Explained: How to split utility bills with your housemates

Splitting utility bills with your housemates can be one of a student’s biggest stresses. Our article will help you answer the daunting question of how to split utility bills with your housemates. Continue reading to learn how we explain how to keep prices, and arguments, low in your household.

Easy ways to split utility bills

There are several ways to split your household utility bills fairly between your housemates. Here are some of the best options.

Split bills equally between each person

This is the fairest and easiest option to split your utility bills. This is usually best suited to students in student accommodation as most of their rooms are the same size. However, there can be some circumstances where this becomes unfair. Some housemates may use more resources than others, this would mean they equate for more of the overall cost of utility bills.

Split based on how many resources each person is using

This method would work like the way you would split a bill at the end of a meal. Where everyone pays for what they have eaten! Each housemate pays for what they have used. This is still a very fair option. However, it is exceedingly difficult to keep track of how much each person uses the utilities. It is quite easy for this to lead to arguments! For this method to be successful, all housemates must work together to be on the same page!

Charge different amounts for each room

You can split utilities for how much space a housemate takes up. This is done by charging the housemates more who stay in the larger rooms. However, some housemates may find this unfair if the rooms are only slightly bigger than each other. This will also not be possible if the rooms are all the same size! It is important to take careful consideration when deciding what the best method is for splitting your utility bills! Look at your legal and financial responsibilities when renting to help you decide.

How to keep your utility bills low

Reducing your utility bills is a clever way to keep all your housemates happy! If you can come to a collective decision to keep your costs as low as possible, you may have an easier time collecting each person’s share of the bill. To keep your utility bills as low as possible, try the following:

• Washing clothes at a lower temperature and limiting the number of wash cycles you do to save energy. Why not do laundry loads with your housemates rather than doing separate washes that are half full?
• Try to convince all housemates to agree to lower the household water usage. This includes taking shorter showers and not leaving taps running. This will help you to keep your water bill as low as possible
• Install a small thermostat. These can be bought for as little as £5. The more you pay for one, the more efficient it is. Therefore, you can save more on gas and energy bills. Thermostats can help you maintain the appropriate temperature for your household so that you do not waste money on heating your flat or house!

For more tips, check out our full guide to saving money on your bills in a houseshare. 

The Best Bill Splitting App

This is the most crucial step in achieving the best possible outcome for splitting utility bills!

Splittr app

Splittr is an app that is easy and efficient to use with helping to split your expenses between you and your housemates! It calculates how much each person owes toward the overall bill by splitting the total utility cost equally amongst each person. What’s great is that Splittr allows different payees to be added to your bill and you can invite them to join the app. You can do this simply by sending them a link to join the bill you have created. Upon receiving this, all your housemates know exactly what they must pay you! The app is free, but for those who pay for the premium version, there are even more features available. Splittr provides their premium customers with a service that calculates the statistics of you and your payees. From this, you can see who spends the most and who owes the most. This way you can really work on your spending as a team!

Splitwise

Splitwise is an incredibly popular bill splitting app that is used across the world. The app has a number of functions and allows you to keep a track of shared expenses and see who owes who. You can use the app to easily split these expenses between a group for example your housemates, friends or family members. Therefore it can be used in a range of scenarios such as paying utility bills, splitting the costs of household supplies or working out who owes what for a dinner out. Like Splittr, this app is free to use however there is an upgraded pro version available.

Talk to Your Flatmates!

When it comes to splitting utility bills, you need to make your choices together. Everyone is more likely to be happy to pay their share, and pay it on time if they have had their say in the decision making! To make this possible, it may be a promising idea to hold monthly or weekly meetings to discuss your financial plans. To do this, you could choose someone to oversee your accounts. It also may be ideal to think carefully about who you are sharing a flat with. You will want your student years to be as little stress as possible! So now you know how to split utility bills with your housemates! Want to work on your communication skills more with your housemates? Click here to read our article on telling your noisy flatmates to be quiet!