How to Split Rent Fairly With Roommates

There is no single fair formula: you can split rent equally, by the size and features of each bedroom, or in proportion to each person's income, and any of these works if everyone agrees to it in writing. That agreement binds only the roommates: on a joint lease, each tenant is usually responsible for the full rent, so if one person pays short, the landlord can collect the rest from any of you.

Which split method fits your household?

You can combine methods, for example a room-size split plus a $50 charge for the only parking space. Whatever you choose, use the same method for every roommate and write down the inputs (square footage, dollar values for features, or incomes) so anyone can check the math.

How the math works

The examples use a three-bedroom apartment that rents for $3,300 a month and measures 1,200 square feet.

Equal shares

$3,300 divided by 3 is $1,100 per person. Michigan Legal Help notes that roommates are usually expected to share rent equally unless an agreement says otherwise, so an equal split is the likely assumption if you never write anything down.

By room size

1. Add up the bedrooms. Alex's room is 200 square feet, Blake's is 150, and Casey's is 130, for a total of 480.
2. Find the shared space: 1,200 minus 480 is 720 square feet. Each person gets one third, or 240 square feet.
3. Add each bedroom to that 240 and multiply by the rent per square foot ($3,300 divided by 1,200 is $2.75).

By features

Suppose the bedrooms are similar, but Alex's room has a private bathroom and Blake gets the one parking space included in the rent. The three agree the bathroom is worth $100 a month and the parking space $50. Subtract the $150 in extras: $3,300 minus $150 is $3,150, or $1,050 each. Alex pays $1,150, Blake pays $1,100, and Casey pays $1,050.

By income

Two partners rent a one-bedroom for $2,500. Jordan earns $90,000 a year and Sam earns $60,000, a total of $150,000. Jordan pays 60% ($1,500) and Sam pays 40% ($1,000). Each is now paying 20% of gross monthly income: $1,500 is 20% of $7,500, and $1,000 is 20% of $5,000. Our guide to how much rent you can afford shows how to check whether a share fits each person's budget.

What the landlord can collect from each roommate

That depends on how the lease is set up:

• Joint lease (one lease every roommate signs): Michigan Legal Help explains that these leases usually make the roommates "jointly and severally liable," which means the landlord can ask any single roommate for all of the rent, even if you agreed that each would pay only a share. TexasLawHelp adds that if one co-tenant does not pay, the others have to make up the difference, and even a partial payment can lead to actions the lease and state law allow, including eviction.
• Individual leases: some buildings rent by the bedroom. TexasLawHelp notes that each tenant is then responsible only for following their own lease, including their own rent.
• One roommate on the lease: the person who signed owes the landlord the full rent, and the other roommate pays that tenant under your own agreement.

New York adds a limit for that last setup. In a rent-stabilized apartment (one under New York's rent regulation system), New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) says the rent a tenant collects from a roommate cannot exceed the roommate's proportionate share; with one roommate, that means no more than half the total rent. A roommate charged more can file an overcharge complaint with HCR's Office of Rent Administration. In a rent-controlled apartment, a roommate cannot be charged more than the legal rent for the apartment.

Our guide to joint leases vs. individual leases compares the two in more detail.

How to set up payments among roommates

1. Write the split down. List each person's dollar amount, the method behind it, and the date shares are due. Our guide to creating a roommate agreement covers what else to put in it.
2. Decide how the rent reaches the landlord. Either one roommate collects the shares and pays the full amount, or each of you pays a share through the landlord's portal if it allows split payments.
3. Pay each other in ways that leave a record. TexasLawHelp says that without a written agreement, emails, bank statements, and canceled checks can prove what each roommate contributed. Avoid cash.
4. Recalculate when the rent changes. Keep the same percentages. If the rent above rises 5% to $3,465, Alex's share rises 5% too, from $1,210 to $1,270.50.
5. Split shared bills by a stated rule. Decide whether utilities and internet follow the rent percentages or an equal split, and write that down too.

If a roommate stops paying their share

If you can, cover the missing share before the landlord's due date, then collect it from your roommate. If they do not pay you back, Michigan Legal Help says you can usually sue them, in small claims court if the amount is under your state's limit. In Texas, that case goes to justice court. Bring your written split and the payment records from step 3. Co-tenants on the same lease cannot evict each other; only the landlord can start an eviction.

Our guide to what to do when a roommate isn't paying rent walks through the options, and our overview of rent payment rules for tenants covers due dates, grace periods, and late fees on the rent itself.