Bedroom Talk

How many people can stay in a one bedroom apartment in the state of Delaware?

My family consists of my wife and son. My son is just 1 year old. Can we stay in a one bedroom apartment in the state of Delaware?

Public Comments

1. The general rule under federal fair housing guidelines is that two persons per bedroom, plus one additional person, is acceptable. So, three persons in a one bedroom apartment is OK. If a landlord refuses to rent to a family of that size, and cites "too many people" as a reason for refusing, the landlord will be considered to be in violation of federal fair housing laws that prohibit discrimination based on familial status. Edit: Charles, you are wrong. "Familial status" refers to the presence of children in the family. If you refuse to rent to a family because a particular unit is not big enough for the number of persons in the household, it could be a sign of illegal discrimination against families with children. If the unit truly is too small for three persons, then fine. But, if you refuse to rent a one bedroom with 1200 sq ft of living space to a family of three, you could find yourself in deep doo-doo with the fair housing authorities in your area.
2. You should talk to someone in your county's social services department. In some counties of New York State a child over 18 months must have a separate sleeping area away from parent (s). As Social Services put it, they do not want a small child exposed to sex (actually that was the gist of what was said, they were a little more direct). With respect to the fair housing statement the status refers to you being married to your wife and not the number of people you can cram into a one bedroom.