How to split bills with housemates (and stay friends)

First: what is your tenancy?

Before you split anything, work out what you signed. It changes who owes what.

• Joint tenancy: you all signed one agreement. GOV.UK says that when more than one tenant signs the same agreement, all the joint tenants are responsible for the rent. In practice this is usually joint and several liability: the landlord can ask any one of you for the whole amount if someone doesn't pay.
• Individual tenancies: you each rent a room on your own agreement, and you're only responsible for your own rent. Bills are often included.

So if you're on a joint tenancy and one housemate stops paying, the landlord can come to you for their share. That's why picking housemates is a money decision as much as a vibes one. Our lesson Joint tenancy: all for one plays it out.

The bills you'll actually have

If bills aren't included in the rent, expect most of these:

• Energy. Ofgem's price cap for a typical dual fuel household paying by direct debit is £1,723 a year from 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your bill depends on what you use, not the cap.
• Water. Usually a fixed charge or a meter.
• Broadband. Often a contract of a year or more, so check who signs.
• TV Licence. £180 a year if anyone watches live TV or BBC iPlayer. Whether one licence covers the house depends on your tenancy set-up, so check the TV Licensing rules.
• Council tax. Covered below, because students get a big break.

Bills included or not? Bills included vs not (and council tax) compares the two.

Whose name goes on the bill?

Whoever's name is on an account is responsible for paying it. If one person puts the broadband in their name, they carry the risk, and it can show on their credit file if it goes unpaid. Fairer options:

• Put everyone's name on the accounts where the supplier allows it.
• Spread the accounts around: one person has energy, another has broadband, another has water.
• Agree in writing (a message in the group chat counts as a record) who pays what and when.

Three ways to split

1. Equal split. Divide everything by the number of people. Simple and works when rooms and habits are similar. 2. By room. Split rent by room size, then share bills equally. Fair when one room has an en suite and another is the box room. 3. By use. Split energy by who's home most, or broadband by who games all night. Fairest in theory, most arguments in practice.

There's no right answer. The best split is the one you all agree on before the first bill lands. Our lesson Split it fair, not just 50/50 helps you pick.

Make it automatic

• Set up a standing order from each person to whoever pays the bill, timed a few days before it's due.
• Or use a shared spreadsheet or a bill-splitting tool and settle up monthly. We don't recommend any particular app: pick whatever your house will actually use.
• Read meters on move-in and move-out day and send the readings to the supplier, with a photo.

Council tax for sharers

When someone doesn't pay

Talk early, in person if possible. Life happens, and a housemate who's struggling may need a payment plan, not a pile-on. If it keeps happening, remember that a joint tenancy means the landlord can still chase anyone for the rent, so cover the bill first and sort the IOU second. If money is tight for you too, free debt advice is confidential. More on keeping the peace in The flat group chat.

The bit to remember

Know your tenancy type, spread the accounts, agree the split before the first bill, and automate the payments. The renting library and bills library cover the rest.