts and
flues exclusive to the premises but excluding balconies, external fire
escapes and garages and any passages, vestibules and stores used in
common, and where any room has a sloping ceiling, no part of the room
with a ceiling height of less than 1.5 metres shall be included in the net
floor area;
“occupant” means a tenant or lodger and any other person living in a flat or
house in multiple occupation;
“premises” means either a flat or house in multiple occupation;
“registered flat or house in multiple occupation” means premises registered
under the Housing (Registration) Regulations 20132;
“registration authority” in relation to a flat or house in multiple occupation
means the local authority in whose district the flat or house in multiple
occupation is located;
“staircase” includes any landing.
(2) Any terms used in these Regulations have the same meaning as in the
Housing (Registration) Regulations 2013.
PART 2
MAXIMUM PERMITTED OCCUPANCY AND MINIMUM SPACE
STANDARDS
4 Maximum permitted occupancy levels
(1) Schedule 1 specifies minimum space standards and maximum
occupancy levels in premises.
(2) No person must occupy, or permit to be occupied any premises so that
the number of persons occupying those premises is greater than the
maximum number of persons permitted.
5 Minimum space standards for premises
(1) No more than two persons must share a bedroom and unrelated persons
must not be required to share a bedroom.
2 SD 0380/13
Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 Regulation 6
c SD No.0378/13 Page 5
(2) In reckoning the number of persons sharing a bedroom disregard any
child under the age of one for the purposes of paragraph (1) sharing a
room with the child’s parent, guardian or person with whom the child is
residing.
(3) Where a child is sharing a room with its parent, guardian or person with
whom the child is residing, the floor area stipulated in Schedule 1 is to be
increased by 1.5m2.
(4) There must be a minimum of one bathroom for every six occupants,
located no more than two floors away from each bedroom.
(5) There must be provided a suitably located kitchen and lounge for the use
of all of the occupants, no more than two floors away from each
bedroom.
PART 3
STANDARDS OF REPAIR ETC.
6 Repairs, decorations etc.
The owner of the premises must maintain the building of which the premises
form part in a good state of repair.
7 Outbuildings, yards etc. in common use
(1) The owner must ensure that —
(a) every outbuilding, yard, area and forecourt, which belongs to the
premises and is in common use, is maintained in a clean, safe and
wholesome condition, and that any garden in common use
belonging to the premises is kept tidy;
(b) such parts of the premises in common use including entrance
doors, porches and steps are kept free from obstruction; and
(c) boundary walls, fences and railings (including basement area
railings), in so far as they belong to the flat or house in multiple
occupation, are kept and maintained in good repair.
(2) If any part of the premises is subject to a closing order under section 7 of
the Housing Act 1955, or not in use, the owner must ensure that such part,
including any passage and staircase directly giving access to it, is kept
reasonably clean and free from refuse and litter.
8 Installations in common use
(1) The owner must ensure that the following installations in common use,
or which serve any part of the premises in common use, are in and are
Regulation 8 Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013
Page 6 SD No.0378/13 c
maintained in repair, a clean condition and good order (including, where
appropriate, proper working order) —
(a) installations for the supply of electricity, gas and oil for lighting
and for space heating or heating water;
(b) sanitary conveniences, baths, sinks, washbasins and installations
for cooking or storing food;
(c) receptacles or other installations provided in connection with the
delivery to the premises of postal packets.
(2) The owner must ensure that installations for lighting serving any part of
the premises in common use are readily available for use by occupants.
(3) The owner must arrange for electrical, gas and oil installations and
appliances to be regularly inspected as follows —
(a) electrical installations protected by miniature circuit breakers and
residual current circuit breakers must be inspected every 10 years,
or more frequently where advised by the National Inspection
Council for Electrical Installation Consulting, by a competent
person ;
(b) gas installations and appliances must be inspected annually in
accordance with the Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Regulations
19943 as applied to the Isle of Man by the Gas Safety (Application)
Order 19964;
(c) oil installations must be inspected in accordance with the Code of
Practice5 issued by the Oil Firing Technical Association for the
Petroleum Industry.
In paragraph (a) “competent person” means a person who is a member
of the Competent Persons Scheme for the purposes of Part P of the Isle of
Man Building Regulations.
(4) The owner must keep records of these periodic inspections, and any
works carried out for a minimum of five years, and have copies of these
records and any certificates available for inspection by any occupant or
the registration authority upon request.
