University costs-who should pay?

[Mysterybaby]

Situation is oldest child is at a university five hours away from home , two income household.
Who should pay the following costs-
Petrol for taking and bringing home at end of terms
Storage of student belongings in university town
Hotel for person doing driving back and forth
1-Split equally between both parents
2-Parent who did the driving (using own car), packing etc and stayed in hotel alone.
3-Student
Thanks

If parents are supporting child, even partially through uni, and there is conflict about cost sharing between separated parents, add these costs to the uni costs for the year, and include in what is given to DC in whatever ratio the money is given to DC. Tell DC everything the money has to cover and then get them to fund these things.

The worst thing would be the DC. seeing wrangling about who pays for the tank of petrol.

If you always row about who pays for what, this will just be ongoing unfortunately. And more student expenses will no doubt crop up and cause dililar arguments ....travel and accommodation for graduation, food during holidays, Expenses in early stages of job/internship etc etc

Sounds petty. But I'm assuming more of a back story.

Assuming everyone is earning equally, I'd split it between both parents. Or split the journeys so that each parent has equal cost / time incurred.

However I'd have student pay for storage themselves tbh. Their belongings and I'd not expect parents to cover this.

Our dc , student pays for storage, whoever is going pays for hotel/petrol etc.
My xh never goes so dh& I do it all

One parent takes the student to university at the start of term. The other parent brings them back at the end of term. Each parent pays when it's their turn.

If the student is putting their belongings into storage in their university town, why can't the student get the train/coach from their university town to home and back again?

Student pays for travel and storage out of their student loan/part time job if neither parent can afford it. Otherwise parents take turns paying the bill.

Yes , seperated but both earning almost equal amounts.
He forgot to book leave for his turn last year and then this year is my turn(!)
My car and flat isn't big enough to bring everything back but he doesn't want to pay for storage.
Doesn't think he should pay for hotel as he didn't stay in it , possibly has a point there.

Student has job and is paying for storage.
Usually travels home by train between terms but end of year needed help packing up and moving stuff from halls to storage.

Just wondered if I was being unreasonable to expect the other parent to contribute.

@ShanghaiDiva I didn't mean it was. I meant if the student was coming home by car (round trip being petrol + hotel) then why were storage costs necessary. But OP has since clarified.

1 or 2 depends on circumstances really. If one parent is struggling, disabled or on benefits can’t expect an equal split....for example.

I’d rethink the university storage. We simply used Sherpr to send their stuff internationally to uni and back. Other things like kitchen things they bought from charity shops, donated at end of year and repeated the following year.

Just seen your update OP, I would think as you did his turn last year he should either do your turn this year or refund you the cost of doing his turn last year. Otherwise it’s you 2x time AND money for HIS turn and YOUR turn. He is being unreasonable to just think he can contribute nothing.

Can't he take him back then just before term starts? At the weekend if he forgets to book annual leave...

Myself and my separated husband take it in turns. So one drops at start of term and the other picks up. I usually drop because I like to see them settled and he picks up. As you say in term time DS uses the train.

Sorry if I've missed it but if he didn't book leave last year does that mean you did it?

Why does he need help packing and moving to storage? My DS was at Uni in Belfast (we are I'm England). He packed his own stuff, booked storage and then arranged for a taxi (minibus) to take him to the storage unit before heading off to the airport to fly home. And believe me, my DS is not the most organised of people! Getting a taxi to move stuff is a lot cheaper than 10hrs drive worth of petrol and a hotel!

We are paying for one each in our case, we have one child each through holidays too, just worked out like that. Exh gives me substantial spousal maintenance so I wouldn't dream of asking for money for petty things anyway I got lucky, dd is only going 50 mins away

Yes, I did last year and this year. Didn't think about using a taxi but will remember that for next time.

He forgot to book leave for his turn last year and then this year is my turn(!)

Well he does this year

Have a look to see if there's a "Man with a Van Service" near your son's university. Paying somebody to make a short journey to the storage then back again has got to be cheaper than 10 hours of fuel and a night in a hotel plus 10 hours of your time. It would be even cheaper if there was more than one student going to the storage and they split the cost of the van.

If you did last year then why isn't it his turn this year? Or get him to agree to do the next two? (Although I assume DC won't be at uni that long?)