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Splitting Rent Fairly

Started by wolf39us, February 16, 2013, 11:23:47 AM

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wolf39us

Okay so I have a fairly new situation... And I can't mathematically work it out in my head the fairest way to split expenses.

Here it goes:

2 br / 2 bath (dual master) same size.  

New roommate will be in his own room while my girlfriend and I will be in the other.  Now technically, only he and I are "on the lease" and she is just living with me.

How to split this?  

Rent: 955

Utilities: 1/3 (I don't think I could imagine doing utilities any other way)

Bibliofagus

50/50

There's no way to make a contract covering him getting a girlfriend as well... So it's not smart to factor you having a girl right now into any contracts about rent.
Quote from: \"the_antithesis\"Faith says, "I believe this and I don\'t care what you say, I cannot possibly be wrong." Faith is an act of pride.

Quote from: \"AllPurposeAtheist\"The moral high ground was dug up and made into a walmart apparently today.

Tornadoes caused: 2, maybe 3.

wolf39us

See I could argue this both ways.  Because I have her here, we will be 2/3 voting power.  We will probably take over the living room and she would be living here almost effectively "free"... How is that fair?

If he does have someone living here, the rent would then be split into 1/4 each.

Bibliofagus

Let's say your girl doesn't contibute on the cost of your space at all.
Why should you pay for him as well?
Quote from: \"the_antithesis\"Faith says, "I believe this and I don\'t care what you say, I cannot possibly be wrong." Faith is an act of pride.

Quote from: \"AllPurposeAtheist\"The moral high ground was dug up and made into a walmart apparently today.

Tornadoes caused: 2, maybe 3.

PopeyesPappy

Kill the roommate. Eat the evidence. Keep the place for yourselves.
Save a life. Adopt a Greyhound.

WantingSoul

50/50.  He is not getting any less living space by her being there.  The only exception might be common areas (kitchen, living room, etc.) but one extra body should be a big deal.  IF you think about it, YOU are getting less living space.  Divide the utilities 3 ways; and if you share chores, divide that three ways as well.  Your roommate is still getting a deal.
want·ing (adjective)   \ˈwän-tiÅ‹\
1 : not present or in evidence : absent

My wife says my kisses taste like sin.

Quote from: the_antithesisNow if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wipe my ass with four rocks. Fuck allah and his stupid rules.

WantingSoul

Additionally, if you are concerned about "voting power", leave the girlfriend out of it. She can sway -your- vote, but only you and your flatmate have a vote.  If the two of you don't agree on something, you can leave it up to a flip of a coin or some roshambo.
want·ing (adjective)   \ˈwän-tiÅ‹\
1 : not present or in evidence : absent

My wife says my kisses taste like sin.

Quote from: the_antithesisNow if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wipe my ass with four rocks. Fuck allah and his stupid rules.

SGOS

For three people living in the same apartment, I would split it 3 ways, and each person would pay a share.  I wouldn't factor in you having to give up some of your space.  Having your girlfriend there isn't really an encumbrance for you.  It may be for your roommate.  This is where you have a discussion with your roommate about her living there.

But maybe I'm missing something.

Icarus

You could consider the bedrooms representing 1/4 of the rent each and the common areas as 1/2. Now because you are both sharing a bedroom you and your girlfriend pay that 1/4 together, while the other roommate pays the 1/4 for his room. Now the 1/2 should be split 3 ways because 3 of you will be using it equally. That gives you and your girlfriend paying 7/12 and the new roommate paying 5/12 of the rent. That's 557 to you and 398 to your new roommate.

WantingSoul

A landlord doesn't change the rent on an apartment if you rent it on your own, have a spouse/significant other or a family.  They rent the space.  You and your roommate are splitting that rented space evenly (i.e. one bedroom each and shared living space).  What you do with your half is your business a he, his.

Does your roommate have a problem paying half the rent for half the space?
want·ing (adjective)   \ˈwän-tiÅ‹\
1 : not present or in evidence : absent

My wife says my kisses taste like sin.

Quote from: the_antithesisNow if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wipe my ass with four rocks. Fuck allah and his stupid rules.

SilentFutility

Utilities should definitely be 1/3 each as you are all contributing to their usage.

As for rent I'd probably say that you pay per room, as you would if the apartment was legally multi-occupancy rather than one whole residence with one figure for rent. You and your gf would then split your room. Make sure he's okay with your gf living there though, and obviously she has to contribute to cleaning and other household tasks equally as well.

SGOS

I don't see this a pure mathematical problem.  Your roommate is giving up a large portion of his privacy, whereas you are not.  I think it will be a bigger burden on your roommate, and I don't know how you can assign a mathematical value to that, but I would be reluctant to reduce the problem to one of pure numbers.  If you have any doubts about what is fair, I would give the financial benefit of the doubt to your roommate.

If I were in your situation, it would just make me feel better about myself, and I would never make my roommate feel like I had done him some kind of favor.  In the end, I would call an agreement fair, if both of you agree that it's fair.

SilentFutility

Quote from: "SGOS"I don't see this a pure mathematical problem.  Your roommate is giving up a large portion of his privacy, whereas you are not.  I think it will be a bigger burden on your roommate, and I don't know how you can assign a mathematical value to that, but I would be reluctant to reduce the problem to one of pure numbers.  If you have any doubts about what is fair, I would give the financial benefit of the doubt to your roommate.

If I were in your situation, it would just make me feel better about myself, and I would never make my roommate feel like I had done him some kind of favor.  In the end, I would call an agreement fair, if both of you agree that it's fair.
This as well.

What does your roomate deem to be fair?

Icarus

Quote from: "SGOS"I don't see this a pure mathematical problem.

But, but.... Math! :P

Mermaid

Quote from: "PopeyesPappy"Kill the roommate. Eat the evidence. Keep the place for yourselves.
This.
A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities â€" all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. -TR