3 S.I. 1994/1886 which was amended by the Gas Safety ((Installation and Use) (Amendment)
Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/550) 4 SD 326/96 5 OCP/2:200
Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 Regulation 9
c SD No.0378/13 Page 7
PART 4
GENERAL DUTIES
9 General safety
(1) The owner must ensure that such precautions are taken as are reasonably
required, having regard to the design of and structural conditions in
premises and to the number of occupants, to protect those occupants
from injury as a result of those conditions.
(2) In particular, the owner must (without limiting paragraph (1)) ensure as
respects any roof or balcony, which is not in all respects safe, either that
reasonable measures are taken to prevent access to it, or that it is made
safe, and that such safeguards as may be necessary are provided against
the danger of accidents resulting from the presence on staircases of
windows the sills of which are at or near floor level.
(3) The owner must also maintain the premises in accordance with any
applicable provisions of the Fire Precautions Act 1975 and any secondary
legislation made under that Act.
10 Duty to display notices
(1) The owner must cause to be displayed in a suitable position in the
property so as to be readily visible to the occupants —
(a) a notice containing the name and address and the emergency
telephone number of the person, or of each person, who is the
owner or agent acting on behalf of the owner of the flat or house
in multiple occupancy; and
(b) certificates of registration and public liability insurance
certificates,
(2) The owner must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the notice under
paragraph (1)(a) remains so displayed with any necessary amendments.
PART 5
OFFENCES AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
11 Notices to remedy defects
If it appears to a registration authority that, in relation to any registered
premises, a requirement of these regulations is being contravened, the
registration authority may by notice in writing require the owner of the
premises, being the person appearing to it to be responsible for the
contravention, to carry out such works as may be required to remedy the
Regulation 12 Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013
Page 8 SD No.0378/13 c
contravention and are specified in the notice to be carried out within such
reasonable period as may be so specified, being not less than 21 days from the
date of service of the notice.
12 Offences
Any person who —
(a) in connection with an application for the registration of any
premises under regulation 3(2), makes a false statement which
they know to be false in any material respect or which they do not
believe to be true, or
(b) contravenes or fails to comply with, the requirements of these
Regulations,
commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding
£5,000.
PART 6
TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS
13 Transitional Provisions
Where a building is in use as a house in multiple occupation at the
commencement of these Regulations, the Regulations do not apply to that
building or any part of it until 1 January 2017.
MADE 7TH NOVEMBER 2013
PHIL GAWNE
Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture
Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 SCHEDULE 1
c SD No.0378/13 Page 9
SCHEDULE 1
MINIMUM SIZES AND MULTIPLE OCCUPANCY
PART 1
MINIMUM ROOM SIZES AND MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY FOR HOUSES IN
MULTIPLE OCCUPATION
Number of occupants Minimum size Bedrooms
1 person 8.5m2
2 persons 10.5m2*
*Subject to regulation 5(2) where a child is occupying the room with its parent,
guardian or person with whom the child is residing applies
Kitchen Communal room
(including lounge or
dining room)
6 persons 7m2 11m2**
Each additional person + 0.5m2 + 1.5m2
**Communal rooms which contain a kitchen must be a minimum of 18m2
PART 2
MINIMUM SIZES AND MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY FOR FLATS
Net floor area
Permanent
Net floor area
Tourist
Maximum
Occupants
Less than 30m2 Less than 17m2 0
30m2 or more but
Less than 45m2
17m2 or more but
Less than 25m2
1 person
45m2 or more but
Less than 57m2
25m2 or more but
Less than 33m2
2 persons
57m2 or more but
Less than 70m2
33m2 or more but
Less than 41m2
3 persons
70m2 or more but
Less than 79m2
41m2 or more but
Less than 49m2
4 persons
79m2 or more but
Less than 87m2
49m2 or more but
Less than 56m2
5 persons
87m2 or more 56m2 or more 6 persons
SCHEDULE 2 Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013
Page 10 SD No.0378/13 c
SCHEDULE 2
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR PREMISES
1 Requirement to be self-contained
In the case of premises which are flats they must be so designed, arranged and
equipped as to be self-contained, save that a common entrance may be provided
to a block of flats.
2 General condition of premises
Premises must be structurally sound, in a good state of repair and free from
dampness.
3 Light, ventilation and insulation
(1) Every habitable room must be provided with sufficient direct natural
light, adequate ventilation and thermal insulation.
(2) There must be sufficient means of artificial lighting to all accessible areas
of the building.
(3) Every kitchen must be provided with adequate light and ventilation.
(4) Every bathroom and every room containing a water closet must be
provided with adequate light and ventilation.
