House sharing - box rooms

[DeadbeatYoda]

Dear Mumsnet hive mind, i could really do with the benefit of your collective experience please.
My DS is just sorting out his Uni year 2 house share. The house is £1600 pcm. There are two double rooms and two much smaller rooms ( one quite small indeed).
Have you found that the rent tends to be split evenly, despite the room-size difference?
I didn't go to uni but I did house share as a youngster. We always paid more for larger rooms and less for smaller. What is your experience?

two different experiences

one where split according to room size

one where all equal and pulled straws to determine who for what

both are fair and both no one had any issue with and in both scenarios - no parent had any involvement! 😂

When the difference is that stark I think the rent should vary, which is what was done for the examples I can think of among my friendship group

My dds experience- those with the smaller room paid less rent. This was sorted out between the flatmates, they all paid the same to the landlord

Yes we paid differently depending on room size. We also pulled out of a hat as even with the price difference no one wanted to take the smaller rooms. I think it’s fair to pay more for a nicer/bigger room

Various methods

1. Pull straws,
2. People who found and negotiated for flat got 1st dibs for rooms
3. Rotate room each term (worked in a 3 bed flat)

We always paid the same but that was back in the days of grants so that would have taken some of the financial strain away.

These days I would gladly go for a smaller room at a lower price

Pulled straws in my daughter's case, but she does feel sorry for one of her housemates who ended up with the tiny room despite this being her only base in this country (parents have moved abroad).

It might have been fairer (in my view) to give whoever took that room a discount, but with rent being so high everywhere it just means the others paying even more.

Another issue with pulling straws is that some people seem to get the best / biggest room every year / each house they have moved to. Just luck, but nice for them.

We at uni 25 odd years ago. We split rent in room size.

When I was at uni years ago I had the tiny box room. We all paid the same rent but I paid a smaller share of the bills to account for my little room.

DSis autistic, he needs more support than many.

We agreed a differential rent for large (en suite), medium and small room which split the rent (I think it was 38% 33% and 29%) then drew straws for who would get which room. I got the big one.

Thanks all. Just FYI, here are the floor plans. As you can see, the smallest room is less than half the size of the big rooms.

In DD’s current house all the rooms are a decent size. There are two on the middle floor, one on the ground floor and one upstairs. The girl with sleeping problems requested the top room so she wouldn’t be disturbed. Two of the other three girls didn’t want to go on the ground floor so the third girl kindly agreed to. The rooms on the middle floor were quite different in size so the two remaining girls flipped a coin. Even the smaller room is a decent double though so rent is equal.

They’ve just signed for a six bed for next year and there’s one tiny room, which also has the boiler in. They’ve decided that one should be quite a bit cheaper. I think they’re going to flip coins for it because even with lower rent no one wants it!

Well, not quite half the size but you get what I mean

Experience of a one split according to size/amenities and one evenly divided (the latter's smallest room was still a decent double).

I guess whatever all housemates are happiest with. My DD happily took smallest room for same price as she's on a placement this year.

My third year I had the smallest room but no rent reduction. I didn't massively mind but the house was mega cheap anyway. £140 a month each! (Early 2000s mind you)

DD1 is in this position. She is sharing with another PhD student (male) and 2 female teachers in their 2nd year of teaching. DD is in her 3rd year as a PhD student. The lad has the ground floor non-ensuite room. The teachers each have 1st floor ensuite rooms. DD has the smallest bedroom on the 1st floor with a bathroom opposite that the lad can also use for a bath/shower - there is another toilet downstairs. They agreed between themselves how to divide the rent: the teachers pay around 30% each, the lad pays 27% and DD 23% if I remember rightly. The landlord wasn't bothered how they split it as long as the main rent was paid.

Smallest room really tiny. One of mine had similar flat but only 3 shared (smallest bedroom used as office/dressing room).

I was at uni in the late 90’s but we drew straws. I got the biggest room but it was also the coldest and I emended up with dry rot so swings and roundabouts 😂

I think either drawing straws or paying proportionate rent are both fair.

that small bedroom is 4.4ft????

that is absolutely tiny

Is there a table and sofa in the kitchen?

Are those measurements correct for the smallest room? I think it might be 7’5” looking at where the walls are (compared with the measurements of the other smaller room). Even so, it’s very small!

We all paid the same but the difference in room sizes wasn’t so marked.

Is that ground floor reception going to be used as a bedroom? So 5 people (one of which in a box room), no reception room and sharing one tiny bathroom too?

It should be : 385+395+405+415 =1600

There is a furnished conservatory.

op get your measuring tape out this morning

extend it to 4’4

The measurement for that box room is wrong