Settling up when a flatmate moves out

Move-out is when shared money gets messy

For months everything “evened out.” Then someone gives notice, and suddenly you have to untangle it all at once: the security deposit, the final electricity and internet bills that arrive after they've left, shared stuff that was bought together, and whatever was never quite squared. Do it badly and a good flatmate relationship ends on a sour note.

A clean move-out checklist

• --Settle the running balance first — clear everything logged up to the move date.
• --Estimate trailing bills — the last electricity/internet bill often lands after move-out; agree a fair pro-rated share now.
• --Split the deposit correctly — return it per what each person contributed, minus any agreed damages.
• --Decide on shared possessions — buy out the shared blender/router or sell and split.
• --Do a final settle-up so everyone leaves at zero.

Why a shared record makes this painless

If the whole tenancy lived on one shared ledger, move-out is a five-minute job: the balances are already there, and a settle-up screen tells you the exact final transfers. No arguing from memory about who paid the June bill — the record does the remembering.