Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.
Shared household costs inventory
Most house share arguments start with a cost nobody listed: the water bill that arrives twice a year, the TV licence, the router fee, the cleaning products one person always buys. Writing down every shared cost, its amount, how often it is billed and whose name it is in gives the house one agreed list to split before any money changes hands.
First tasks
- List every bill and shared purchase the house paid in the last three months
- Ask the landlord which bills are already included in the rent
- Convert each quarterly or annual bill into a monthly figure
- Share the finished list in the house group chat and ask what is missing
First house meeting about money
The first fortnight in a new house sets the habits for the whole year. A 45-minute sit-down with a short agenda, covering rent, bills, food, cleaning supplies, guests and how people prefer to be reminded about money, is far easier than raising each issue after it has already caused friction.
First tasks
- Write a six-point agenda for the first money meeting
- Find a 45-minute slot that every housemate can make
- Take notes of every decision and open question
- Post the meeting notes to the house group chat the next day
Rent split by room size and features
Splitting rent equally feels fair until one person has the ensuite, the double room with a bay window or the parking space and another has the box room above the kitchen. Agreeing a method, whether equal shares, floor area or a points system for features, settles the biggest number in the house once and in writing.
First tasks
- Measure each bedroom and note its ensuite, storage and natural light
- Work out each person's rent under an equal split and a size-based split
- Score each room's features and test a points-based split
- Hold a house vote on the method and record the agreed shares
