Renting with children

[DrunkUnicorn]

Hi, I am thinking of initiating a separation which means I will move out of our currently rented home and look to rent a flat by myself. Financially not ideal given rental prices, but I don't see any other option especially to keep children in the same school catchment.
What is the minimum number of bedrooms I will have to rent - children are 6yo and 18mo? Will agents/ private landlords let me rent a 1 bed (largish) or 2 bed only (younger one still cosleeps)? Are there actual rules to this?

I have a good employment record and financially decently off. I will pass any credit check and be able to afford a flat by myself, even if it does put a dent in my savings.

I hope this is the right place to ask this question as it is more about property renting than relationships etc. My head is in a bit of a tizzy as I come closer to decision time. Sorry if anything in my post is unclear. Thank you.

You can rent whatever you want, however a 1 bed with two kids would be a nightmare after a while.

That's very true.. if I did that it would be very very short-term till I sort out my finances. I do recall someone complaining that agents/landlords don't consider them for flats or houses with fewer bedrooms than they have children (?) even though the children are below 16 yo, so I wondered if there is any law or customary practice like that...

There are rules on statutory overcrowding
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/check_if_your_home_is_overcrowded_by_law

But letting agents and landlords will likely have their own regulations.

My experience renting with kids is that some estate agents and landlords can be a bit specific about how many children they are willing to accept. While social housing accepts children sharing a bedroom, up to the age of ten if opposite sex and any age if same sex, sometimes landlords and estate agents judge that their property is too small (when it's no different in size to social housing, or perhaps bigger). It may feel very jarring if this happens, but keeping looking and you will find other landlords / estate agents who recognise that you do know what will work best for your family and that this is a short term solution for you. I found it much easier finding rentals with younger children so you may not find it comes up at this stage anyway. However, it do think is likely that you will have more success looking at two beds, especially if the second bedroom is v small and so harder to rent in general. I don't this social housing would allow you to rent a one bed with two children (even at their age) so it might be worth looking into this as a comparison point.
I would also recommend the Shelter website, as pp has linked. Good luck.

Also to add - landlords are quite keen to avoid 'void periods', which is the time in between tenants where there is no rent incoming. If you look for a small two bed, you would look like a more likely prospect of renting long term, which might make it easier to find something to start with, as well as giving you more flexibility personally on how long you stay there while you plan your next steps.

Is it an option to stay in the current rental and have the partner move out? They should be contributing to the rent to keep the children housed, with minimal disruption for them?

I am in the same boat, I am still leaving in the same house as the ex partner and I have been looking for a house for 3 months and so far no landlord has been knee to accept me with a 3 year old child, has been horrendous! I can only afford one bed but majority of them don't want a child in 1bed dorm, even when I say the boy will be with me half of the time as we will be doing 50/50 they just would rather have a high earning professional or couple.

@Jade280 sorry to hear this. If you are in the UK have you looked at the Entitled To calculator to see if the difference in housing element can be made up by universal credit so you can look at 2 beds? I wish you luck, it's so stressful trying to house our families at the moment