Uni flat share costs - know everyone likes a money share up debate

[MissAmbrosia]

Dd has signed a lease for next year where rent costs were 400 per month plus some fixed fees and utilities. A flat with 4 girls - one of whom she knows well. The lead girl, who she doesn't know, has now suggested that they split the rent fee according to room size, and she'll have the smallest room as she is working to pay her rent and it's not her parent's paying....

So she suggested 350 for her, 390 for next biggest, then 420 and 440 for biggest room. I do get the fact that you should maybe pay less for a smaller room but the smallest room is 12m2 so not tiny.

Dd asked my opinion and to be honest, my view is that they will share the communal spaces - 2 bathrooms, living room, kitchen etc. and that 100 euros difference between smallest and biggest room is too much. And that dd would be happy to pay 400 euros for that "small" room as agreed.

Her friend is happy with the 390 room in the eaves. The other 2 rooms seem to be up for discussion.

So in the view of her being an adult and all and having to fight her own battles and not fall out with everyone before September I said I would think about what might be a fair split what would you consider a fair split? I suggested 365, 395, 415, 425 might be a compromise but the bloody minded part of me says - no, we agreed 400 and that's that.

I think this other girl should’ve brought this up before they signed the lease, it’s unfair to suggest it now and expect others to up their budget by so much.

I agree that €100 difference between rent is too much, your suggestion of a closer split would be a good compromise but my first instinct is that it’s too late to debate this now and if the rent is too high this other student shouldn’t have agreed to it.

Also - irrelevant who is paying, because the budget was agreed and she can’t expect others to simply ask their parents to cover more rent than was agreed, she knew her circumstances and shouldn’t have signed up if it was too high.

I think without seeing the actual rooms in person / floor plan / photo it's hard to tell, a room with 12m2 but in the eaves for example has way way less usable space than a 12m2 one on a first floor with normal ceilings.

It's fair imo to split costs differently if the rooms are substantially different, whether or not that actual suggested price is fair is hard to say like I said above without actually knowing more about the rooms. We did this when I was in a shared student house, I think there was about £100pm between the largest and smallest rooms (largest room was a large double room with space for all the furniture imaginable, smallest was a single bed and a desk with one small chest of drawers!) so although they do have access to the same common spaces, it's not just being able to use the main space in the house, it's also what you can actually fit / do in the bedroom too.

Unless the rooms are notably different then no. Ensuite/balcony/big differences.

£400 is what DD signed the lease for. End of.

it's a nasty comment she should be paying less because she's paying it herself, not parents. Like it's ok to fleece the other girls parents.

I think she's going to be a PITA & they need to to put their foot down from the beginning or she'll think she can dictate everything cooking/cleaning/visitors etc.

Your DD is allowed to say she has 400 for her rent. Thats what she agreed to.

This discussion should have happened before they signed the lease.

When I was at uni we all paid the same amount irrespective of room size. We started with everyone identifying their preferred room and if we couldn't agree out came the straws

I did live in one house where one person paid a lot less but it was an actual box room.

I was the box room and I paid the same amount. We all saw and agreed on the house prior so knew someone would be in the small room so knew the deal. She’s trying it on, get DD to stand her ground “400 each is what we agreed, we can draw straws for the rooms if people aren’t happy with their room”

Unless they’ve signed for specific rooms then they’ll usually pay whatever the contract states for that specific room.

Flatshared throughout my 20's and it was very normal to have different rates for different rooms. Why should someone pay the same rate for a smaller room?
Would need to see the floor plan to see what the differences actually are. And as others have said this should have been sorted out before.

A pp makes a good point, in that if room sizes don't matter then they should be happy to draw straws again,
I wonder if suddenly having to pay a little more wouldn't seem such a bad deal.

My experience of this at uni was that the rent was split depending on size of the room.

The different probably was £50-£100 a room. That was over 10 years ago with rents at £450-£550 per person. So I'd say 90 euro difference isn't a hugely unreasonable request. Although it should have been agreed before contracts.

It doesn't matter if the room is still 12m2, if two other people are in rooms that are 14m2 even an extra 2m2 can be the different between having a decent desk in your room or not. Or being able to have friends round in your room.

