The average size of a new home built in the UK is 4m2 smaller than Government guidelines – which is the equivalent of someone taking away your bathroom, according to research from StoreFirst.com.

The nationally described space standard is a non-enforced guideline stating that new, three-bedroom homes should meet a recommended minimum size of 93m2. Currently, this guideline is not being met with the size of newly built homes in the UK 88.9m2, a significant 10m2 smaller than the 2003 average.

Regional picture

Housing space differs depending on which part of the UK live in. The average three-bedroom property in London for example is now 25m2 bigger than those built in Yorkshire. This means that on average, each new three bed home in Leeds, Scarborough or York is missing out on the same size space as a double bedroom or a family room.

Properties in the East and the South East of England are just meeting the nationally described space standard, with average properties coming in at 93.5m2 and 93.9m2 respectively. The smallest house sizes were found in the North East of England and Yorkshire and Humber, with floor spaces in these parts of the country coming in at 85.4m2 and 84m2.

Oliver Kitson from Storefirst.com, said: “We can see from this data that not only are house spaces decreasing, but there is also a huge disparity between different parts of the UK. Homeowners are paying more for their homes but getting less space to call their own.

“If the nationally described space standard was to be enforced as a rule rather than a suggestion, prospective buyers and renters would feel secure that they’re getting the right amount of space for the price they’re paying.”