Sharing a Condo With Friends on Vacation

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You found the perfect condo; right on the beach and reasonable too. Problem is, you only need one bedroom and it comes with three. Well, why not invite some friends? I’ll tell you why.

Who is Responsible?
You are. If you are the one who rented it, put down the down payment and offered your credit card for a deposit, you are the one who will pay any damages. If your friends don’t have the same respect for other people’s property as you do, this could be a problem.

What if They Cancel?
You know your dates, you know you’re going and nothing is going to stop you. But what if the others bail on you? Sometimes, if you give enough notice and/or have a good enough reason you can get out of a booking but most deals come with written rules on cancelation. Just because your friends bailed doesn’t necessarily mean you can cancel and you’re the one with money on the line. You may end up with a condo way bigger than you need and way more expensive than you can afford on your own.

Are you Sure They’re Friends?
Sharing a condo for a few days or weeks usually involves cramped quarters. A ski condo for 3 nights is a little different than a beach place for a week or two. Most anyone should be able to co-exist, especially with friends for a few days but once you get past the magical number of 3 days, you better be good friends.

Who Does What?
The main reason for renting a condo is the cheaper rent and the fact you can cook some of your meals. Well, who exactly is going to cook and who is going to clean up after? These are questions that can usually be answered with agreements beforehand and friends, good friends at least should have no problems. Whoever cooks should be able to relax during clean-up; it’s as simple as that.

Who Gets That Master Bedroom?
Usually the one who books it, gets it. Of course, that is assuming everyone pitches in the same amount. If one is paying more than another due to family size, length of stay or for whatever reason, they may have a claim on the master bedroom. Otherwise, a little game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, a flip of a coin or if you vacation together a lot, simply taking turns works as well.

Who Pays What?
In a perfect world, if it’s just singles or couples involved, everyone should pay a share. When kids or singles, mixing with couples is involved, we’ve usually broke the rental fees up by bedroom. It doesn’t matter if my wife and I are joined by our friends and their child, if they use one bedroom and we use one bedroom, we split it. It gets more complicated when someone gets stuck with the loft, the couch or the rollout bed. Remember, you’re friends; you should be able to work it out.