At this time towns were much smaller, yet contained no regulation or restriction on what one could and could not build. Life in the town or city was full of danger, with fires spreading rapidly across wooden and thatched houses. While people lived too close together.

Houses were crowded and sanitation was limited. The inside of homes were covered with straw that was barely changed; a breeding ground for rats, mice, lice and fleas contributing to the easy spread of disease and infection. Also, homes often had no way for smoke to escape from cooking, which led to lung problems among households.

Clean water for towns was frequently in short supply, while often being drawn from streams and rivers that were contaminated. Moreover, many occupations were carried out in the streets and there were no means for disposing of waste products. Cesspits could have been dug beside wells and people would have to pay someone to remove the waste.

In the medieval town, animals were also everywhere, from horses to domestic pigs, animal waste was left on the streets. Also, with no sewers all household waste was left on the streets. While trying to keep food fresh was difficult and people often threw out food daily. It is easy to comprehend why disease spread so easily in this environment.