Dear Ms. Demeanor: Who pays for the temporary wall?
Dear Ms. Demeanor,
We are three woman moving in to a two-bedroom apartment. One of the bedrooms is pretty big and we are putting up a temporary wall to subdivide it.
The girl who is getting the intact bedroom says she should not have to pay to put up the wall since she is payng more rent for her bedroom. WTF? Help us please!
Signed, Miserable Millenial
Dear Miserable Millenial,
This all comes down to math.
Figure out how much it would cost for each bedroom if only two people were living there. If the cost to roommate in the intact room is the same and the subdividers are the only ones benefitting financially from the arrangement, your roommate has a point.
If all of you are benefiting financially by having a third person, all of you bear responsibility for making that possible.
Going forward, all fiscal decision-making should be completely transparent. This is not exactly a red flag but it is definitely a yellow one.
Divide and conquer,
Ms. Demeanor
Ms. Demeanor is channeled by a longtime Manhattan vertical dweller and real-estate voyeur who writes under the pen name Jamie Lauren Sutton. She is here to commiserate, calm and correct. Please email your quandaries to [email protected] and put "Dear Ms. Demeanor" in the subject line.
See all of Ms. Demeanor's advice here
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