Money Moral Dilemma: How much should I pay towards the holiday home I've rented with two couples?

ianchambers

It's simple, by Bedroom, like any other accommodation. So a 3 way split.

GoPlacidlyAmidTheNoiseAndHaste

We were a group of ten who go away together every year. We are now a group of nine but still need five bedrooms. When there were ten of us we divided costs between ten, now we divide between nine. 

It seems the fairest way - it would be sad if the single person felt that they couldn’t come as they couldn’t afford to pay double the cost. 

Food and meals out get divided by nine but alcohol gets divided by the number of people drinking it - in our case six - as it doesn’t seem fair for non drinkers to pay. 

[Deleted User]

My own feeling is this. There are five individuals involved here - one single person (you) and two couples (2 x 2 = 4 others). Therefore if, for example, the total cost for the accommodation was £1,000, I feel it would be fair for each individual to pay their share, ie £200 per head. In other words, you pay £200 and each couple pays £400 between them. If I was part of a couple, I would feel extremely mean charging you the same amount as my husband and I were paying. Ok, so your bed had to be made up, room cleaned and sheets washed afterwards. However, if we’re going to be really pedantic you could argue that you are only using one towel rather than two, and only half the water and electricity the couples would have used … oh and presumably half the amount of teabags, biscuits and coffee sachets too! Don’t allow these people to take advantage of you in the future. True friends shouldn’t be behaving in this way!

Vintagebusman

Definitely a 5-way split!

jedav

Inevitably perception of "fairness" depends on the circumstances of the beholder.  Best to have a conversation before agreeing to go, but it's probably too late for that now.  Ditching friends might be a bit drastic but communication by all parties is key.  Considerations might be - household bills, food and drink (split five ways but some might argue that they eat/drink less than others like with restaurant bills), versus one taking up a room that could accommodate two, thus making it cheaper for others, one bed needs dealing with whether one or two occupy it.

If you all want each others' company you need to come to a compromise that you can all live with.

Flipflop13

The restaurant analogy doesn’t work because individuals consume different amounts, you don’t consume your room. 

For me it’s a tough one because everyone is getting (presumably) their own sleeping space, technically single person is getting more space but lets just say for arguments sake everyone has adequate. All the bills will be included so don’t need to worry about who used more water/electricity. So a three way split seems reasonable. It’s up to the single person if they want to share with another friend to lower the costs. 

However, as a caveat, I do think it depends on how much the difference is. If each rooms is £100 then I’d say three ways. If however we are talking £500 a room then it is a lot for a single person to find on their own. Only the OP knows their own budget. 

hairypitz

I’d be asking how the rooms are going to be allocated. If there’s 3 rooms with the same size and facilities (eg all en-suite ) then maybe this time it’s best to split 3 ways, you’re each buying similar things but the couples are sharing the costs. 

If there’s clear differences between rooms and you’re expected to take the box room but pay the same as the couple with the en-suite and private balcony then ask to pay less as you’re getting less for your money. 

If the couples you’re holidaying with are insistent that you all pay the same split, insist the rooms are chosen by drawing lots. You might get the best room, you might get the worst but it will make your fellow travellers understand that the split shouldn’t be the same if there are big differences in amenities.

frugalwin

If I were the single person, I would recognise that if I weren’t going then a 2 bedroom house would be sufficient. I would be willing to either pay one third the cost of the 3 bedroom house, or the difference between a comparable 2 bedroom house and the 3 bedroom house that has been booked. I expect this second option would work out at around 25% for the singleton and 37.5% for the couples, as has been suggested by someone else.

I would not expect to pay half as much as the couples, as that would potentially be increasing the costs for them just because I didn’t have a partner to split the bill with.

Groom

Most holiday cottages charge the same no matter how many people there are. I would expect the cost to be split 5 ways, especially if it's going to include food. No doubt when you get there, unless the rooms are all the same size, you will be expected to take the smallest. 

Ridnarhtim

My partner and I are going on holiday with a single friend soon, and we're each paying 1/3 of the accommodation cost. It never even occurred to any of us to do anything different.

If they won't agree to that, I think something like the 25% that another person suggested is reasonable. It's not like the room is the only part of the accommodation. There will be shared spaces that you only get 1/5th access to.