Do you think paying per sq foot of your occupied area is a good way to split up the rent?

[VIVANT]

I may be leading a larger apartment with the i trbtion of turning the living room into a studio and renting the rest.

I’m not interested in the use of a kitchen or cooking area as cooking is not something I want to invest my limited free time in doing. I just want one large room, and of course, we share the shower.

The only people I would make this arrangement with are people who are ok with it, so I’m not asking if you think the space arrangement is a bad idea, only about how to split the rent 🙂

I pay the first month last month & security deposit bc I’m leasing it. After that It would come out to approximately my paying slightly under half the rent (I have to get an exact measurement) The kitchen plus the smaller bedroom & master bedroom come to over half the apartment but the living room is very large.

What do you think?

Internet pic

Fair or good plan

Unfair or Bad plan

Other

Updates

1 y

For those of you who are curious how this might work. The living room is on the north end with a door leading outside.

VERY long hallway.

The shower is in the middle.

The other bedrooms and the kitchen are all far south.

Then there is a door that leads out onto a balcony with stairs going out to the street.

We could easily manage completely separate living areas. Two people can use two bedrooms or use small bedroom as a bedroom and master as a living room, or 1 person can rent 😊

Updates

1 y

Anyone concerned about subletting, I do not really care about the lease. I was trying to keep it simple and I thought people would like not having to worry about down payment etc.

If we are all on the lease then it’s only matter of how we are splitting the space. Everyone pays for utilities then there is the spec we use and that’s what I am splitting. The space. Which is normal the abnormal thing is I’m splitting it in half not just room plus shared space. I didn’t want shared space.

[WindAtMyBack]

It's a starting point to come up with a price, but there are other ways to do it. You need to compare to the gong rate, then adjust for the unusual arrangement. I don't even know if that arrangement will increase or decrease the value.

What I do know is that psychologically a person won't like paying more than half the rent for what they may see as a room rent. The kitchen is usually part of the deal, so that has no value. The common living room is also usually part of the deal. If the living room is your private area, it might create an awkward situation and decrease the value.

Bottom line is that it depends on the person and what alternatives are available to them. This is not a normal situation so it's hard know how people will react.

[VIVANT]

It’s true it’s unusual, but I’m just trying to dirt out if it’s fair…They basically are renting half the apartment. If they don’t like it they wouldn’t be applying for the position. You make a good pint that kitchen is always included and living room but I won’t have use of the kitchen which means less traffic for them. Tho good point my not having a bedroom doesn’t really impact them not getting a living room. However they are paying less than they would bc I’m taking up half the rent of the place. If it was two people renting two bedrooms, it would be double the price.

[WindAtMyBack]

If you go by square footage, what does that come to as a percent of the total rent?

[VIVANT]

Gonna go calculate one moment ☝🏼

[VIVANT]

Including their balcony which is on the other end, so I wouldn’t be using it, it’s slightly over 50% 53 % to be exact

[WindAtMyBack]

OK that's not bad. If it was a much higher percent it might be a good idea to tell them the total rent ahead of time. Even if someone agree with the price, some people have weird expectation and might freak if it's a lot more than half the rent.

Why not just go with half the total and not worry about the change? It's easy and won't cause any problems.

What you DO want to do though is make it clear that it's not an apartment share.

[Jamie05rhs]

I remember when you were considering doing this last time (about 2 or 3 years ago). But I don't think it ever actually happened?

But yeah, it's still a decent idea. As long as you get the right person. I now know from experience to ALWAYS do EXTREME due diligence on finding out about potential roommates.

Also, one thing I would definitely advise would be to find the roommate FIRST, and THEN lease the apartment. Don't do it the other way around, because you might get burnt badly. For example, either you get no one and you have to pay the full amount, or you're stressed out about finding someone and you have to rush the process and cut corners (and ignore possible red flags) because you're in a pinch.

But as for the idea itself, I don't see anything wrong with it! :). And I have done it myself! (I took the smaller room, and my roommate took the bigger room -- the suite -- and paid slightly more.)

[Jamie05rhs]

Also, make them pay you for their portion of the security deposit. If they are unwilling to do that, don't give them a key. Tell them to take a hike.

[VIVANT]

Good idea Jamie!

! Yeah it didn’t work out bc I had crazy roommates and I laid everything there was no rent share it was just me lol

and it’s taken me this long to find another apartment with similar lay out. So we’ll see but I def need to vet better 🥵 🙏🏼

[Jamie05rhs]

Thanks!

Aw; dang. :/

👍👍🙏💪

[Jamie05rhs]

@VIVANT You don't let them sublease it, either. You could have any kind of psychos up in there. Tell them if they want to add people then they have to go through you.

[Jamie05rhs]

Thanks for the MHO.

[Justneedtokno]

I think you also have to understand the utilities and everything that goes into the apartment rental insurance

[VIVANT]

That’s extra I’m just referring to space.

