Alright so I’m an undergrad female planning on rooming with 4 other roommates (all male) in a house this upcoming semester. I’m currently in a debate with two of my roommates on occupying one of the biggest rooms. Basic layout of the house: 2 big rooms connected by a door on the main floor and 3 smaller ones upstairs. Both want the bottom floor mainly to be next to each other, but that’s their only argument. I honestly just need the space for the amount of things I’ll be bringing… I’ve already offered to pay more for the room and so on, but is there any other logical argument points I can bring up to them that will convince them to allow me to live in the bigger room?
I suggest you label each room 1-5 then draw for them out of a hat. If you end up with a small room then bring less stuff.
No. For that matter,being female and having more stuff is not a valid argument.
And unless the 2 guys are continuing their residency in the house (and they are the only carry-overs), they shouldn’t get first preference either.
As mentioned above, draw for spots. If you all want to be truly equitable, rotate rooms after X number of weeks.
How about a sealed bid process?
Each roommate submits a bid (the maximum amount of rent you’ll pay each month) for the most desirable room or rooms. Whoever has the highest bid, can get their pick of the most desirable room(s). The rest of the rooms are drawn out of a hat and their rent is split equally, after accounting for the bids on the one or two most desirable rooms.
I’d draw for spots and let the winner of the big room trade it to you for on-going rent considerations, a one-time payment, covering his turn cleaning the bathroom, whatever. Girls Have More Stuff is a bogus argument that could lead to Guys Have Huge Piles Of Crap Too, and that way lies chaos. If he won’t sell it or someone else outbids you then you get to make choices about how much to bring to school. Maybe re-draw at Christmas break if there’s going to be turnover after the semester.
How quiet do you want it? I would go for smaller room upstairs where i wouldn’t have people going by the room late at night or early in morning before a larger room down with living areas. Maybe not an issue for you…
I would rely on a tournament of feats of strength and upon completion a sharing of a Festivus meal while all grievances are settled.
Agree with everyone else, your larger amount of stuff isn’t a logical reason for preference. I agree with the lottery system (that’s what we did when I was in school), or the higher rent system, maybe you need to raise your bid higher!
I agree a random lottery of some sort is fair, or a way to pay/do more for the larger spaces. No one should automatically get the one they want if more than one person wants that.
I’d rather be upstairs away from all the activity also…