For student houses and housemates
Splitting bills in a shared house, without the hassle.
In a shared house it rarely goes wrong over the rent. It goes wrong over toilet roll, the energy bill in one housemate's name and the month someone moves out. Here is what helps, what houses usually share and which agreements are worth making up front.
halvr helps you keep track and settle up. Free to start.
A month for Alex, Sam, Noor and Daan
They split equally, 25% each.
| Energy and internet, paid by Alex | €195.00 |
| Household things, paid by Sam | €36.00 |
| Dinner together, paid by Noor | €54.00 |
| Total | €285.00 |
| Share per person (25%) | €71.25 |
Alex gets €123.75 back. Sam pays €35.25, Noor €17.25 and Daan €71.25.
Where it usually goes wrong in a shared house
Not the big bills, but the small things nobody keeps track of.
- 1
Always the same person buying toilet roll
What helps
Keep track of who buys what for the house, and settle once a month. Then it does not matter who happened to pass the supermarket.
In halvr: Everyone adds what they bought for the house, or ticks it on their statement. At the end of the month each of you sees one amount.
- 2
A pile of payment requests
What helps
Settle everything at one fixed moment. Then everyone pays once a month, instead of after every shop.
In halvr: On the day you choose, everyone sees how much they pay or get back, and from whom.
- 3
Bills in one housemate's name
What helps
Energy and internet are usually in one person's name, and they pay up front every month. Agree that the others pay their part every month, even when money is tight.
In halvr: Set the bill up once as a recurring charge. It books itself every month, so nobody has to remember.
- 4
Someone moves out
What helps
Agree that everything is settled before their last day, including that month's bills, and who takes over the contracts.
In halvr: Close the period and settle what is open. Then the owner removes the old housemate and invites the new one. The history stays.
The house's bills: set up once
Internet, energy and that one streaming service come back every month. Set them up once and they are there every month by themselves.
- On your statement?
- Mark the charge as recurring once. On your next statement halvr recognises it and it is already ticked, with the right category.
- Or let it book itself
- Set it up as a scheduled charge, with the amount and how often: every week, month, quarter or year. halvr books it by itself, even if it is on no statement at all.
- Does it ever stop?
- Give it an end date, or stop it whenever you like. If it runs without an end date, halvr asks now and then whether it is still right.
Regular costs are part of the €4.99 a month subscription.
Scheduled charges
Energy
every month
€150.00
books itself
Internet
every month
€45.00
books itself
Streaming service
every month
€13.99
books itself
Contents insurance
every year
€96.00
books itself
Five agreements for a shared house
Once at the kitchen table, and you never need to again.
- 1
What is shared
A list like the one above. Anything not on it, everyone pays themselves.
- 2
Equal shares or not
Equal is simplest. If the rooms differ a lot, whoever has the biggest room can take a bigger share.
- 3
Who pays the bills up front
And that the others pay their part every month.
- 4
When you settle
One fixed moment a month, and within how many days it is paid.
- 5
What happens when someone leaves
Everything settled before their last day, and who takes over the contracts and shared things.
One subscription for the whole house
Free to start. Every feature for €4.99 a month per halvr, for everyone together, with a 14-day free trial. With four housemates that is €1.25 each, if you add the subscription itself as a shared expense.
Questions from housemates
Does everyone need a subscription?
No. One subscription covers the whole house: whoever creates the halvr pays, everyone else joins for free. To share the cost, add the subscription as a shared expense in halvr.
Does everyone have to upload a bank statement?
No. Uploading is handy for whoever pays a lot for the house. You can also add an expense on its own, once or recurring.
What if someone moves out or in?
Close the period and settle what is still open. Then the owner removes the old housemate from the halvr, invites the new one and adjusts the split.
Can we split unequally?
Yes. Everyone has their own share, for example a bigger one for whoever has the biggest room. An expense that is for one person only can be charged entirely to them.
Can I pay through halvr?
No. halvr shows who owes whom. You pay the way you always do, by bank transfer or a payment request, and then mark it paid.