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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think all bills should be split equally?

31 replies

Marilynmansonsothereye · 02/03/2020 23:21

Two adults (friends, nothing else) own a house and live in it. They rent the spare room to their friend.

Friend pays less than market rent for renting the room, It's a small room, the house is a tip from being a work in progress.. Just being fair.

Should all three split bills equally? I think so, but others don't. Arguments against are things like 'I'm always in my room!' 'I was here first!' 'You pay less than anyone else'! etc etc.

OP posts:
user1423578854468 · 02/03/2020 23:24

Friend three is their lodger?

Largeyellowdaffodil · 02/03/2020 23:28

Do lodgers contribute to bills?

Original poster
Marilynmansonsothereye · 02/03/2020 23:31

Yes sorry! Wish I could edit. Yes, third friend is their lodger.

OP posts:
wafflyversatile · 02/03/2020 23:34

IME when it comes to lodgers in a house where the owners live there too, it is easier to charge rent as inclusive of bills.

Palavah · 02/03/2020 23:37

It depends what was agreed at the outset.

Whenever I lived in shared houses the bills were split equally even if some rooms attracted a higher rent than others (facilities etc).

Only exception would be if someone wanted to pay extra eg for a particular TV package.

Don't see any reason why it wouldn't be the same here.

What was agreed originally?

BackforGood · 02/03/2020 23:38

Can be done either way.

the 'rent' is inclusive of bills, or, the agreement in the first place is £X for rent plus 1/3 of all bills

there is no right or wrong, although trying to work out if someone uses more hot water or whatever would be ridiculous. It has t be either a 3 way even split or* the lodger's rent includes their share of bills.

Original poster
Marilynmansonsothereye · 02/03/2020 23:45

That's the sorts of arguments I have been getting backforgood . It's a new thing that we've began considering because until now (after a year) longer has just been giving 'as and when' for bills. And there were arguments like ' I stayed out all last week!' Or 'the shower wasn't working before the boiler was repaired!' (It was working, just not as powerfully as normal and low rent reflects the fact that the house is still in a bit of disrepair and a work in progress). I just think this way would be easier.

OP posts:
ThePants999 · 02/03/2020 23:57

Arguments about usage are bollocks. You don't ever try to track patterns of usage - having your contribution fluctuate because you were home more or less, or using shared facilities more or less, is crazy and no sensible household even tries to split things that way. The two friends should be paying exactly the same amount as each other by default, barring stuff like a sports package on the TV bill that one person insisted on adding.

However, what the lodger contributes REALLY needed to be formalised in advance. If the lodger is supposed to be paying 1/3 of the bills, they needed to be told so before they moved in. If the agreement was 1/3 of bills, they should pay that regardless of other factors like temporary repair issues. If there wasn't an agreement, make one now - forget the past and say "the future will look like this, you need to move out if you don't like it".

Pipandmum · 03/03/2020 00:00

It doesn't matter if some one was away on holiday for two weeks etc etc. You split the bills. Next tme formalise the arrangement to prevent such pettiness.

GetMeOffThisCycleOfMisery · 03/03/2020 02:37

Are the two people also renters, or co-own? How big are the rooms?

If they own it, the friend is getting a cheap room. I think that's fine. Friend is a lodger.

If they are renting, and rooms are equal size, then it should be split three ways.

If they are renting, and rooms aren't equal size, then the smallest room should be cheapest.

GetMeOffThisCycleOfMisery · 03/03/2020 02:38

Sorry. Just RTFOP and just seen that they own it. I stick by my reply above.

steff13 · 03/03/2020 02:41

I think you should charge the lodger a flat rate that covers rent and utilities.

StoppinBy · 03/03/2020 03:01

I would suggest that the lodger starts to pay a fee that includes their share of the bills. The rest of the bills to be split equally between the other two of you.

I can see their point in not wanting to pay for a service they aren't using if they really are never home and using the water, electricity or gas but at the end of the day if they only want to pay their share in a bill they should get their own house rather than rent share with two other people.

