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

bandanaman

I would be wary of the group - if they insist on doing a 3 way split - no doubt they will want this for food and drinks as well / BUT if they do a 5 way split for food and drink then they should do the same for the room.
Hence ask them how they will split the food and drink and if it is 5 way then say .... same for the accommodation .... if they say 3 way then tell them that is unfair and bring up the same applies to the room (unless all rooms are same size / facilities - then it is a 3 way split ... IMHO)

Cambsmum

If your room is the same as theirs then a three way split is fair. If you got the grotty box room then not fair. I would say other expenses get split 5 ways.

enthusiasticsaver

I think a three way  split on the house rent is fair as you each have a bedroom.  For meals etc though it should be a five way split. 

Southendormargate

Pay 20% each

[Deleted User]

It_Just_Aint_Right said:

I think it would be helpful to know the situation of the participants - are they all working? 
I don't think people should be penalised for having a good job that is well paid - but it wouldn't feel right (to me) if I earned 50k, my partner earned 50k, and the single person earned 13k.
Two people sharing on bedroom would not take extra heating (presumably) but they would use extra water, electricity (showers, hairdryers, whatever). 
Do things fairly.

If I agreed on a holiday with someone I would expect to pay my own way, regardless of individual financial circumstances, whoever was the better off.  Other people's finances are no-one else's business.  In this instance the cost should be divided by five, it's straightforward, there are five people, otherwise there are other things to be taken into account, room size, it's position, windows, if there are en suite facilities, which floor it's on, furnishing, wardrobe space etc..   Just divide by five, enjoy the advantages and put up with the disadvantages.  

Matt8888

I've been with large groups of friends in the past, renting large houses (e.g. 6 bedrooms+) in the countryside for a week to two - some couples, some singles. At the end of the holiday we divided absolutely everything by the total number of people. I don't think it ever occurred to any one of us to do it any other way, and only reading this now has made me think about it.

addyann

each person pays the same. 

primrose_penguin

Why didn't you discuss this before booking? If as you say there are 3 double bedrooms then I think it should be split 3 ways as long as your room is equal to the others, however food and any other expenses should be split 5 ways. If you eat out together then you should only pay for what you eat or drink. I would think this holiday house rental works out cheaper than if you tried to rent a smaller holiday house on your own. Hope you have a good time and your friends treat you fairly on holiday, otherwise it would be the last one I would be having with them.

Matt8888

Groom said:

No doubt when you get there, unless the rooms are all the same size, you will be expected to take the smallest. 

Yes, for sure... And couple paying the same as you would possibly selfishly dominate other areas of the house without thinking about it.

bikaga

I've organised a few of these and have always made sure to agree beforehand... I've always pushed splitting by number of adults. It's bad enough being the single person on a mostly-couples trip, but paying twice as much for accommodation when that's not necessary just seems mean. (And no, I'm happily married, so I was actually paying more than I would've had to.)

There are lots of things coming into play, who's driving and offering a lift, what the setup of the different rooms is, who's pulling more than their weight in organising, who needs an ensuite and so on, so you won't get it exactly appropriate, so why not just share the cost equally.