How to Split Rent and Bills with Roommates (Fairly)

Most flatmate fights aren't about big money. They're about small amounts nobody wrote down. A clear system fixes that.

Rent: equal or by room?

• Equal split works when rooms are similar.
• By room is fairer when one room is bigger, has an attached bathroom or a balcony. A simple method: give each room points (for example, base 10, +3 for attached bathroom, +2 for balcony, +2 for size) and split rent in that ratio.
• Agree once, write it down, and review only when someone moves.

Shared bills

Electricity, water, internet, gas and society maintenance are usually split equally. If one person works from home with an AC all day, agree a fixed extra share for the summer months instead of arguing over each bill.

Food and the cook

Split groceries and the cook's salary only among people who eat at home. Someone who eats out or travels a lot can opt out, as long as everyone knows.

One-off spends

Repairs, a new mattress for the common room, a party: note who paid and who shares. A geyser repair is everyone's; a birthday dinner may not include the birthday person.

Settle up once a month

Pick a date, like the 1st. Add up what each person paid and their share:

• Balance = paid − share + paid back − received back
• Positive means they get money back; negative means they owe.

The person who owes the most pays the person who's owed the most, and so on. With four people, two or three UPI payments usually clear everything.

House rules that help

1. Every shared spend goes on the sheet within a day.
2. Big purchases need a yes from everyone first.
3. Deposits for the landlord are recorded separately with who paid what.
4. When someone moves out, settle in full and agree what happens to shared items.

When someone moves out

Settle everything on the last day: their share of bills up to that date, any advance they paid, and their part of the security deposit. Agree in advance whether the incoming flatmate pays the outgoing one for shared furniture or appliances. Writing this down saves a lot of awkward messages later.

Use a shared sheet

A Google Sheet everyone can edit from their phone beats a WhatsApp group full of "I paid ₹600 for milk". Our Shared Flat Expense Splitter handles different shares per spend, settle-ups and a clear "who owes whom" for up to four flatmates.