4 Requirements for premises to contain certain provisions
Premises must contain —
(a) a suitably located integral bathroom containing an adequate and suitably
located bath or shower provided with adequate supplies of hot and cold
water and properly connected to the drainage system; or
(b) a suitably located integral shower compartment provided with adequate
supplies of hot and cold water or water at a suitably controllable
temperature, and properly connected to the drainage system.
5 Water closets
Premises must be provided with a suitably located water closet within the
curtilage of the premises, properly connected to the drainage system.
6 Wash hand basin
Premises must be provided with a wash hand basin, suitably located, provided
with adequate supplies of hot and cold water and properly connected to the
drainage system.
Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 SCHEDULE 2
c SD No.0378/13 Page 11
7 Adequate cooking and washing facilities
(1) Any flat which is registered as a tourist flat, must be provided with
adequate and suitably located cooking and washing facilities including a
sink incorporating an impervious drainage surface and provided with
adequate supplies of hot and cold water and properly connected to the
drainage system.
(2) In the case of premises which are registered for permanent occupation
those premises must be provided with —
(a) adequate washing facilities including a sink incorporating an
impervious drainage surface and provided with adequate
supplies of hot and cold water and properly connected to the
drainage system;
(b) plumbing for a washing machine;
(c) except where a cooker is installed which is fuelled by either solid
fuel or a reservoir of oil or gas situated outside the premises, a
mains electric or mains gas connection for a cooker.
8 Storage of waste
(1) Premises must be provided with readily accessible and reasonably
suitable receptacles for the storage of refuse.
(2) Adequate provision must be made for the storage of such receptacles and
for the disposal of refuse to the satisfaction of the local authority.
9 Food storage
Premises must be provided with adequate and suitably located food storage
facilities.
10 Washing and drying of clothes
Facilities for the washing and drying of clothes must be made available for the
exclusive use of the occupants of, in the case of flats, each individual flat and
premises.
11 Heating
Premises must be provided with adequate means of heating every habitable
room and every kitchen (such heating to be controllable and programmable).
12 Sound proofing.
(1) In the case of flats, a wall which separates a flat from another flat or the
common parts of the building must resist the transmission of airborne
sound to a level set by Building Regulations at the time of construction of
the premises or conversion of building to proposed use.
SCHEDULE 2 Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013
Page 12 SD No.0378/13 c
(2) A floor or stair which separates a flat from another flat or the common
parts of the building must resist the transmission of airborne and impact
sound, to a level set by Building Regulations at the time of building of
the premises or conversion of the building to proposed use (material
change of use).
13 Additional storage facilities
Reasonable storage facilities for such items as baby carriages and bicycles must
be provided.
14 Provisions of stop taps
Stop taps must be provided on the service pipes to enable gas and water
supplies to be turned off independently to each flat, with the exception of the
water supply to a sprinkler system for the purpose of fire fighting for premises
containing flats or houses in multiple occupation.
Housing (Standards) Regulations 2013 Explanatory Note
c SD No.0378/13 Page 13
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations set down the standards which are to be met in respect of flats or
houses in multiple occupation.
Regulations 1 to 3 (Part 1) set out the title, commencement and interpretation for the
Regulations.
Regulations 4 and 5 (Part 2) and Schedule 1 stipulate the maximum permitted
occupancy levels and minimum space standards for flats or houses in multiple
occupation.
Regulations 6, 7 and 8 (Part 3) concern the standards of repair for flats and houses in
multiple occupation. There is a requirement for premises to be maintained in a good
state of repair. This includes outbuildings and yards in common use in addition to
installations in common use such as gas, oil and electricity supplies used for lighting,
space heating or heating of water.
Regulations 9 and 10 (Part 4) require an owner of a flat or house in multiple occupation
to take reasonable precautions for the general safety of its occupants. Regulation 10
requires the owner to display a notice citing contact details for the owner or agent of
the owner should an emergency arise, along with the relevant fire, registration and
public liability insurance certificates for the property.
Regulations 11 and 12 enable a registration authority to issue a notice where any
requirement of these Regulations is contravened with a view to carrying out such
notified works to correct the contravention within a specified time period. Regulation
12 concerns offences under the Regulations and stipulates that a fine not exceeding
£5,000 may be imposed.
Regulation 13 provides for a period of three years from the commencement of the
Regulations in which a flat or house in multiple occupation has to meet the
requirements of the Regulations.
Schedule 2 lists the minimum standards for flats or houses in multiple occupation.
Recommended