Splitting the rent

September 9, 2007 3:54 PM

Splitting the rent evenly even though the situation isn't even?

I moved into an apartment as a roommate to someone who was living there for a month already. We are splitting the rent evenly, but she has the master bedroom with a bath and large closet connected. I have a much smaller room and bathroom in the hall. I only found out recently that it is common for the person in the master bedroom to pay a little more than the other person. I don’t know how much more money is determined though.

I would like to bring it up to her but I don’t know if have a right since I never brought it up before signing the lease with her. The lease is 6 months so maybe I could ask after 3 months if I can have the master bedroom for the last half of the lease? Or is it too late since we didn’t work it out in the beginning?

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (25 answers total)

This all should have been worked out before you signed the lease. Maybe she'll say "yeah, you can swap at the end" but she has no obligation to do so.
posted by k8t at 4:02 PM on September 9, 2007

switching bedrooms would be a pain. if you're prepared to move in 6 months, it's worth bringing it up--the worst that happens is that she says no and you move out in 6 months. or find someone willing to take over your lease, and move sooner. or suck it up. depends on how much it's worth you more than anything else--if it seems terribly unfair, you might prefer to be elsewhere.
posted by thinkingwoman at 4:03 PM on September 9, 2007

Couldn't hurt to ask, but if you've signed something already, she's perfectly within her rights to demand that you pay as you agreed to paid and that you stay in the room you agreed to stay in. Perhaps she would be willing to renegotiate at the end of the lease, especially if you're ready to move otherwise.
posted by mr_roboto at 4:04 PM on September 9, 2007

One way I've seen people figure how to split rent was by figuring out how many square feet of non-shared space each person had for their very own and apportioning rent accordingly.
posted by bloggerwench at 4:04 PM on September 9, 2007

It's never too late to ask, just be okay with the idea that the answer might be no! I've been in both situations, where the person with the bigger room paid more, and where we paid equally. Most of the time I like to flip a coin for the bigger room, since my roommates are usually in the same financial shape I am in.
posted by tejolote at 4:04 PM on September 9, 2007

Talk to her about it. Although she can say "too bad", she might just be nice enough to either switch rooms, or pay a little extra every month, but I know I wouldn't.
posted by lain at 4:08 PM on September 9, 2007

I only found out recently that it is common for the person in the master bedroom to pay a little more than the other person.

Eh. It's never been common among any roommate situations I've been in. My current roommate has a much bigger room (and a walk-in closet), but we pay the same amount. I don't think it's really much of an inequity, because she paid for the initial TiVo setup, she handles all the bills (so I don't have to deal with the hassle), and we use her microwave. So the trade-off is fiine for me. Maybe there's someone about your situation that could allow you to see it as a fair trade-off for you, too?
posted by scody at 4:16 PM on September 9, 2007

A good way to determine the rent difference in a situation like this is for one person to decide the split (say 55/45) and then the other person gets to pick which room they want. Although it's going to be pretty tough to convince your roommate after you've already agreed to the situation as it is.
posted by Durin's Bane at 4:17 PM on September 9, 2007

You signed a lease with her for the room you got. Why would she then give you her room? Sorry, I think you're SOL.

But if you're sharing the apartment and things like utilities, you might make a case that she should contribute a bit more since she is using more resources. As you've laid it out, it just sounds like you are changing terms of your agreement.
posted by kamelhoecker at 4:21 PM on September 9, 2007

Based on the information, I will side somewhat with the first renter. You agreed on your room and your bath at the price requested when you agreed to move in. Now, because you found out how much she is paying, you feel cheated.

But have you pro-rated the time it took her to find the place, rent the place, advertise for roomates, set up utilities, etc, etc?

To keep the peace, I think you need to understand that her deal is her deal, and your deal is your deal.
posted by Anisoptera at 4:32 PM on September 9, 2007

you might make a case that she should contribute a bit more since she is using more resources.

Not really. Having extra square footage in her bedroom has nothing to do with how much gas/water/electricity she uses.
posted by scody at 4:38 PM on September 9, 2007

When I had the fabulous master bedroom with bath and walk-in closet, I paid more, but that was the deal upfront. Like others have said, if you signed the lease, there's really not much you can do. Is there anything besides money that might make things more equitable? Better parking space maybe? Household duties?

