To build a false wall in a Housing Association rental property?

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We rent from a housing association. Have a 2 bed house. There are 4 of us. DS 8 has a disability which causes him to be unable to share a room. DD 1 is still sharing with us which is fine for now but would like to move her to her own space soon as she wakes us all night wanting to share the bed etc.

We are assessed as being overcrowded and in need of a 3 bedroom but we are Band C so don't stand much of a chance getting a larger property. Have been bidding for over a year.

We've tried to swap but it's next to impossible as most people don't want to downsize for a smaller property that has a high rent.

One of the bedrooms is very large and has 2 windows so could be divided down the middle to make 2 ok sized box rooms.

I know it is not allowed as would need permission to be made into a 3 bed etc but what are people supposed to do when swapping / being given a new property is next to impossible and private renting is out of the question do to the prices being unaffordable.

The wall would be a stud wall and we'd make it so it could be removed if we had to etc.

You could get into trouble and it could end up costing you £££.
Could you put some sort of partition up using bookshelves or similar? I have seen that type of thing on Pintrest

Could you use a curtain, screen or shelving unit instead?

Have you talked to the HA about adapting your home?

It’s not changing the structure or adding weight etc and if there’s a window in each room it would meet fire safety regulations? In your situation I’d do it and just make sure it’s something you can put back easily to its original state

If you don’t have regular inspections you could consider going for it? It’d need to be take-down-able for sure!

They’d need to be secured down/up for safety though making it the same amount of ‘work’ as a stud wall

It's illegal to do this.

Why not use a room divider or wardrobes to separate room into 2? Ikea has some great screen panel things to separate a room, foldable and leave no damage when you move

Ikea Kallax units are really handy for separating a room

I’d put a room divider in , cheaper than a stud wall and easier. Loads on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=room+divider&crid=1Z77INMT3OWFD&sprefix=Room+div%2Caps%2C124&ref=nb_sb_ss_w_hit-vc-lth_room-divider_k0_1_8

How many rooms do you have downstairs is there potential to have a bedroom downstairs instead ?

Maybe a removeable partition (though has to be fixed to a wall/ceiling for safety)? Lots of ideas online where people use large Kallax-type units as dividers; these also give lots of storage. Also b&q sell partition 'walls' which fix to floor and ceiling.

would like to move her to her own space soon as she wakes us all night wanting to share the bed

Mine still does this at 2.5 and he has his own room. I wouldn't count on it stopping...

At the end of the day, permission will likely be rejected, so you'll need to have the money to have it done, and to quickly have it removed and put right if you're ordered to do so.

I'm in part ownership. We put a stud wall and door in the larger room as we had 4 kids to fit in 2 bedrooms. 2 DD shared the smaller room. Eldest DD and DS had the split room. When Eldest moved out we put it back how it was. Didn't ask permission if you don't have inspections I would.

If you don't have inspections I would. Just keep in mind you'll need cash to remove it and put it right when you do move.

Given your DD is small I would wait. My DD was still in our room until about 2-2.5. You might get moved before then?

That's that a stud wall is.

Not really. I think the poster means attached as in partially.

keep in mind you'll need cash to remove it and put it right when you do move.
We did it all ourselves. After removing wall just needed filler and paint.

What about a heavy duty tension rod with a heavy/black out curtain?

I did it (council) we had the council surveyor round (totally separate as had an issue with ceiling in hallway) he loved what we had done said I had utilised the available space brilliantly.

I did this in a council property. No issue at all. I didn't ask permission. I then did an exchange, which meant there was an inspection, it was fine. The incoming tenants just had to state that they accepted it "as is".

I'm now with an HA. They didn't even bother to do an inspection during the exchange so they would have no clue what was or wasn't done to the place prior to me living here. I've been living here 20 years now, not one inspection in that time. So tbh, I could claim that anything was "like that when I moved in".

The general rule is, if you can put it right before you leave at your own expense, then it's ok. Although I have never known anyone be asked to reverse any changes.

At some stage, I plan to knock out a stud wall (installed by the HA) to give myself a bigger bedroom. I won't be asking permission.

I'd do it. I'm in a HA property. They were quite casual about what I did with it. I got told to do whatever I wanted with the kitchen or the walls. They said they'd be putting it back anyway, so have at it.

I did have to sort out quite a lot when I moved in so it's fair that it balances out with having more freedom.

Have you asked about a DFG? Disabled Facilities Grants: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We put in a stud wall and just didn't tell them. Should we move, we will put it back to it's original state but as you say the waiting list for overcrowding is long! I've been waiting 5 years (ds15 & dd12).

As long as you don't cause damp issues and keep it well ventilated, you should be fine. They even came round and surveyed the house about a few years after we put it up and the guy was really nice and didn't change it on the form.

I agree you should look into a grant as above.

My concern would be that HAs are becoming very active concerning fire regs post Grenfell and you would almost certainly be contravening them and in a child’s bedroom as well. I’d look for an official channel to do this.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I suppose it could wait for another couple of years to see if we got moved in that time.

I did look into a divider/kallax units and things like that but it wouldn't work due to the way my DS is. There would really need to be a wall and a door separating them.

No room downstairs to make a bedroom unfortunately.

It would be a stud wall, presumably just screwed into the ceiling and floor so if we were told to remove it my DH says he can unscrew it and fill the holes and repaint.

We have lived here 8 years and had no inspections before.

I just don't know what the solution is as we are in this housing crisis and it's increasingly difficult to get moved to a bigger property and there is just no way they can share. At some point DD will be too old to share with us so dividing the rooms seems to be the only option.