1. Agree the common-space share
Kitchen, living room, hallway and shared bathroom are used by everyone. Most flats put 30% to 50% of the rent here and split it per person. The more time you all spend in shared space, the higher it should be.
Free calculator
Rent split calculator: split rent fairly by room size
Splitting rent evenly works until one room has the en-suite and another is a box room. Enter the rent, room sizes and who has a private bathroom, and get a split everyone can check.
Rent split calculator
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved. Use square feet or square metres, as long as every room uses the same unit.
986.85
738.79
674.36
How it works: the common-space share is split per person, so a couple in one room pays two shares of the kitchen and living room. The rest is split by room size, with a private bathroom counted as 15% more space.
How to split rent fairly, step by step
2. Measure each bedroom
Use the floor plan from the listing or a tape measure. Feet or metres both work, as long as every room uses the same unit.
3. Add the perks
A private bathroom is the big one; the calculator counts it as 15% more space. If a room has a balcony, a walk-in closet or the only parking spot, agree a small extra amount on top and take it off the others.
4. Count couples twice for shared space
Two people in one room use the kitchen and bathroom twice as much. They pay two shares of the common space but one share of their room.
5. Write it down
Put the numbers in a short agreement so nobody re-argues them when the lease renews.
Rent is only half of it. Use the utility split calculator for monthly bills, and the free roommate bill agreement template to put the rules in writing.
Questions
What is the fairest way to split rent with roommates?
Split the common-space part of the rent per person and the bedroom part by room size, with extra weight for a private bathroom. That way the person in the biggest room pays more, but everyone still pays for the kitchen and living room they share.
How much more should the master bedroom pay?
It depends on the size difference. With a 40% common-space share, a master bedroom that is 40% bigger and has its own bathroom typically pays 15% to 25% more than an average room. Run your real numbers in the calculator above.
Should a couple pay double rent?
Not double. A fair middle ground is for the couple to pay two shares of the common space and one share of their bedroom, so they pay more than a single roommate but less than two separate rooms.
Should we split rent evenly instead?
An even split is fine when the rooms are about the same size and nobody has a private bathroom. Once one room is clearly better, an even split tends to cause resentment within a few months.
How do we keep track of rent and bills once we have agreed a split?
Log the rent and every bill in one shared place with who paid and the agreed shares, then settle on a fixed day each month. IPaid does this for free: add a bill, set custom shares once, and everyone sees what they owe.
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