How to split utility bills fairly between flatmates, with meter examples

Most arguments about bills between flatmates are not about money. They are about a method nobody agreed on. Choose one method for each bill before the first one arrives, and write it down. Here are the four that work, each with an example you can copy.

1. By meter: the fairest when you have one

If each home or room has its own meter, everyone pays for what they used. The catch is that the readings rarely add up to the whole bill. Common areas, losses and fixed fees make up the rest, and the usual solution is to share that rest equally.

Example. A water bill of €121.00 at €4.00 per m³, shared by three people with their own meters:

• Anna used 8 m³: 8 × €4.00 = €32.00
• Ben used 12 m³: 12 × €4.00 = €48.00
• Cara used 5 m³: 5 × €4.00 = €20.00

Together that is €100.00, so €21.00 is left over. Split equally, that is €7.00 each.

• Anna pays €39.00
• Ben pays €55.00
• Cara pays €27.00

The three shares add up to exactly €121.00, which is the check you should always do.

Consumption is the new reading minus the previous one, so read every meter on the same day. Photograph each one, with the date, so nobody has to take anyone's word for it.

2. Equally: for bills that do not depend on use

Internet, a TV licence or a building's cleaning fee cost the same however much you use them. Divide by the number of people and move on. A €45.00 internet bill between three is €15.00 each.

When the amount does not divide evenly, agree who takes the extra cent. A €50.00 bill between three is €16.67, €16.67 and €16.66. Without this rule the shares will not add up to the bill.

3. By days at home: when someone is away

Equal shares feel unfair when one person spent half the month elsewhere. Count person-days instead.

Example. A €90.00 electricity bill for a 30-day month. Anna and Ben were home all 30 days, Cara for 15. That is 75 person-days, so one person-day costs €90.00 ÷ 75 = €1.20.

• Anna: 30 × €1.20 = €36.00
• Ben: 30 × €1.20 = €36.00
• Cara: 15 × €1.20 = €18.00

Set a minimum first, for example only absences of a week or more count. Otherwise you end up tracking every weekend.

4. By room size: for shared heating without meters

Heating depends on floor area more than on who lives there, so sharing by square metres is common.

Example. A €150.00 heating bill and rooms of 20, 25 and 15 m². That is 60 m² in total, so €2.50 per m².

• 20 m²: €50.00
• 25 m²: €62.50
• 15 m²: €37.50

Kitchen and bathroom are shared, so most flats leave them out of the sum.

Which method for which bill

• Water, gas, electricity with individual meters: by meter, with the rest split equally.
• Electricity without meters: equally, or by days at home if someone is often away.
• Heating without meters: by room size.
• Internet, subscriptions, fixed fees: equally.

Rules that prevent the arguments

1. Agree on the date. Everyone reads their meter on the same day, for example the 25th.
2. Settle who joins and leaves. Someone moving in on the 10th of the month pays from that date, or from the next bill. Either works if you decide beforehand.
3. Keep the bill visible. Share the provider's PDF, not just the total.
4. Check the unit price. Divide the amount by the billed consumption. If it changed a lot, read the bill: it may include a correction for an earlier period.
5. Record payments. Note who paid what, and carry anything unpaid to the next bill.

Doing it without a spreadsheet

The DevQuake utility bill manager does methods 1 and 2. Add the provider's bill, and everyone sends a photo of their meter. It then works out consumption × unit price, shares the rest equally, and makes sure the shares add up to the bill exactly: cents that do not divide evenly go to the person managing the bill. It also records payments, with carry-over. If you use methods 3 or 4, the examples above are quick to do by hand.

Open the utility bill manager · Read the user manual