the new roommate needs to be added to the lease AND any agreement regarding how the security deposit is to be split if & when its returned. The roommate should buy their share of the security deposit by paying each person the difference between the 1/3 share vs the 1/4 share. You can do this 2 ways: one option is that the roommate pays the landlord $850 and the landlord refunds $283 to each of the other 3 (that way each person has paid an equal share of $850), OR the new roommate can just pay each person $283 ($849 total) without involving the landlord. The new roommate has the right to expect written documentation that they are now entitled to 1/4 of any refund when your group moves out.
The agent fee is up to you. You could ask the new roommate to pay the extra $283/person so that gets split equally, but that might cause potential roommates to look elsewhere because they didn't receive the service of the agent. Then again if the agent finds the roommate for you they would collect any fees directly.
Rent should be split so that each person pays 1/3 right now. The share drops to 1/4 per person starting when the new roommate moves in but they don't owe back rent for the time before they moved in, only for the time they're actually there.
Make sure you have a written agreement on how the costs will be divided if/when someone gets a new boyfriend or girlfriend who wants to move in to share a bedroom (is this even allowed?). Also what happens if one person wants to move out?
Put it all in writing.
While I don't know if you can legally do this, I think it will make it much harder to get a roommate for this room. While you have an agreement in the lease on what is expected to get your security deposit back, the new person would have no written agreement to be able to get their part of the security deposit back.
I would charge everything except the brokers fee. The new roommate would not being using the services of a broker, so he/she should not be responsible for the cost.
for the time being you each share 1/3rd of everything
if and when you find a 4th then he will pay each of you the difference the 1/3rd and 1/4th result
you three have paid it all up front and he needs to contribute his share to you of those prepayments
I thin your plan is an equitable one, provided you don't ask the new roommate to pay any of the rent you incurred prior to her arrival. Certainly asking her to pay her share of the UP FRONT expenses seems reasonable.
Okay so here's the deal...I have a 4 bedroom apartment but currently there are only 3 of us. We are going to move in and continuing searching for a 4th roommate in the coming weeks.
Rent is 3400 a month. We are going to pay the security deposit (1 months rent), broker fee (1 months rent) application fee ($100). First months rent will be due on the 1st of August.
So divided by the 3 of us I will be paying $2,366 in move in fees plus the application fee.
My question is...should we find a roommate to move in Sept 1st, can we ask her to pay security deposit and brokers fee as well? In other words she would pay us back so that it will be as if we divided the brokers fee and security deposit 4 ways instead of 3?
I just don't think it's fair that someone can move in 1 month later and not have to pay all the same fees.