[Justneedtokno]

Gotcha no because the other things play a factor

[VIVANT]

I didn’t know what you mean? If you mean the lease — it doesn’t matter to me we can all be on the Lease im just trying to simplify things and I just want one big room. 😊

[Justneedtokno]

No I was referring to the bills lease, water, gas, light, trash, parking, etc play bills a role in sharing the cost of living

[Whatthefluff]

I feel like the basic, least complicated thing to do is split it 50-50 or 33-33-33 or whatever.

[OlderAndWiser]

If you occupy unequal space and pay rent on that basis. . . a large part of the electric bill comes from heating and cooling; should that also be pro rated on the basis of square footage?

[humanearth]

Most lease agreements have a sub leasing clause.

So technicality your sub leasing, which volatiles your original lease. You could be taken court and you would be liable for all court cost.

Before you do this, fully read the fine print of your lease.

Don't want to see you in court on a technicality

[VIVANT]

Well we can all go on the lease then and split the rent it’s really all the same just about spacing 😊

[humanearth]

Now that can work

[VIVANT]

😊😊

[Philyouup]

Miss Viv, as always, you have put thought into what you want. i am sure you could find flat mates that would work out an arraignment such as the one you put forth. but traditionally kitchens are shared by all. including the fridge. and if everyone uses the living room , even if so do more than others, figuring out the equity will be a challenge , i think. But again i am sure you will find someone

[VIVANT]

No they wouldn’t use the living room & I would not use the kitchen. That way it is is easy to split the rent strictly based on separate spaces 🙂

The way the apartment is set up, it’s literally half & half even two separate doors. If we wanted we could avoid seeing each other entirely Lol

[Philyouup]

no fridge use? no
getting some chilled water or access to the kettle for tea?

[TonyMetal___86]

Voted c cause it depends on your compromise with your roomate and if you both reach an agreement than both will be happy and live peacefully 😊

Personally i don't know much about such stuff because i'm lucky to own my house and the only person who will share it with me in the future will be my future housewife 😄, it's not technically sharing cause i consider what's mine will be for my future wife too...

The only place where there will be borders skyscrapper girl is my bed cause for sure the bigger area will be mine 😜

[Sevenpointfive]

it is but you have to subtract shared space which is not a big difference in the end. sometimes it is and it's worth it for the person with a small space

[VIVANT]

I omitted the duster space preemptively 😊

[Sevenpointfive]

then yes i do think it is a good way to split the rent

[RealMarek]

Does rent cover utilities, or are they separate?

[VIVANT]

Separate 😊

[RealMarek]

In that case a division by square footage seems reasonable. You could even weight the rooms by comfortability and how much each person will use them, but that is a lot of work.

[RealMarek]

But there is also the consideration of market forces. If people can rent a room with kitchen access for less than the sq ft approach calculation yields, then you might need to account for the more competitive “going” rate.

[joeldalton]

No. You split the rent equally. Quit being cheap and nit picky. It doesn’t do well for interpersonal relationships.

[VIVANT]

If we split it evenly I’d be paying less. I’m trying to be fair.

[joeldalton]

It’s literally impossible to split something ‘evenly’ and someone pays a different amount.

[AngelOfLight258]

I'm not a fan tbh. I don't like to keep track of how often I do or don't use part of a unit.

[VIVANT]

There’s no keeping g track. I’d be cutting g off the living room. Has a door to outside. They get the stud other end with the balcony and a diff door. splitting it in half like two separate appart.

[AngelOfLight258]

Well if you want to divy it up that way go for it but I wouldn't want to be in that living situation in the first place.

[lightbulb27]

Got structured unless the space is clearly divided. I’d put a price on it and be clear about what they have access to and responsible for.

[pizzalovershouse]

Do back ground check besides you put out a orie that works for you but sense your leasing they have to be added to lease an cleared by owner not less you had a agreement already in place with owner

[AviatorTom]

If you both have access to teh common areas, splitting the rent and utilities 50-50 is teh best way to go, results in the least amount of arguments.

[RavVid]

If you were German you would do it exactly on that basis, nothing else would be acceptable.

[Astarlessnightsky]

I don't know any other method how to split rent.

[VIVANT]

Fair point lol I guess bc it’s an unusual arrangement in that I’m splitting the sort meant down the middle.

[Alex8736]

That would be something a tax assessor can answer because prior to renovation you would need a permit from your City/ town where the way they do the property tax is the amount of square footage owned

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Fair or good plan, just make sure you have enough room.

[msc545]

This is terrible. Are you going to build a fence in the middle of the apartment too? Just split the rent and be done with it.

[Jennz6]

I suppose, I don’t pay rent

[VIVANT]

Maybe one day 💜🙂

[Jennz6]

@VIVANT xx

[Anonymous]

Not to me. I think with MOST people that'd be a recipe for an argument down the road.

[WhitneySnow]

That sounds like a good idea to me

[KrakenAttackin]

Sounds a little OCD.