Classification of housing suitability

Usage

The NOS derives the number of bedrooms a household requires as follows:

1. A maximum of two persons per bedroom.

2. Household members, of any age, living as part of a married or common-law couple share a bedroom with their spouse or common-law partner.

3. Parents in a one-parent family, of any age, have a separate bedroom.

4. Household members aged 18 or over have a separate bedroom - except those living as part of a married or common-law couple.

5. Household members under 18 years old of the same gender share a bedroom - except parents in a one-parent family and those living as part of a married or common-law couple.

6. Household members under 5 years old of different genders share a bedroom if doing so would reduce the number of required bedrooms.

An exception to the above is a household consisting of one individual living alone. Such a household would not need a bedroom (i.e., the individual may live in a studio apartment and be considered to be living in suitable accommodations).

Data presentations and other publications that use the housing suitability standard should include the following citation note:

Housing suitability and the National Occupancy Standard (NOS) on which it is based were developed by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) through consultations with provincial housing agencies.