Renting with flatmates is cheaper, and often nicer too. But a shared flat means shared money, and most arguments aren't about the dishes. They're about the bills. Sort out the money at the start and you'll save yourselves a lot of hassle.
One contract or several?
There are two typical setups:
- One joint contract with everyone. Everyone signs, and often you are all jointly liable for the full rent. If one flatmate doesn't pay, the landlord can claim it from the rest of you.
- A separate contract per room. Each person is only responsible for their own room. This is the cleaner option, but not every landlord offers it.
Read carefully which type you are signing. For the landlord's side of this, see our article on renting out by the room.
Who pays whom?
The simplest way: one person transfers the rent to the landlord, and the others pay that person, on the same day every month. It takes a bit of trust. With separate contracts per room, everyone pays the landlord directly.
Splitting the costs
Not every room is the same. Three common methods:
- Equally: simple, if the rooms are similar.
- By room size: fairer if the difference is big.
- By agreement: for example, whoever gets the room with the balcony pays more.
Utilities raise the same question. Heating and water are usually split equally, but if someone works from home all day, it's worth bringing that up too. How utility billing works is explained in this article.
Write an internal agreement
It doesn't have to be official. A shared document is enough, covering:
- who pays how much, and when,
- how you split the utilities,
- who owns which part of the deposit,
- what happens if someone moves out.
If someone moves out
This is the trickiest part. If someone leaves a joint contract, the landlord has to agree, and often a new contract or an amendment is needed. Who finds a new flatmate? Who pays their share until someone replaces them? What happens to their part of the deposit? Talk this through in advance.
The deposit
If there is one deposit, write down who put in how much. When you move out, the landlord usually returns it to the whole group, not to each person separately. The steps for getting it back are in this article.
FAQ
Am I liable for my flatmate's debt?
With a joint contract, often yes. That's why you need to know who paid what, and when.
Can my flatmate bring in someone new when they leave?
Only with the landlord's consent. The landlord has to accept the new flatmate too.
What if we don't get along?
The notice rules in your contract apply. Before that, try a calm conversation.
Rentkey
With room-by-room rentals in Rentkey, each flatmate sees their own payments and their share of the shared bills. They can also report problems in the shared areas, so nobody has to chase everything in separate messages.
