Perhaps these “rules” are regional, and of course “fair” could mean many different things. That being said, I’ve come across two basic beliefs about this subject.
If you rent a place and decide to sublet a room you can charge whatever you want.
If you rent a place and decide to sublet you should split everything equally.
I have experienced various degrees of these mindsets, and am about to impose my own. What do you think?
(I know there are many legal considerations…but let’s say the landlord is accepting of whatever pays the rent…)
That’s the capitalistic model. From an ethical/moral standpoint, that’s bad. From a rational standpoint, if you charge too much, you might have trouble finding a roomie; too little, and you might bear too much.
That’s dumb. If you want to be fair - which would be the right ethical/moral decision - you take the total rent and total square meters area, divide to get $ per sqm, then multiply by the area your roomie gets (or apply the percentage of roomie are/total area to the rent). Similar for the additional costs - water, electricity etc. - apply the percentage. If there are communal areas like the kitchen which you both use equally, factor them in with 50%, otherwise, with how much each of you uses them.
By using real costs and applying the real percentage, not some arbitrary figures, you ensure fairness for both sides - you don’t screw your roomie with too high costs (if he only has 40% of the space, why should he pay half of the costs?), and you don’t get screwed because the roomie pays not enough of his share (if he has the heating turned up way more than you do, then factor that in.)
It might be a bit more hassle than a rule of thumb of splitting in half, but it’s much more accountable and verifable for everybody. (Thus you can avoid not only arguments because one side *feels * screwed, you can also show future roomies that you aren’t charging above the market price, only real costs.)
Constanze has a valid argument, but it overlooks the fact that the original tenant is taking on a larger share of the risks and responsibilities.
If the lease and utilities are all in the name of the primary tenant, he will be on the hook for the full amount if the sub-tenant suddenly decides to take off in the middle of the night, which happens with considerable frequency in these situations.
In my opinion, the sub-tenant should pay slightly more than half of the total amount to offset this risk.
Wow! Is this a common problem in your area??? I hadn’t considered this, maybe because here, mostly students are looking for a shared flat. I guess it might be possible to demand a safety payment upfront (like when renting the appartment in the first place, the primary tenant has to do); but if there’s this low a level of trust, I wouldn’t want a roomie at all - he could do all kinds of bad things behind my back, steal my stuff etc.
Of course, there are a few rotten people out there, but if there’s no trust at all, it’s hard to make things work.
What we do is divide the apartment up by square feet and figure out a basic rate. Then, we charge more or less depending on each person’s conditions. In our apartment, we rent out the living room as a bedroom. Although the living room is 12 x 12 and the small bedroom was 10x11, we asked for $400 for the living room and $650 for the small bedroom because of the lack of a 4th wall and door for the living room. We had a girl ask if she could share the living room with a friend. Since we only wanted one person in the living, we asked for $500 for it which she agreed to do. Although those two people would be sharing the same living space, the addition of a 5th person would mean less fridge/pantry space and more personalities to get along with. Before I posted ads with those rates, I looked around to see what other peope were paying in the same area. I found people that were asking for $475 to share a bedroom. I figured $500 for a living room that was larger than most bedrooms in this area was a reasonable deal and so did the people who were delighted to find a place so inexpensive.
I have the best deal of anyone in the apartment (imo anyway). I’m sharing a master bedroom with a private bath with a girl who is only here 2 nights a week. I pay $345 which is a steal in this area. However, I’m the roommate responsible for the rent, all the bills, finding new roommates, and making sure everything runs smoothly. I’ve been stuck with bills from past roommates who ran up large phone bills and then disappeared. Now, I ask for a security deposit and give it back to them when they move out after I minus the bills from the last month they’ve stayed. I also use the security deposit to cover any rent if they should suddenly decide to move out before their lease ends. $500 is usually enough to cover the bills and the rent until we find a new roommate.
I am well outside of college age these days but yes that type of thing is and was common. These aren’t people from sleaze-bag circumstances. Harvard students screw each over all the time as well. I have dealt with it on my own, seen it countless times, and just talked to an older coworker about that sort of thing because her daughter was just caught up in such a mess. I find it hard to believe it doesn’t happen where you are. It seems to be a product of age, maturity, and newfound freedom. Some people go a little nutty. Just ask my friends in college who had a roommate packed up not only his stuff but a lot of theirs as well and vanished into the night for good.
It depends on what kind of rights a person would have (if you want to be fair, that is). Do they have kitchen and laundry privileges? Can they invite friends over for a BBQ? Do they get a space in the garage? Household chores outside their private living space? Their own bathroom or community facilities? My BIL (who’s almost 50) has had a roommate for over a decade. I think they split everything 50/50, but when he rented out the third bedroom, I believe he was charging $400/mo. I thought it was a ripoff, but he found a taker.
You might want to make sure whether subletting is allowed in your lease agreement. It’s specifically forbidden in the leases my tenants sign. If I catch anyone subletting in my apartments, they’re gone by the next month. In my book, if you can’t pay all the rent by yourself, then you shouldn’t be the only name on the lease.
That’s just my POV. Plenty of landlords welcome subletting. But you should be aware of what’s in the lease agreement before cutting up the apartment.
This is mainly a northern thing right? Because I’ve never heard of anyone doing that down here.
Anyway, for me it’s a non issue. I hate living by myself so I pretty much try to stay with a roomie if possible. And the only people I’d room with are people I’m already (close) friends with.
So since they’re my friends I wouldn’t dream of making a profit off of them. Just split the cost down the middle if I’m in an apartment. If I’m in my house I used to charge $300 a month all bills paid (including cable). Which is a freaking bargain!!
You should check with the city about subletting, and maximum occupancy. There’s a landlord in my City facing major shit over a fire that killed two people living (illegally) in his basement.