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[merv]

Hey everyone,
this discussion is just in regard to Faye says she's happy because she only has to pay a third of the rent. In personal experience, I find it unfair that couples are expected to pay extra rent for the same space. This is assuming a few things;

• your rent is seperate to your other bills including water and electricity

you do not have "extras" in your room such as a walk in wardrobe or ensuite bathroom. [/li][/list]

If essentially Faye and Martin had the same size bedroom, and their rent is them just splitting the difference and getting a bedroom each then it seems unfair the Dora is expected to pay a third of the rent for essentially, less space. Martin is sharing his space, not giving Dora her own bedroom. 

However, maybe it's compensation money for Dora sounding like a sex pony 

But anyway, what are your thoughts?

[Shadic]

When a few friends, my girlfriend and were all looking at moving in together, we had the same issue. There were two couples out of six people. The end decision is that those who got their own rooms would pay a little bit more. However, we ended up not doing that anyways, so now I'm just living in a one bedroom with the girlfriend. Definitely cheaper than anything else we would have ended up in.

[Random832]

Also consider the fact that Marten and Dora both have jobs.

[merv]

The fact Dora and Martin both have jobs isn't an issue, that would be like me moving in with someone and saying "Well as you earn twice as much as me you should pay twice the rent" that's just ridiculous!

[ink slinger]

The fact Dora and Martin both have jobs isn't an issue, that would be like me moving in with someone and saying "Well as you earn twice as much as me you should pay twice the rent" that's just ridiculous!

Not only is it not the issue, Faye also has a job, so I don't really see what anyone's employment status has to do with anything? If I had a roommate and they lost their job, I'd still expect them to pony up their share of the rent.

[Strike Reyhi]

obviously what Merv means is dora and marten should be splitting his half of the rent not splitting the overall rent into thirds. then again they are all friends so they might want to split it three ways so faye doesn't have to pay as much.

[Akima]

This discussion is just in regard to Faye says she's happy because she only has to pay a third of the rent. In personal experience, I find it unfair that couples are expected to pay extra rent for the same space.

You write as if only bedroom space counted. Dora is also "buying" a share of the common areas such as sitting room, kitchen, bathroom, non-bedroom cupboards, space in the fridge etc. Her presence in a flat previously occupied by two people, also poses an "opportunity cost" on Faye in terms of waiting for the bathroom, availability of hot water, nocturnal sex noises etc. Obviously M,F&D could come up with some complex algorithm, but a three-way split is probably the simplest. And of course, Faye might well be speaking of total flat-related expenses, not just rent (I don't know how residential tenancies usually work in the USA/MA).

Anyway, if she feels hard done by, Dora can always factor it in when Faye's next pay-rise comes around...  

[Penquin47]

If moving in with a couple where one person worked and the other was a housewife/househusband type situation, I'd be happy to cut them a break on the rent on the assumption that the person without a job outside the home was responsible for chores in the common areas of the house.

[kemon]

i think that if people are going to be that uptight about money, then maybe they shouldn't live together.  i shared a two bed apartment with 4 other guys.  we all paid the same even though one guy got a room to himself and another slept on the couch.   the other room was only for sleeping...  or not as the case may have been.  later, i shared another two bed apartment with just two guys and i got the solo room.   i'm still friends with all those guys and it was never an issue.   now, it could have been that way cause we were all such good friends or because we were all drunk/high most of the time and didn't notice.  but i'm sure it was the friend thing.

[Carl-E]

Like Akima says, it's really not all about the square footage! 

[davidv]

We used the following formula for couples back in my crazy roommate days

Rent is split per number of rooms, so a couple would pay 1/2 the rent for both of them
Utilities, since they are consumption based and would go up because of a 3rd person, were split evenly, 3 ways.

It works out quite well.

[raoullefere]

That is what I'd think, too, David. OTOH, if a third of the rent was cheaper for Dora than what she was paying for her apartment, I imagine that's what she'd go for. She's too nice.

[Surgoshan]

Rent should be paid on the basis of how much space you get.  Of course you get the entirety of your room, but you also get half the common space.  When you start sharing a bedroom, your rent goes down because now you only get half the bedroom, but your roommate's rent goes down because instead of having half the common space, party of the second now only has a third the common space.  But it doesn't go down as much because numba two still has his whole bedroom.

Then there's the size of the bedroom and the amount of closet space to consider...

[Binary]

OK, this is getting complicated - I think we're getting to the point where we need Randall Munroe to draw some humorous cost/benefit graphs.

[Carl-E]

Yes!  This is definitely XKCD material.  I have a Ph.D. in mathematics, and it's getting too complicated for me...

Well, actually, I just don't care enough.  I own a house. 

OK, the bank owns it until I pay them off...

but rent just ain't an issue!