Renting a House for New Year’s with Friends: How to Split the Rent, Deposit and Food

Some guests stay three nights, some only one; New Year’s Eve costs twice as much; there are children and non-drinkers. A fair split with a worked example.

Published: September 28, 2026

A shared holiday house is the most expensive and the most argued-over part of the New Year for a group of friends. The arguments come from three places: people staying a different number of nights, New Year’s Eve priced higher than other nights, and money for food and drink that not everyone consumes equally.

Short answer: split the rent by nights — each night among those who slept there. Split food equally among those who ate, and log drinks as a separate expense shared only by those who drink. Collect the deposit from everyone and return it the same way; damage is paid by whoever caused it.

A worked example

A house for three nights: 30 December — 30,000 RUB, New Year’s Eve — 60,000 RUB, 1 January — 30,000 RUB. Ten people: eight stay all three nights, two come only for New Year’s Eve.

30 December: 30,000 ÷ 8 = 3,750 RUB each.
New Year’s Eve: 60,000 ÷ 10 = 6,000 RUB each.
1 January: 30,000 ÷ 8 = 3,750 RUB each.

Full stay: 13,500 RUB. New Year’s Eve only: 6,000 RUB. Together: 8 × 13,500 + 2 × 6,000 = 120,000 RUB. If you instead divided 120,000 by person-nights (26), the one-night guests would pay 4,615 RUB — less than the price of the very night they came for.

Children, non-drinkers and the deposit

Children either pay nothing for the rent or half an adult share. In DeliBabki use “Parts”: 2 for an adult, 1 for a child.
Drinks are a separate expense, split only among those who drink.
The deposit is not an expense: collect it equally and return it equally. Only a deduction for damage becomes an expense — for whoever caused it.
Cancellations: agree before the prepayment that a non-refundable share stays with the person who drops out until they find a replacement.

For people who join a trip for only part of it, see also budgeting a group trip, and for getting there by car — how to split fuel on a road trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you split the rent if someone only comes for New Year’s Eve?

If the host prices each night separately, split each night among the people who stayed that night. New Year’s Eve is usually the most expensive night, so a guest who comes only for it pays a full share of it.

Who pays the deposit on the house?

Collect it from everyone equally and return it equally. If the host keeps part of it for damage, whoever broke the thing pays; if nobody knows who, everyone who stayed shares it.

What if someone drops out after the prepayment?

Agree on the rule before paying: if the booking is non-refundable, the person who drops out keeps paying their share until they find a replacement.

Renting a House Together?

One link for the whole group: rent by nights, food, drinks — and who owes whom at the end.

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