Earls Court Living
1st to 4th rate houses
The Building Act of 1774 classified new houses into 4 “rates” depending on the value of the house. Each type had its own structural rules. (The poor were not to be as well protected as the rich.)
“First rate” houses had to have a minimum floor space of 900 square feet. “Second rate” houses could be between 500 and 900 square feet. For “third rate” it was 350 to 500 square feet and for “fourth rate” it was a minimum of 350 square feet. But although the minimum size of a house was specified, there was no restriction on the number of people who could live there.
