Some additional notes dealing with accommodation are given below...
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Accommodation owned by the sponsor (co-sponsor)
If the sponsor (co-sponsor) owns the premises, the property deeds should be submitted. If the premises is mortgaged, a letter from the mortgage provider which confirms ownership can be used.
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Rented accommodation
If the accommodation is privately rented, the sponsor should submit a letter from the landlord that confirms both the size of the property and his agreement that an additional occupant may take up residence there. The sponsor should also include a copy of the tenancy agreement, and the tenancy agreement should have at least six months remaining until its expiry.
If the accommodation is owned by a local authority or council estate, a landlord's confirmation should also be obtained, but if this cannot be obtained a report from an independent surveyor which confirms the size and suitability of the premises can be submitted instead.
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Overcrowding
The test for determining whether or not an accommodation is overcrowded is given in the IDI's (Chapter 8, S1 annex F, paragragh 6.3). It takes the form of a table which is reproduced below. To use the table, add up the number of occupants according to the following scheme: occupants under the age of one count as zero; occupants between one and ten years of age count as one-half; and occupants over the age of 10 count as a whole person.
| Number of rooms | Permitted number of persons |
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1 | 2 |
2 | 3 |
3 | 5 |
4 | 7.5 |
5 | 10 |
For example, a family consisting of two adults, a child aged 7, a child aged 5, and a child aged 6 months would tally as 3 persons, and would therefore require 2 bedrooms.
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