Ask for a different split of the rent when your lease is up, and be prepared to move if your roomie doesn't agree.
posted by clh at 4:39 PM on September 9, 2007

Too late. Sorry. Basically, she offered a specific room at a specific price, and you agreed. It you hadn't agreed, she might have accomodated you, but likely would have have have looked around to find someone else who would rent under the original conditions, rather than swap rooms or lower the price.

It may not be that common to have different rents based on room size. In my experience, the first person to move in tends to get the best room.
posted by emd3737 at 4:52 PM on September 9, 2007

Is a shot at having the bigger room for 3 months worth the acrimony that could possibly crop up regardless of your roommate's response, or the hassle of swapping if she consented? You should have sorted this out before you signed on. If you're both planning on renewing your leases after six months, I wouldn't bother even bringing up the roomswap, just the adjusted rent.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 5:06 PM on September 9, 2007

Splitting the rent by square-footage is extremely common... when everyone moves in at the same time. When you're filling a spot left by someone else, that negotiation needs to go on at the beginning before you sign anything.
posted by toomuchpete at 5:06 PM on September 9, 2007

You signed the lease for the room you are in. You were satisfied at that time. To suddenly think she should pay more or let you use that room for 3 months is a bit of a stretch. You are there on a 6 month lease. Just deal with and don't appear to be so petty. It is just to late to try and rewrite your agreement.
posted by JayRwv at 5:19 PM on September 9, 2007

I also think that it's common to split by square-footage, but to arrange that kind of change after the lease begins you have to be on good terms with your roommates. That you're asking here rather than just talking to your roommate about it suggests you're not there (yet?).

One of my roommates recently moved out and, instead of finding someone to fill the empty room, the rest of us arranged a swap where I get a bigger bedroom and they get to split the extra room for a music room. We rebalanced everything starting from the square footage and then tweaking a little bit for amenities, and I think everyone is happy with the new arrangement. But I've lived with these roommates for years, and everyone involved is very fair-minded. Seems like it might create a bad roommate dynamic if it's with someone you don't know very well.
posted by aneel at 5:27 PM on September 9, 2007

i am currently in a crap-tastic roommate situation, so i feel your pain. but i think you're stuck. if you're gonna be there long term, you should definitely try to re-negotiate after the 6 mo are up. good luck...
posted by genmonster at 5:27 PM on September 9, 2007

I dunno...the only time I had a different rent split was when one of my roommates had her own room and my other roommate and I shared. Otherwise, I think it's what everyone else said...you agreed to the terms, you're probably out of luck.
posted by christinetheslp at 5:52 PM on September 9, 2007

When I last had such a situation, we settled on the rooms and relative rent by auction. That was up front though.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 6:10 PM on September 9, 2007

I agree with the above--this is certainly something you should've thought of at the time. And at that time, you'd be perfectly correct in bringing it up. But what kind of relationship do you have with this person? A close friend? The mere fact that you're asking this question tells me the situation is business, and you two are polite but not close. You could always ask, but she might get pissed about this--some people are very sensitive when it comes to money. You'd know best whether or not she'd be willing to cut out some of the rent.

I like the square footage idea--I once lived in a house with a tiny room like yours, which was easily half the size of the biggest bedroom, but the rent for that room had been settled long before as a fraction of the others.
posted by zardoz at 7:08 PM on September 9, 2007

When in this situation, my roommate and I split the rent evenly, but negotiated handshake trades for non-monetary things. For example, he took the smaller bedroom and in return got the better parking space.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:28 PM on September 9, 2007

Put this one down to education. Next time, negotiate before you sign.
posted by flabdablet at 4:17 AM on September 10, 2007

Plus, it sounds like you've got the hall bathroom pretty much to yourself. Having your own bathroom in a share house is a rare and beautiful thing.
posted by flabdablet at 4:19 AM on September 10, 2007

Too late to change anything, sorry. It doesn't totally matter what's "common." What matters is what you two have worked out. In my old place, we paid based on room size - but we all signed on at the same time. I've had friends with apartments where it was an even split for different room sizes - usually the person with the bigger room was there first, as in your case, almost like a "finders fee."

With all due respect, I'd laugh in your face if you asked me to switch rooms with you. It's her room now. If you are unhappy you can either attempt to re-renegotiate the rent at the end of the six months, or leave at that point.
posted by ml98tu at 7:30 PM on September 10, 2007