I thought it was the other way round first time I read it. The OP and BF paying 40% to 30% each for the other two might work, if they were agreeable. It makes no sense for the couple to pay more than half the rent.
But once, again, it’s whatever everyone can agree to, if no other agreement can be made, a 4 way split is the way to do it.
I’m going against the grain here. Sharing a room is not as pleasant as having a room for yourself and people sharing a room should not have to pay the same as people who have the luxury of their own personal space. That said, he also has an impact on the common space, and your rent should reflect that.
What I’ve seen is people typically tack on an added $100-$200 for a shared room- enough that everyone gets a nice little discount.
But sharing a room with someone you’re having sex with is enormously more enjoyable than sharing a room with someone you’re not.
That’s a sensible approach. But there was an existing agreement between three roommates, and one of them doesn’t get to dictate a change in those terms. One option is that the other two elect not to allow the BF to move in at all.
But it’s even more fun share two rooms with someone you are having sex with. Think about how much nicer it is to have two closets, the option to have a private living room space, places to be quiet and loud, together and alone, etc. Not to mention the risk mitigation having an extra bedroom brings if something goes wrong in the relationship.
Two bedrooms is better than one, and two people sharing one bedroom should not pay the same as two people sharing two bedrooms.
So everybody has to put up with a fourth roommate but only you see any financial benefit?
Nu huh, not how it goes. Everybody shares any financial benefit from taking in a fourth roommate. Everything gets split four ways.
(How noisy they are, how late they stay up, what substance they recreate with, are all really not the issue, leave that out of any discussion, so as not to sound childish and petty!)
Tripolar nailed it though, ultimately, if you want to move in a boyfriend, you’ll have to agree to their terms or find another living arrangement, for him, or you or both.
I agree.
Everything should be split 4 ways.
Split 4 ways.
Why have him officially move in?
I disagree. I think the other roommates will see plenty of financial benefit just from splitting the utilities four ways.
I mean, think about it. The utilities include a lot of fixed costs, like TV and Internet, which costs the same no matter how many people are using it. The heating or cooling bill only depends on the volume of the area you are trying to heat or cool, not the number of people living in it. Your power bill accounts for electrical devices, like the refrigerator, which stay on all the time.
So, adding a fourth person would not raise the utilities even close to 33%. By splitting the utilities in four, the boyfriend is helping shoulder the burden for many expenses that the other roommates would otherwise be paying for themselves.
To put some numbers on things, when I left my one-bedroom apartment over the summer a couple of years ago, the electric bill only dropped by something like $5 out of a $30-$40 total bill, compared to the months when I was living there.
You have to share your common areas with one extra person, but you also get to split the chores which pertain to the common area with another person, too. This includes things like cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the floor, and taking out the trash.
You also have one additional person who can stay home in case a maintenance person needs to come over. This eases the burden on everyone’s schedules.
Now, how you balance the cost/benefit analysis is up to you and your roommates. But, I don’t think it’s so indisputable that the only way for everyone to see a financial benefit is for everything to be split four ways instead of three ways.
Personally, I don’t think it’s fair for a couple sharing a single bedroom to collectively shoulder as much of the burden as two people living in two separate bedrooms.
If you are already paying an extra 100 bucks a month then splitting rent 4 ways is fair, since you no longer have to pay the $100 premium for the bigger room - if they still insisted on you paying extra I don’t think it would be fair. The amount you are saving by adding an extra person to the whole house equation gets spread out.
For argument’s sake let’s say the place is 2400 a month. That means now you are paying $900 and your roommates are paying $750 a piece. In the new set up you’d each be paying $600. One way to look at it is that you are paying an extra $300 a month for the extra person to live in the house.
As far as the noise complaints goes. That has nothing to do with this situation. If you have a problem with that you need to talk to them about it. Even if you are forced to wear
I agree that both master suite occupants should not pay more than one share for the privilege, depending on how big the master suite is.
One objective way to do this would be to calculate the square foot difference between the regular bedrooms and the master suite, and call that $100. Then, calculate how many square feet of private space each person will get under the new arrangements, and divy it up from there.
It would be really easy if the master suite is 200 sf and each of the other bedrooms are 100 sf, that way everyone has 100 sf of private space, so in that case the rent should be split completely equally per person. Other cases would require more math.
This seems fair to me, too - at least without knowing more about those involved, esp the comfort level of the two that don’t have their boyfriend living there.
If it is split 4 ways evenly, then the boyfriend and girlfriend sure are getting a great deal. All four roommates in this scenario are not equals - the shared inconveniences and privacy luxuries are not proportional. Putting gender issues aside, since we cannot assume correctly that there would be any, we do know that two are to be sharing an apartment with two that are in a relationship. I don’t know what that is but it sure ain’t equal, not as far as sharing a living space is concerned.
On the other hand if all 4 people involved are comfortable enough with each other, privacy compromises, etc, then splitting it 4 ways should be fair enough.
Have you plugged your numbers into Splitwise, the Rent Calculator? It’s a neat little program, based on lots of questionnaires about what people value in apartments. And it’s third party, so your roommates might find it more acceptable than an argument coming from you.
For example, using no other “perks” except a one notch larger bedroom with a half bath attached, it suggests three people split a $1000 rent as follows:
Room #1 $380.12
Room #2 $309.94
Room #3 $309.94
If that room is shared by two people, it suggests:
Room #1 $463.45 ($231.73/person)
Room #2 $268.27
Room #3 $268.27
Go check it out. You can also input relative closet size and windows, sound isolation and “awkward layout”.
“Adults” being a loosely defined term in this situation.
A word of advice for future roomates. You really want to make sure you have a similar lifestyle, schedule and attitude about drug and alchohol use.
I do think it’s a bit weird that your boyfriend wants to move in with you and two drunk chicks.
This will end badly regardless.
You are better off getting a new apartment with the BF, then breaking the current lease.
…
That’s exactly how it’s going to go, isn’t it?
I think I saw this episode of “Judge Judy” - no, wait, this is every episode of “Judge Judy.”
OP, you’re pointing a lot of fingers at your roommates, but you don’t sound like a great roommate, either. You all sound terribly young and immature. The best solution sounds like you finding someone to take over your room and your share of the lease, and getting a different apartment with your boyfriend.
Split 4 ways but no premium paid for you having a bigger bedroom. They each get their own space and you have to share.