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How to split flat costs fairly

Money often causes friction in shared flats, and rarely over large sums. Usually there is no rule that everyone has agreed on. This guide covers which costs a flat share has, which ways of splitting them work well and how to keep track. It is written for flat shares in Germany, where a shared flat is called a WG (Wohngemeinschaft).

By Abubakar Abditube (ManaWG) · Published · Updated

Which costs a flat share has

There are three groups. First, fixed costs that are the same every month: rent, the advance payment for Nebenkosten (utility and service charges), internet and electricity. Second, running shared expenses for the household kitty, such as washing-up liquid, loo roll, cleaning products and shared groceries. Third, one-off purchases, for example a new vacuum cleaner or kitchen equipment. If you keep the three groups apart, you argue less, because each can follow its own rule.

Model 1: split everything equally

Everyone pays the same share. It is simple and suits rooms of similar size. Example: internet costs €36 a month, so four people pay €9 each. When an amount does not divide evenly, a few cents are left over. They should not always fall on the same person but move on from one entry to the next.

Model 2: rent by room size, the rest equally

When rooms differ a lot in size, an equal share of the rent is rarely fair. A common approach is to split the rent by square metres and share running costs such as internet and electricity equally. Example: a 20 m² room in an 80 m² flat carries 25 per cent of the rent. Shared areas such as the kitchen and bathroom are added per head or in proportion to the rooms. The rent split calculator shows how this works. What matters is that everyone has seen the calculation and agreed to it.

Model 3: everyone pays for what they cause

For shopping and one-off items it often works better to let only the people involved pay. If you buy drinks for your own birthday, you do not split that with the whole flat. In ManaWG’s shared expenses you choose who is involved in each expense and split it equally or with individual amounts per person. The shares always add up to exactly the total.

Settling up without a transfer mess

When everyone pays for everyone now and then, debts run in all directions. Rather than settle every expense on its own, look at the balance at the end of the month. From the balances you can work out who should transfer money to whom, using as few transfers as possible. ManaWG calculates these suggestions automatically but does not move any money itself: you mark settlements as paid.

Rules that prevent arguments

Write down what is paid jointly and what is not. Pick a fixed day on which you settle up. Record expenses straight away, while the receipt is still to hand. And decide above which amount you ask first, for example for purchases over €50. Fixed costs such as rent and internet are set up once in ManaWG and then booked automatically every month.

Frequently asked questions

How do you split rent fairly in a flat share?

A common approach is to split the rent by room size, with equal shares for shared costs such as internet and electricity. If the rooms are the same size, an equal share for everyone is fair too.

Who pays for internet and electricity in a flat share?

Usually everyone shares these costs equally, because everyone uses the connections. It is normal for one person to hold the contract while the others pay their share through a fixed cost or a bank transfer.

Is there an app for splitting flat costs?

Yes, for example ManaWG: free, with no ads, in English and German, with balances, settlement suggestions and fixed costs. It runs in the browser, so no app store is needed.

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