Moving in or out mid-month: prorating rent fairly
People rarely move on the 1st. When someone arrives on the 12th or leaves on the 20th, here’s how to split that month’s rent and bills without arguing over every day.
The formula
Prorated rent = monthly share × days stayed ÷ days in the month
Count the move-in day as a day stayed and the move-out day as not stayed (like hotels). Use the actual days in that month: 28, 29, 30 or 31.
Example: moving in on the 12th
Priya’s share is ₹13,350 a month. She moves in on 12 October. October has 31 days, so she stays 20 days (12th to 31st).
₹13,350 × 20 ÷ 31 = ₹8,613 (round to ₹8,610).
The person who was covering that room’s rent for the first 11 days, or the flat together, pays the remaining ₹4,740.
Try your own dates in the prorated rent calculator.
Who covers the empty days?
The landlord wants the full rent no matter who lives there, so the empty days have to be covered by someone. The common options:
- The outgoing flatmate, if they left without the agreed notice period. Many flats agree on a one-month notice: if you leave, you pay until the end of the notice or until a replacement moves in, whichever is earlier.
- The remaining flatmates, split equally, if the outgoing person gave proper notice and the flat couldn’t find a replacement.
- The incoming flatmate, only if they agreed to start paying from a fixed date to hold the room.
What about utilities and groceries?
Prorate the fixed monthly bills (WiFi, maid, cook, maintenance) the same way, by days. For usage-based bills like electricity, the simplest fair approach is to prorate by days too, unless the new person moved in during the AC months and runs one all day.
For shared groceries, settle the pantry when someone leaves: they get back their share of anything bulk they paid for recently, or just call it even. See splitting groceries.
Don’t forget the deposit
A move-in or move-out usually means a deposit handover. The incoming person pays the outgoing person their share directly. See security deposits.
A clean handover in 5 steps
- Agree the move-out date and notice in writing (a WhatsApp message is fine).
- Calculate the prorated rent and bills for the last month.
- Walk through the room for damage with the incoming person.
- Settle the deposit share between the outgoing and incoming person.
- Settle everything else in the flat’s group and remove the person from future recurring bills.
Questions
How do you calculate prorated rent?
Monthly share × days stayed ÷ days in that month. Count the move-in day but not the move-out day.
Who pays rent for the days a room is empty?
Usually the outgoing flatmate if they didn’t give the agreed notice; otherwise the remaining flatmates split it.
Should utilities be prorated too?
Fixed bills like WiFi and maid salary should be prorated by days. Electricity can be prorated or split by usage.
