Housing disagreement -- please help!

[pazarus]

Hello, I am posting this because I have an issue in my apartment and I want to turn to an independent third party to help resolve it. I have tried this once before and it I got a lot of great opinions that were quite useful, so I thought I'd ask for the same help again. Thanks in advance for any opinions offered!

Here's the situation:

Four people--Erish, Emona, Armaba, and Laos--have rented a house. The house has three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and one bathroom. Two of the people, Erish and Emona, are a couple sharing one of the rooms. The total cost of rent is $1300.

The group has agreed that Erish and Emona, who share a room, should each pay less than the other two because they share a room and have less space each. The group also decided they should pay more than just a third of the rent, since they are using the living room, kitchen and bathroom and not just their bedroom. They pay (by a formula) $250 each, while Laos and Armaba each pay $400. In the past they have paid only by the room, and they initially expected to pay one-third of the bill (1300/3 = $433 = $217 each).

The trouble arose when the first non-rent bill arrived. Laos felt that all general house expenses (electricity, cable, heating, internet) should be split four ways. Erish and Emona felt that particularly with heat, they should use the same formula they used for the rent.

Laos argues that even with less space, everyone in the house uses the same amount of heat (the house is not heated per room), and everyone has access to the internet, cable tv, and electricity equally. Therefore, the cost should be shared equally.

Erish and Emona argue that because they take only one room together, they should pay less for heat in the same way they pay less for rent. They also feel that in a single room they will use less electricity. They have offered to divide the heat and other bills up four ways if they can then go back to dividing the rent up three ways.

What should Laos, Erish, Emona, and Armaba do? What do you think is the most fair solution?

Thanks again for any help!

[petronius]

1. It depends...

Is there a cable and/or internet connection to each room, or just one into the house? If there is only one, those should be divided four ways. However, if there is cable and internet into each room, so that everyone has their own access point, then the E's are using only one connection (out of three) and should pay only 1/3. Heat should be divided four ways - the whole house is being heated simultaneously, and everyone is receiving the same benefit no matter where they are. Same with electricity - even though the Es share a room they are both using electricity everywhere in the house and have the same access as the other roommates (e.g. they both run a hair dryer in the bathroom, they both flip on the kitchen light, etc.) That's my two cents, anyway...

[Digit]

2. My feelings

Space rent like you have it set up....
Other utilities 1/4 each.
When you start dividing by who has what TV in what room, you are getting darnright petty.

Do try to get along and stop measuring to the inth degree. You are looking at what you get OUT of the relationship instead of what you can BRING to the relationship.
A dollar here, a dollar there...no big whoop.

[JVS]

3. Laos is correct. Especially when you start considering things like...

hot water, where each individual takes showers, uses dishes, washes clothes etc.

[JVS]

4. Would you like me to set this up as a poll?

That way you can get election results on Utilities 2005!

[borlis]

5. I feel like your story is a word problem on a math test!

Good luck solving it.

[Starlight]

6. Split utilities 4 ways.

And I don't think the couple are paying their fair share of rent, either. Only $100 extra for the couple?