Apartment roommates, master and who pays what question?

[lovin'fl]

A 3 bedroom apartment where 1 roommate gets master with private en suite bathroom with walk in closet and 2 other roommates share a hall bath and have slightly smaller rooms with regular closet....$2715 in rent and $110 in other fees (plus they also pay an electric bill). How much more should master room mate pay than other 2?

 

[starry_solo]

I voted for more than $100 more per month.

$2715/3 = $905 per person. I think the person with the master should pay $1105 (at least, possibly $1205) with the other two roommates paying $755-805 per person.
The $110 in other fees + electric bill should be split by all 3 roommates.

The hall bathroom is also the guest bathroom so that if anyone has guests over, that's the bathroom that the guests would use as well.

 

[sam_gordon]

A 3 bedroom apartment where 1 roommate gets master with private en suite bathroom with walk in closet and 2 other roommates share a hall bath and have slightly smaller rooms with regular closet....$2715 in rent and $110 in other fees (plus they also pay an electric bill). How much more should master room mate pay than other 2?

$2715 + 110 = $3725.
$3725 / 3 = $1241.66.

EVERYTHING else being equal...
Master bedroom : $1250
Others: $1237.50

BUT, what do the "other fees" cover? Water? Internet? Can you split the rent and "other fees" and the person in the master pay the electric or water or internet? How is it determined who gets the master? If it's up in the air, come to an agreement... all three roommates write how much they're willing to pay each month for the master (has to be more than $1241... the equal share). Whoever is willing to pay the higher amount pays that amount per month. The other two split the remainder. OR, agree everyone pay an equal share and draw lots for the master.

If no one is willing to pay more for the master, but thinks someone else should, keep looking (for either another apartment or different roommates)?

 

[lovin'fl]

My poll choices should have been 50, 60, 80 or 100....because that'swhat they are considering so the 2 sharing a bathroom can each pay 25, 30, 40 or 50 less than master person. The master roommate wants to do 50 of course and one of the others wants 100 because she also wanted the master and was willing to pay that. The 2 sharing a bathroom both work from home and need fixed desk set ups so that's why one of them wanted master. Those 2 are also dating so that's why other roommate wanted master and that person also thinks other 2 will use more elecric and why they think the $50 more is fair. The $110 fee covers trash and water and we think cable or something. Then they also pay electric bill. Parking is free.

So the 2 dating WorkFromHome and one wanted master and they hashed out with other person who works in office but wanted master too (reasoned that the dating 2 should share a bathroom). But one WFH was willing to pay $100 more so that's what they think should be paid.

 

[sam_gordon]

The hall bathroom is also the guest bathroom so that if anyone has guests over, that's the bathroom that the guests would use as well.

I would assume if the person in the master suite had guests, they'd use that bathroom.

 

[barb969]

Master 1/2 rent, others 1/4 rent. Other expenses split 3 ways.

 

[Carol_]

I’d look at it like this: The master with en suite is worth 1.5xregular rate. So that would be 3.5x=2715.
Regular rate = x = $776 + 1/3 of fees
Master pays 1.5x$776 = $1164 + 1/3 of fees
The master shouldn’t pay more in utilities than the other 2 roommates unless there’s another refrigerator in their room.

 

[sam_gordon]

My poll choices should have been 50, 60, 80 or 100....because that'swhat they are considering so the 2 sharing a bathroom can each pay 25, 30, 40 or 50 less than master person. The master roommate wants to do 50 of course and one of the others wants 100 because she also wanted the master and was willing to pay that.

I hope they settle this before signing any papers. Person A thinks they should pay $50 more. Person B said they're willing to pay $100 more. What does Person C think?

 

[starry_solo]

I would assume if the person in the master suite had guests, they'd use that bathroom.

I was thinking that, but unless it's an overnight guest, most people head towards the closest bathroom, which would be the hall bathroom.

 

[lovin'fl]

I would assume if the person in the master suite had guests, they'd use that bathroom.

Yes, this is what they say.

 

[disykat]

I put $75 if they randomly got the bedroom and more if they all want it. That said, way back when apartments cost a LOT less money I was in a 3 bedroom with two friends and I had the master - simply because I owned a queen sized bed and they had twins. None of us really cared whether we had our own bathroom. (I had literally never had my own bathroom and still haven't to this day unless I count going down the hall to use the hall bath now that the kids have left!) I think I paid an extra 10 bucks and we agreed that they got the covered parking spaces and I would park over by the trash cans. At the time it was a fair trade. If we did it now, I'd probably say the renters in the smaller rooms should get more of a financial break.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, this is what they say.

Is it decided who gets the master? Let everyone bid on what they're willing to pay for that "honor".

 

[White Cat]

A 3 bedroom apartment where 1 roommate gets master with private en suite bathroom with walk in closet and 2 other roommates share a hall bath and have slightly smaller rooms with regular closet....$2715 in rent and $110 in other fees (plus they also pay an electric bill). How much more should master room mate pay than other 2?

It’s now very offensive to refer to a room as the master bedroom. Most realtors no longer do.

 

[sam_gordon]

I put $75 if they randomly got the bedroom and more if they all want it. That said, way back when apartments cost a LOT less money I was in a 3 bedroom with two friends and I had the master - simply because I owned a queen sized bed and they had twins. None of us really cared whether we had our own bathroom. (I had literally never had my own bathroom and still haven't to this day unless I count going down the hall to use the hall bath now that the kids have left!) I think I paid an extra 10 bucks and we agreed that they got the covered parking spaces and I would park over by the trash cans. At the time it was a fair trade. If we did it now, I'd probably say the renters in the smaller rooms should get more of a financial break.

I think there's a way to "make it fair", it's just everyone has to agree on it.

 

[disykat]

I was thinking that, but unless it's an overnight guest, most people head towards the closest bathroom, which would be the hall bathroom.

I agree with this. Most of our friends were joint, but no, people didn't generally go into my bedroom just to use the bathroom so the hall bath got much higher usage. I cleaned the toilet and countertop for them if I was cleaning the apartment for my own company and helped with the cleaning if we were all cleaning for company.

 

[lovin'fl]

I hope they settle this before signing any papers. Person A thinks they should pay $50 more. Person B said they're willing to pay $100 more. What does Person C think?

Person C is in middle between GF and friend. This is 3 ladies. Person C is wanting to work it out but is also annoyed that A got master and is now negotiating the extra they pay. When B was willing to pay $100 more. But B and C should share a bathroom since they are dating. And they will also use more electric. So I suggested $75 as compromise.

 

[sam_gordon]

It’s now very offensive to refer to a room as the master bedroom. Most realtors no longer do.

Yea, those realtors aren't doing their research on where the term came from. They're just reacting "out of an abundance of caution". Which people don't like when companies tell their customer facing employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas".

 

[sam_gordon]

Person C is in middle between GF and friend. This is 3 ladies. Person C is wanting to work it out but is also annoyed that A got master and is now negotiating the extra they pay. When B was willing to pay $100 more. But B and C should share a bathroom since they are dating. And they will also use more electric. So I suggested $75 as compromise.

Wow. There's a lot to unpack. Do B&C "deserve" the master (OK, since White Cat is offended, we can say "larger") because they're dating? How was it decided that A got the larger room?

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

determine each's rent based on the square footage of private area that each will receive. make it proportional to that.

 

[amylevan]

Square footage is the fairest way. Add up all the square footage of the private spaces in the apartment, including bedroom, en suite bathroom and closets. (Leave out shared spaces like the living room, kitchen, and comunal bathrooms.) Divide the each person’s individual space by this number to find the percent of rent they should pay.

Fees and electricity divided equally.