No landlord pays us. We never send your details to a landlord, never ask for your SSN or bank login, and cite the statute behind every rule. How we make money
Sign inPlan my move-out
Split rent · worked example

One deposit cheque, three roommates

Landlords often return a shared deposit as one payment. Splitting it fairly means starting from what each person paid in, then taking out deductions the right way.

Carpet cleaning (shared areas)
Wall repair in Ben’s room
Deposit $3,000.00 · cheque $2,410.00
Who gets what back
Sample numbers
PersonPut inOwn deductionsSharedUnexplainedGets back
Ana$1,500.00$0.00−$125.00−$100.00$1,275.00
Ben$1,000.00−$140.00−$83.33−$66.67$710.00
Cam$500.00$0.00−$41.67−$33.33$425.00
Total$3,000.00−$140.00−$250.00−$200.00$2,410.00

The cheque is $200.00 less than the deposit minus the itemized deductions. It is spread by what each person put in, and it’s worth asking the landlord about in writing.

AN
Ana pays Bentheir part of the cheque
$710.00
AN
Ana pays Camtheir part of the cheque
$425.00

housr records amounts only. It never moves money.

Worked example

The numbers, step by step

The deposit was $3,000: Ana paid $1,500, Ben $1,000 and Cam $500 (Cam joined later and bought in for less). The landlord’s itemized statement lists $250 for cleaning the shared carpet and $140 for a wall repair in Ben’s room, and the cheque that arrives, made out to Ana, is for $2,410. That is $200 less than the statement explains.

  1. Ana put in $1,500.00 and gets back $1,275.00 (own deductions $0.00, share of shared $125.00, unexplained −$100.00).
  2. Ben put in $1,000.00 and gets back $710.00 (own deductions $140.00, share of shared $83.33, unexplained −$66.67).
  3. Cam put in $500.00 and gets back $425.00 (own deductions $0.00, share of shared $41.67, unexplained −$33.33).
  4. The unexplained difference is −$200.00. Ana pays Ben $710.00; Ana pays Cam $425.00.

Names and amounts are samples. Change any number in the calculator above and the result updates.

Worth agreeing in writing

Ask the landlord for the itemized statement your state requires before you split anything. If the numbers don’t match the cheque, the Deposit Clock and the demand letter can help.

Keep it running

Turn this into a household: rent posts at the agreed split each month, bills split by days home, and housr works out who owes whom. Roommates join with a link and a name.

Make it a household

When this split is fair, and when it isn’t

Fair when

  • Damage inside one person’s room is charged to that person; damage to shared areas is shared, here in proportion to what each person put in.
  • An amount the landlord didn’t explain is shown separately rather than hidden in someone’s share, and it is a reason to ask the landlord in writing.
  • In California, when several adult tenants live in the unit, the statute says the landlord returns the remainder “by a check made payable to all adult tenants on the rental or lease agreement” unless they agreed otherwise in writing, so the cheque usually needs everyone anyway.

Not so fair when

  • If contributions were unequal only because one person fronted money for the others, settle that loan first; it isn’t a bigger stake in the deposit.
  • Splitting shared deductions evenly can be fairer when contributions differ for reasons unrelated to how the flat was used; the calculator lets you switch.
  • If you think a deduction is wrong, dispute it with the landlord before you divide the cheque.

This is general information about splitting costs between yourselves, not legal advice. Your lease and your state’s law decide what you owe the landlord.

Sources

  1. California Legislative Information, California Civil Code §1950.5. Checked 2026-10-05.
  2. New York State Attorney General, Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide. Checked 2026-10-05.
  3. Office of the Texas Attorney General, Renter’s Rights. Checked 2026-10-05.
Split rent

A roommate is leaving mid-lease. What do they owe, or get back?

Three separate questions get tangled when someone leaves: this month’s rent, their share of the deposit, and the last bills. Answer them one by one and net them into a single payment.

Open the example Split rent

A couple sharing one room: per room, per person, or both?

There are three common answers, and each has a real argument. The hybrid (shared space per person, bedroom per room) is the one most households settle on, and the calculator shows why.

Open the example Split rent

One roommate pays the landlord. Who sends them what?

Many landlords take one payment. Whoever sends it is fronting money for everyone, so make the amounts exact and the record shared.

Open the example