Is it fair to ask my housemate to pay more because she has the bigger room?
The complainant says
Two of us rent a two-bed house together. When we moved in we flipped a coin for the rooms and she won the big one. It's about double the size of mine, has the bay window and fits a double wardrobe and a desk. Mine fits a bed and a chest of drawers.
We've paid 50/50 rent for a year. Now the tenancy is up for renewal and the rent is going up, so I suggested we split it 55/45 from now on to reflect the room sizes. She said we agreed to a coin toss, not a sliding scale, and I'm only bringing it up now because I'm bitter.
The other side says the housemate, as the complainant tells it
She says we both knew the rooms were different sizes before the coin toss and agreed the winner would get the bigger room at the same price. She says changing the deal after a year feels like punishing her for winning.
Jury discussion (5 comments)
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Suggest swapping rooms for the next year at 50/50. See how fast she agrees to 55/45.
This is diabolical and I love it
The coin toss decided who got the room. It didn't decide the price forever. A renewal is exactly the time to renegotiate.
You agreed to the coin toss knowing the stakes. Bit late to change the rules.
Most house shares I've been in charge more for bigger rooms. 55/45 is modest.