Children Sharing Bedrooms in Canada: Rules and Guidelines

How Many People Can Share a Bedroom?

Newcomers often want to know the rules about children sharing bedrooms. While there are no rules, there are National Occupancy Standards to assess whether “suitable housing” is available for all family members. These standards inform how many people can reasonably live in a dwelling based on the number of bedrooms. Discover what to know about housing rules for families and kids sharing rooms in Canada.

National Occupancy Standard for Kids Sharing Bedrooms

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation created the National Occupancy Standard (NOS) to support, design, and evaluate housing policies and programs in Canada.

The NOS is a reference point for “suitable” housing to inform how many people could reasonably live in a dwelling based on the number of bedrooms. The standard is not a rule to determine if a landlord can rent a dwelling unit to a family. In other words, a landlord can’t refuse to rent to you based on the size of your family.

What is Suitable Housing?

According to the NOS, a private household has suitable housing when there are enough bedrooms for children and family members based on age, gender, and relationships among household members.

When homes are overcrowded, it may contribute to privacy, health, and safety issues. Crowded households also signal a lack of affordable housing in Canada. Given the current housing supply issue, the Canadian government is introducing housing programs to increase the housing supply and provide cost relief.

Kids Sharing Rooms in Canada

The NOS can help you decide the number of bedrooms you need to ensure suitable housing.

These guidelines can help you decide how many kids can share bedrooms:

Based on the guidelines, you may need a three-bedroom home if you have a family of six with two parents and four daughters. You may need four bedrooms if you have three sons and one daughter.

Additional guidelines state:

• A maximum of two people can share a bedroom

• Household members who are married or a common-law couple can share a bedroom with their spouse or common-law partner

• Household members over 18 can have a separate bedroom.

Consider Your Housing Budget

In addition to housing suitability, you must consider affordability, cultural conventions, and how urgently you require housing.

When deciding the size of the house, think about your budget. You should be able to afford the property you will live in, including the cost of utilities. There are ways to create separate spaces by adding curtains and room separators.

You’ll need more bedrooms if you have a large family for suitable accommodation. This, in turn, will increase the cost of accommodation.

You can begin your housing search once you know how many bedrooms you need based on family size. You can even use a real estate agent to help you search for rental housing.

What are the Advantages of Children Sharing Rooms?

Siblings who share a room spend more time with each other and develop a closer relationship. Children who share a room also learn how to compromise and get along with others.

Children sharing bedrooms could reduce your housing costs if you require less space.

Disadvantages

Children of different ages will likely have different schedules and bedtimes. Completing school homework could be challenging when siblings have conflicting schedules for study and playtime. Conflict can arise if siblings sharing a bedroom have different cleanliness, neatness, and organization standards.

Also, privacy can be an issue for siblings. When friends come over, sharing a room can cause conflicts among siblings.

Summary

While landlords can’t refuse to rent to you based on the size of your family, housing suitability can determine the number of bedrooms you need for your children.

It’s also important to consider your housing budget. Ideally, you should consider the ages of your children, gender, and personalities. Choosing suitable housing will provide comfort, safety, privacy, and sanity!