About the fairest way to share costs

[WyclefJohn]

A group of friends decided to share a cottage over Christmas. 6 couples, 10 children, 5 bedrooms. One couple is childless, the others have two each. Each couple with children got a bedroom each, one couple with two children and the childless couple shared the biggest bedroom. The cost was shared 6 ways equally. What do you think?

If all the couples were happy with it then it's fine. Presumably you think the couples that shared should have paid less and the others a bit more?

Probably more ways than one to do it, but if it was agreed to divide by 6, that seems fair enough (or not more or less fair than dividing per room - so by 5). In the latter case, the couple with 2 kids and the childless couple would have to split their 1/5 share either equally or divided by occupants... I mean, really? Did you all have a good time?

I think that sounds like a horrible christmas. I also think that everyone should have agreed a fair division of costs before booking, so what is the point in asking now? If you think the share was unfair, you shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.

We were the childless couple. We had a great time, and not really bothered by the costs, but it was a point of discussion before how to share the costs

The 4 couples with a bedroom to themselves should have paid more than the 2 couples sharing a room.

Split evenly between 6. Room allocation is just what suits best

I think it would have been fairer to split per room.

Agree with lalalalyra. Pay per bedroom

The 4 couples with a bedroom to themselves should have paid more than the 2 couples sharing a room.

This. Sharing a room with one's children is totally different from sharing with another couple.

Did they split food costs six ways too? That would have annoyed me, if I were in the childless couple...

Yes, all costs were shared six ways. We weren't especially bothered, but also conscious it wasn't the fairest way to share out the costs

Hardly fair to you then, is it?
Is this family or genuinely friends? I like to think none of my friends would be so unfair.

Genuinely friends.

Not fair. But if you're genuinely happy, it doesn't matter.

I would do per room with maybe a little premium for size if they differed a lot.

Why on earth did you agree to go away to a cottage that didn't even have enough rooms for everyone? It sounds like it must have been cramped and overloaded with lots of children. There is no way I would have wanted to do this as a childless couple. There is also no way I would've allowed a childless couple to pay the same amount if they were forced to share a room with another couple and that other couple's children. Not a chance. You should not have agreed to pay same amount and your friends were not great to have suggested let alone allowed it.

There are probably as many ways to split the costs as there were couples, so whatever everyone agreed was 'fair'. If you're not bothered about the cost, I'm not sure why your asking, but if it's to satisfy curiosity, I'd say that I personally would never agree to go a place with fewer bedrooms than couples unless it was family and I wouldn't expect a childless couple to share a bedroom with children, unless they were related. If it were me, if all the children were under 12, I'd have suggested counting 2 children as one adult and worked out a per person rate with each family paying for 3 people and the childless couple paying for 2. I'd have split food costs similarly. Anyone over 12 I'd count as an adult. Sharing a room or being the couple that didn't have children in their room is, I think, just part of such a large group sharing a place with not enough bedrooms. I don't know how it was decided who shared, but presumably it was something like 'getonability'. I can't imagine trying to co-ordinate that many people over Christmas though, or being a couple with children who didn't think your arrangement was a bit one-sided. You paid more AND had to share a room. I hope you all had a good time and that if you do something similar again your friends are a bit more thoughtful..

I've lived in shared houses where we've charged equal amounts per room, per person or based on size of room.

I've always thought something based on number of people and comfort and size of room works most fairly. A friend once slept on the landing with a fold up bed for months.

I think the childless couple should pay the least. The couple with kids who were sharing with the childless couple should also have a reduction in cost. The other families should pay equally.

It’s not just bedrooms but shared spaces as well. 4 people vs 2 using the shower, occupying the WC, standing in the kitchen, deciding what’s on telly etc. they should pay more for shared spaces as they take them up as well.

One of the couples didn't want to pay extra for a sixth bedroom, so we took the five bedroom place. That couple got a room to themselves and their two children, which seemed a bit unfair

That couple got a room to themselves and their two children, which seemed a bit unfair

That is fairly obviously unfair. Cheeky buggers.

Yep, I’d be annoyed. It’s disappointing that they didn’t suggest that you pay less given you had less utility of the space than they did. And far less privacy.

Did you have a nice time regardless?

If you do it again, I would take the reigns in booking and organising and find a place with a master & ensuite (for you and DH) and the rest of the rooms dormitory style for the families to share.

Any complaints and you can remind them that you had poorer conditions this year.

Cheeky of them really.

We did have a nice time, and we're not having sleepless nights over the money. It just seemed a little unfair that the five couples with ten children just assumed that the costs should be split six ways

Yep per head would have been fairer. Annoying when friends do that, they probably just didn’t think.

Did you split meals/shopping/ other expenses by 6 as well?

The couple with the DC who stayed in a bedroom but didn't want the bigger rental that could have comfortably hosted everyone are CFs.

As Pp said the cost should have been split by room not by couple. Three bedrooms split three ways. Food should have been split by person as in £500 on food split between all adults and children eating from this food. Any other way would be inequitable.