Furniture bought by roommates: who keeps what?

Rent stops on move-out day. The sofa three roommates bought together stays in the living room. Shared purchases outlast the bills, and the moment someone leaves is when the group needs to know who owns them and what they are still worth. This guide shows how to settle that at purchase time, then how to buy out a roommate’s share.

The person who pays is not always the owner

One roommate often puts the purchase on their card. That does not make them the owner. What counts is the share each person ends up paying once repayments are done. An item split three ways belongs one third to each; an item only two people use and pay for belongs to those two.

So when you buy, write down three things: the price, who paid and who shares it. If someone does not want a TV, they do not pay for it and own no part of it. That is easier than arguing about it two years later.

A worked example: three purchases, three roommates

This example is fictional. Lena, Sam and Paul move in together. Lena buys the sofa for $900, Sam the washing machine for $420 and Paul the dishes for $60. All three purchases are split equally.

• Total: $900 + $420 + $60 = $1,380, or $460 per person.
• Lena paid $900 for a $460 share: she is owed $440.
• Sam paid $420 for a $460 share: he owes $40.
• Paul paid $60 for a $460 share: he owes $400.

Paul sends Lena $400 and Sam sends her $40. Check: 440 − 40 − 400 = 0. Each roommate now owns a third of the sofa, the washing machine and the dishes.

Agree on depreciation before you need it

The purchase price says nothing about what a sofa is worth two years later. Debating its value on move-out day, when one person wants the highest figure and another the lowest, causes friction. A rule set at purchase time avoids that argument.

Lena, Sam and Paul pick a simple rule: each item loses 20% of its purchase price per full year, down to zero after five years. It does not match the exact resale price; it is predictable and the same for everyone. If an item is damaged or still like new, you can agree on another value, ideally before you know who keeps it.

Paul leaves after two years

Two full years later, Paul moves out. Under the rule, each item is worth 60% of its purchase price.

• Sofa: $900 × 60% = $540, Paul’s third $180.
• Washing machine: $420 × 60% = $252, Paul’s third $84.
• Dishes: $60 × 60% = $36, Paul’s third $12.

If Paul leaves everything, Lena and Sam buy his shares: $180 + $84 + $12 = $276, or $138 each. Paul, though, wants to take the dishes. He then buys the other two thirds, $24, or $12 from each. Netting it out, Lena and Sam each owe him $90 for the sofa and $42 for the washing machine, minus $12 for the dishes: $120 each. Check: 2 × $120 = $240, which is 180 + 84 − 24.

When a new roommate, Nora, takes the room, there is another option: she buys Paul’s shares of the sofa and the washing machine, $264, and becomes a co-owner. Lena and Sam pay nothing up front, and ownership stays at one third each.

Rent, bills and the deposit on move-out follow other rules, covered in our guide to settling up when a roommate moves out.

The receipt stays with the item

When an item bought from a store breaks, warranty rules depend on where you live. In the European Union, the legal guarantee lasts at least 2 years from the moment you receive the goods, and goods bought from private individuals are not covered by these rules. Elsewhere, check the store’s and the manufacturer’s terms. In every case, the receipt in the buyer’s name is the proof of purchase.

Keep it with the item, or as a photo somewhere shared, not among the things of the person who leaves. Buying a share from a roommate is a deal between individuals; the original warranty, where there is one, stays tied to the original purchase from the seller.

When everyone moves out

When the household ends, each item has three possible outcomes: one person keeps it and buys the others’ shares at the agreed value, the group sells it and splits the money by share, or it is given away. In every case, the same depreciation rule and the same list of purchases let you wrap up in a few minutes.

In Spliz, a household can add each purchase as an expense, choose who shares it and check everyone’s balance, for free. Roommates install the app to join the group as guests without creating an account. The app does not move money: buyouts happen by bank transfer, in cash or with another app, and are then recorded in the group.

Spliz

Sources

• Your Europe, Guarantees and returns, minimum 2-year legal guarantee in the EU and exclusion of goods bought from private individuals (checked November 11, 2026).