Most of the time (I am in Aus) the connection fees are far higher than the usage fees and the lodger does need to understand that the lions share of the bill is actually paid to have the services in place for when they do want to use them regardless of how often they cook or shower there.

Shoxfordian · 03/03/2020 05:17

It's easiest to just split bills equally.
Do you go out to dinner with these people as well? Bet that's annoying.

Ponoka7 · 03/03/2020 05:37

Every arrangement, such as yours, that I've heard of has been an ' all bills incuded fixed price' rent.

You should have worked out what you needed to charge and if it fitted in with the rents in your area. Then take off what you needed to to make living in a fixer-upper attractive. Where i live it could be anything from £45-£130 a week, depending on the area and quality of the house.

HelloBambinos · 03/03/2020 05:38

How I would see it..

Say mortgage was £1000

Bills come to £250 (council tax, water, gas, electricity)

Lodger pays £375

2 x owners pay £437.50 each

Reflects slightly less than a third of mortgage for smaller room/repairs plus some towards bills. This is obviously as you say below standard rent as you are friends so are not looking for lodger to pay your mortgage for you but even though the owners are paying some more than lodger it's a lot less than they would alone and they will be the ones who gain financially from the property if it sells.

All this "I was away" or "I stay in my room" is rubbish, if you have a mortgage or rent alone that is irrelevant, the bank doesn't reduce your mortgage because you're 'hardly there' that's not how life works.. I don't get a reduction on my car tax just because we use our other car more. Its a choice to do so. Just like it's a choice for Lodger or owner to sit in their room or not shower as frequently as others etc.. All are still paying a lot less than they would alone.

Ponoka7 · 03/03/2020 05:44

Also it doesn't matter if they stayed out, this is a business arrangement and you pay to keep your room.

They've been living there long enough for you to know their fuel etc consumption. Get things on more formal terms.

HelloBambinos · 03/03/2020 05:47

However, I will say that you need to include the lovers share of bills in their rent at a level you find appropriate regardless of how much they use.. For example, you can't suddenly say 'oh well this month you were here more or used more facilities so you need to pay more' or the other way round, lodger can't say 'well I was here less this month so I'll reduce my standing order to you' that's not fair. As you've a been there over a year now it should be easier to get a feel for what usage cost is appropriate.

HelloBambinos · 03/03/2020 05:48

*lodgers not lovers... That's a whole different thread 😂

GiveHerHellFromUs · 03/03/2020 05:55

Do the two main bill payers own the house or rent?

Does the lodger have a formal contract? If the lodger has less space and less security than the other two it's ridiculous to expect them to pay a third of all bills.

ChicChicChicChiclana · 03/03/2020 06:15

You have to put aside the fact that the lodger is paying less than market rent, it's a separate issue.

What bills are you talking about? Assume gas, electricity, water? Anything else? I could see how one party in a house share might want to pay less for utilities if, for example, they are out at work all week whereas others are at home and have the heating on for longer. That would be fair enough. But generally an equal split is the way to go. On the subject of council tax - traditionally that should be included in the rent figure.

SimonJT · 03/03/2020 06:18

If the lodgers rent doesn’t include bills then the lodger should pay 1/3 of all household bills.

Original poster
Marilynmansonsothereye · 03/03/2020 09:58

Thanks for all the replies. Very interesting. Lodger was originally just paying whenever asked (the arrangement was set up with little involvement from me which I realise now was a mistake) then in was a certain amount a week for a while but arguments began over that. Lodgers room is smaller than the owners rooms, but lodger pays half of what I paid for a smaller room when I was a lodger a few years ago! It is reflected. We all get along fine for the most part, it hasnt been heated arguments. I just would rather never have to discuss it again if I'm honest. Bambinos I said that exact thing recently 'I can't ring the bank when I'm working away for a few days and say I want those days taking off the mortgage!'

OP posts:
Original poster
Marilynmansonsothereye · 03/03/2020 09:59

chicchic yes gas electricity water.

OP posts:
WoofAndWhiskers · 03/03/2020 10:03

It would be easier to just include bills in the monthly rent for the lodger (that's the norm here for that reason)'
Time to renegotiate the rent and then stick with that?

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