(Written for the roommate staring at the living room TV, wondering exactly how much a two-year-old Samsung is worth today.)
When you move into a new apartment, splitting the cost of big-ticket items—a couch, a dining table, a TV, a microwave—seems like the most logical thing in the world. Why should one person shoulder a $1,200 living room setup when both of you will use it every day?
But fast forward twelve or twenty-four months. The lease is ending. One of you is moving in with a partner; the other is moving across the country. Suddenly, that 50/50 split becomes a logistical nightmare. You can't saw a couch in half, and neither of you wants to pay for it twice.
When roommates part ways, shared assets become the biggest source of financial friction. Here is the framework for untangling your shared apartment fairly.
The Golden Rule: Depreciation is Real
The most common mistake roommates make when buying each other out is using the original purchase price. If you bought a couch for $800 two years ago, it is not worth $800 today. It has been sat on, spilled on, and depreciated.
Furniture loses value rapidly. As a general rule of thumb for standard apartment furniture (IKEA, Wayfair, Target):
- After 1 year: It retains about 60-70% of its value.
- After 2 years: It retains about 40-50% of its value.
- After 3+ years: It retains 25-30% of its value.
If Roommate A wants to keep the $800 couch after two years, they should not be paying Roommate B $400 (half the original price). The couch is now worth roughly $400 total. Roommate A should buy out Roommate B's half of the current value, which is $200.
The Three Ways to Split Shared Assets
When it comes time to divide the living room, you have three clean options. Do not mix and match these haphazardly; agree on one method for all shared items.
1. The "Buyout" Method
One roommate decides they want to keep the item. You agree on a fair current market value (search Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for similar items to get a baseline). The person keeping the item pays the other person half of that current value.
Best for: High-quality items that are annoying to move, like heavy solid-wood dressers or large sectionals.
2. The "Sell and Split" Method
Neither of you wants the item, or neither of you can transport it to your next apartment. You list it online, sell it to a stranger, and split the cash 50/50.
Best for: TVs, microwaves, bar carts, and items that have a high resale demand.
3. The "Draft Pick" Method
If you have multiple items of roughly equal value, you can skip the cash exchange entirely. Make a list of all shared assets. Flip a coin to see who gets first pick. Roommate A takes the TV. Roommate B takes the dining table and chairs. Roommate A takes the microwave. Continue until the apartment is empty.
Best for: Roommates who are both moving into unfurnished apartments and just need "stuff," regardless of exact dollar values.
How to Prevent the Problem Next Time
The absolute best way to handle roommate furniture is to never split it in the first place. Co-owning physical property with someone you are not married to is always a risk.
Next time you move in with someone, use the "Assigned Ownership" model. Instead of splitting a $500 TV and a $500 couch 50/50, Roommate A buys the TV outright, and Roommate B buys the couch outright. Both items are shared during the lease. When the lease ends, Roommate A takes their TV, and Roommate B takes their couch. Zero math, zero negotiation, zero buyouts.
If you must split the cost of daily shared expenses, keep it strictly to consumables (toilet paper, olive oil, cleaning supplies) or utility bills, where the math is clean and the items disappear at the end of the month.
Settling the Final Ledger
Move-out week is chaotic. You're dealing with security deposits, final utility bills, cleaning fees, and furniture buyouts. Trying to track who owes what for the couch versus who paid the final electricity bill via text message is a guaranteed way to lose track of money.
Put all final expenses—the couch buyout, the last internet bill, the cost of the U-Haul—into a central tracker. A shared app handles the cross-cancellations automatically. If Roommate A owes $200 for the couch, but Roommate B owes $150 for the final utility bills, a smart calculator will instantly figure out that Roommate A just needs to send $50 to settle the entire apartment.
Keep the math objective, use current market values, and settle up cleanly. You'll save your deposit, and more importantly, you'll save the friendship.