I would also point out that your DD has to live with these people. So personally at most id try and negotiate to say £50 difference between the smallest and biggest rooms.

That’s fine if agreed in advance, not to agree a rent then try and change it.

In my student house we agreed a small rent reduction (covered by the others) for the disproportionately small box room. £41.25 per week Vs £35pw, when on paper it was £40 each.

However we agreed this in advance, and blind. We drew lots for it. I lost (or won, depending on your perspective).

Add up all the sqm in the bedrooms and workout price of rent per 1 sqm and then times that figure by the room size.

If only one student is not getting any financial help from her parents then I would want my child to empathise with her situation and accommodate her getting the cheapest room.

The other three can then decide who wants what room or put names in a hat.

My DD is having this exact problem at the minute. Her and 5 others signed a house lease back in November and all agreed which rooms they would have and worked out costings - one room is much smaller than the other 5. The lad renting the smallest has now created merry hell saying he is not happy with what he is paying and feels it is not a fair division. They have had lots of problems with him anyway and so it has created more bad feeling, to be honest I have kept out of it and let them sort it. He and one of the girls have swapped rooms and it is all sorted, apparently. I have a feeling though there will be trouble ahead and as a guarantor I am feeling uneasy, I have taken out insurance to cover me as we are all jointly responsible for the rent.

When I was at uni we all paid the same amount irrespective of room size. We drew the rooms out of a hat. The idea was we would switch after a year but it didn't happen and no one minded.

Rent covers kitchen and living room and bathroom as well. The rent budget was agreed upon signing so the other girl is unreasonable.

What insurance did you take out please can you link the company and let me know how much it is I have all this to look forward to!

Just because someone’s parents are able to support they still have a budget, most people don’t have never ending funds to hand over, it’s not about being empathetic it’s about what’s been agreed up front.

This. My son had the exact same situation in a 6 bed house. The cost was £2500 per month split 6 ways. My son and another girl did all the organising and house viewings etc. All the paperwork was signed and my son and his friend got first dibs on rooms because they'd done all the work. The other 4 rooms went to the other 4 who fought it out amongst themselves. The sixth girl showed absolutely no interest and ended up with the smallest room. She kicked off and wanted a reduction. My son asked my advice and told him 'no'. They were paying for the whole house and it should have been agreed before signing about them paying different amounts.

@Losingweightissohard This is the company I have used - you can get a quote online.

https://www.guarantorinsure.co.uk/

@Fedupofdiets thanks literally have been panicking about this as my son is the organiser of everything for his friends! They are going on a holiday abroad together before they start Uni but as my son only turns 18 this August they are waiting last minute to book it as non of them want to take the lead and until my son is 18 he can’t do it (so he’s been told). I think last minute deals are cheaper too. I’m trying not to get involved too much as he wants his independence and I get that.

Both options are fine in my view. I agree with others that this should have been discussed and agreed in advance.

When my daughters house-shared at university the rent was always split evenly. I have one now working and house-sharing in London. In the four years she has been there, the rent has always been split according to the size of room.

I think paying less for a small room is fair enough. My DD was in a house share as a student and one of the rooms was tiny so that occupant paid less but it was agreed before the lease was signed.

When I was at uni most shared houses were terraces with a loft conversion and the front room converted to a bedroom. So many had three decent sized bedrooms big enough for a double bed and then the back bedroom would be small to accommodate a corridor to the upstairs bathroom.

Houses with a downstairs bathroom would have four fairly even sized bedrooms.

Generally the small room was only just big enough for a single bed, a small wardrobe and a small desk whereas the larger rooms had space for book case, drawers, bedside cabinet etc too.

They were normally advertised with the smallest room being a bit cheaper and we always agreed that was fair. It was normally about a fiver less per week and the other rooms were the same as they weren't substantially better or worse than the others.

My daughter uni house 4 bedrooms - 3 all similar sizes one slightly a smaller. All paid the same rent but the girls split the one of bills slightly differently so the girl in the smaller room paid around £30 less towards it.