Field guide

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Worked examples for running a rent-by-the-room house, all at the same five-bedroom Maple House.

Free tools

Three calculators from the guides, preloaded with Maple House’s numbers.

Per-room rent calculatorSplit a whole-house target across rooms by size and premiums.Utility split calculatorOne bill, three fair ways to divide it.Vacancy cost calculatorWhat an empty room costs per day, week, and turnover.
4 min read

How to split utilities in a rent-by-the-room house

Compare four ways to divide utility bills between rooms: equal, by occupant, by room size, and an all-inclusive fee with a cap. Worked example, pitfalls, and what to write in the agreement.

4 min read

Ask your AI assistant who’s late on rent: Roomline and MCP

Connect Roomline to an AI assistant with MCP and ask who is late on rent, which rooms are vacant, and which agreements end soon. What it can do, a sample conversation, and the safety model.

7 min read

Moving a housemate to another room mid-lease without losing the record

How to move a resident from one room to another partway through an agreement: prorating the rent difference, handling the deposit, condition records for both rooms, a new agreement instead of an edited one, and telling the house.

4 min read

Rent-by-the-room house rules and lease addendum: a checklist

What belongs in each room’s rental agreement, what belongs in a house-rules addendum, and what goes in both. A worked checklist covering guests, quiet hours, cleaning, utilities, deposits, notice, and move-out.

6 min read

Room turnover without the scramble: notice to new tenant in one room

A step-by-step plan for turning over one room in a shared house: notice, move-out walkthrough, deposit, repairs, pricing, viewings, the new agreement, and move-in. Includes a worked timeline and the cost of an empty week.

2 min read

Room rental software vs. a spreadsheet: a fair migration test

Spreadsheets remain excellent for small, stable rentals. Know when connected room-level records justify a new system.

2 min read

Per-room vs. per-unit property management: test the model before choosing

Per-unit and per-room rentals need different records. Use one difficult property to see which model fits your actual agreements and shared spaces.