Everyone who has ever lived with a roommate knows that it can be a challenge from time to time. There are many issues that can throw a wrench right into your personal situations. And usually these occur when money become the topic of dispute and conversation. Rent must be paid. And splitting that up will always be discussed on a monthly basis. And exactly how this will be split up should be discussed before either of you sign the lease. In fact, most roommate issues can be avoided if they are simply discussed and agreed upon in writing first.

If one person will be paying more than the other, how much more should they pay? How would you go about figuring out what is truly fair. One way to go about it would be to look at the sized of the rooms that are being occupied. Most master bathrooms are accompanied by a connecting master bath. Many renters believe that would justify paying more for the monthly rent. Not only does that roommate get to use more space, they will also have more privacy too. Remember that when guest visit, they usually will use that bathroom that is in the hallway. What about room location and floor-plan design. Remember that there are some factors that you will need to assess when deciding who pays more.

Sometimes the bedrooms and bathrooms are pretty much of equal size. And it makes sense that most renters would simply pay the same amount each month. In this case both renters pay equally.

Although pets may not take up your space, they may certainly play a role in the rental amount. Many apartments now charge a monthly pet rent and almost all properties will charge a pet deposit too. Roommates should discuss what portion the pet owner should pay in regards to the deposit as well as any damages that may be deducted after move-out. Make sure that this is discussed before the lease is signed. You don’t want to have to argue this through after the lease has been terminated. And if your roommate has a kid, they should pay more based upon the fact there is another person living there.