Cousin's daughter has ended up with the box room at her university shared house

Well I'm afraid I think that she should either pay less rent or have a larger room. The others are digging their heels in. Well they would do wouldn't they. Because they don't want to pay more or take turns with the smaller room. I don't agree that this is part and parcel of student life. Most people sharing realise that fair play all round is the way to go. Not every person for themselves and hang everyone else. She should speak to the landlord and/or seek new accommodation.

What a lot of fuss over nothing. It's a room with a bed, a wardrobe and a desk and access to the communal facilities. She had seen the room and committed to share the rent equally.

There is too much fun to be had in the first year of uni to squander it with a lot of bad blood over trivia.

I think that this is part and parcel of student life. In most student houses there is a small room. Some pay less, some don't. In our house (20 years ago) we drew straws and whoever got the small room just had to suck it up.

The main thing is that she agreed to the room and the rent when they took the lease and now she wants to change that. I can imagine her house mates are pissed off as they will have budgeted for their rent. If she didn't want a small room she should have spoken up before they signed the lease.

I think she should start telling them that she will be looking for another room in another house, as she hadnt realised how miserable she would be living in such a cramped space, and for the same money she could have a nice big room in another house....plus as she is going to be paying a fortune to heat their rooms, she feels she cannot possibly stay and be miserable all year....

Then if they continue to be unfeeling and tight fisted, she should look for other rooms, assuming of course her rental agreement has a get out clause.

LonnyVonny I remember my rent was £32 per week including bills, there was no central heating , it was freezing. Horrible place!

I had the largest room at university so had to pay more. I didn't want it, but others had a stronger opinion on not having it. So I had to pay more though I would have been happy in and paying for the smallest room. No way of making any of it fair.

gunz it worked like that back in nineteencanteen too .

I had one 'per room' tenancy with a social housing landlord in my time, but the rest were on a joint lease. And the per room situation felt a lot more transient - if you are all liable for each other's rent then you take more of an interest in your flat mates.

we drew straws at the beginning of every year. I got the box room in the final year. It incorporated part of the landing to allow for a clothing rail and that is the only way it was doable. Bloody annoying as I was the only one with a boyfriend, but fair.

Can she negotiate less cleaning duties?

If she uses a portable clothes rack to hang her cloths might she be able to keep it on the landing (as long as it doesn't get in the way and she trusts her flatmates not to nick her stuff

I think, as everyone has already worked out what they'll be paying it would be unfair at this stage to ask people to change their rental amounts because she has now realised the room is less suitable than she thought.

However there are other non-financial compromises people could come to...she gets more of a say in communal things like TV and has to do less communal things like cleaning? First dibs on the shower of a morning?

FWIW I had a "head tenancy" one year through the uni which meant I paid my rent to the uni and the uni was technically my landlord but I was living in a private house. Those rooms were charged by size.

This brings back memories - I took a year out between 2nd and 3rd year, and relied on friends to organise the house. There were 3 double rooms with built-in cupboards and double beds, and an unfurnished boxroom. Guess which one I got? OK, it was nice of my friends to organise it, but I had to do my homework in the living room (or the library) and sleep on a mattress on the floor, in a room literally 1/3 of the size of the others, but pay the same rent .

Weirdly, two of my flatmates also stopped talking to me half way through the year, and I never found out why. Very odd.

I think being able to store her possessions in communal areas is a good idea.

In my day, circa 1980s, it was first come first served on moving in day.

In our student house in the second year the smallest room had a massive wardrobe which exaserbated the problem. We shifted it to the cellar and aquired some slim shelving and a set of drawers that doubled as a bedside table that the lad used instead, we also put one of those portable hanging rails on the landing for overspill of clothes.

Any chance she could shift the wardrobe to the landing?

I preferred the box room. Much warmer! Massive attic room in next house freezing cold or stifling hot.

Could she put her wardrobe in the corridor or living room?

Lonnyvonny Thanks for the explanation. Is this how student accommodation works now? certainly was rented by room in my time
1900
Well it still doesn't change anything, it was a bit silly of them all to agree to pay equal rent when one room was tiny, but she agreed to it. I see what OP is referring to now as the 'moral' thing, yes if they were nicer i suppose they would reduce her rent, but not many people would to be honest not even OP's niece.

I've three DC at Uni and whenever there has been a box room there has been a reduction in rent for that student. It's fair. However, I think, it's too late for your cousins DD to do anything now.

Perhaps she can store some of her possessions in the communal areas.

So she basically agreed to the box room so she could live with her friends?

It is harsh lesson learned.

The friends do sound very unyielding.

Delighted. Not slighted.

I bet the others are slighted they don't have to live in the box room and pay the same rent. Part of me suspects that any one of them would feel very differently if they were in it.