How to Split the Cost of a Vacuum Cleaner With Roommates

Splitting the cost of a vacuum cleaner with roommates is easy — but who owns it when the lease ends is the real question. Here's how to handle both.

Nobody wakes up excited to buy a vacuum. But someone has to, and the second you Venmo-request three roommates for a quarter of a $180 Shark, one of them is going to ask “wait, do I get to keep it if I move out first?” Good question. Answer it before you buy, not after.

Short version: split the cost evenly by number of roommates, agree in writing (even a text) who keeps it when the last person moves out, and either buy it together or have one person buy it and get paid back the same day.

How much should each roommate pay for a shared vacuum?

Even split, by headcount. Four roommates on a $200 vacuum is $50 each. Do not split by “who vacuums the most” — that math never works and it always turns into a fight about whose room has carpet.

Two exceptions:

One roommate has a pet. Pet hair kills vacuums 3x faster and you’ll need a stronger model. That roommate pays more, or covers replacement when it dies. Same logic as splitting other pet-related costs.
One roommate refuses to use it. They still pay in. Shared apartment appliance = shared cost. Their choice not to use it is their business.

Who owns the vacuum when someone moves out?

This is the actual problem. Three ways to handle it, pick one before you buy:

Option 1 — Last person standing keeps it. Whoever’s still on the lease when the vacuum outlives the group owns it. Everyone else eats their share. Cleanest emotionally, but the last person “wins” free stuff.

Option 2 — Buyout when you leave. If you move out mid-lease, remaining roommates pay you back a prorated share based on age. Two-year-old $200 vacuum with a five-year life = worth ~$120, your quarter share = $30 back. Fair, but requires math.

Option 3 — Sell it and split when the last person leaves. Post it on Facebook Marketplace, split the resale evenly. Requires the group to actually do it. Usually the last person just keeps it.

Write down which option you picked. A screenshot of a group chat message counts. When someone moves out in nine months and forgets, you have receipts.

What kind of vacuum should roommates actually buy?

Buy the one that survives shared use, not the one with the best marketing:

Cheap ($60–100): Bissell CleanView or similar. Fine for hard floors, one year of shared abuse before it dies.
Mid ($150–250): Shark Navigator. The workhorse. Handles carpet, pet hair, and roommates who bang it into door frames.
Cordless ($200–400): Dyson V8 or Tineco. Nice, but expensive to replace when someone breaks it in month four.

Go mid-range corded. Shared apartment vacuums live rougher lives than personal ones. Buying the cheap one means buying two.

Who pays for repairs or replacement?

Same split as the original purchase, as long as it died from normal use. If one person genuinely broke it — dropped it down stairs, sucked up a sock and burned the motor — that’s on them. This is the same rule as when a roommate breaks your stuff: whoever caused it, pays.

Filters and bags are consumables. Split those with the rest of your household supplies.

How homies helps

homies tracks who paid for what and how much each roommate still owes on shared apartment stuff — vacuum, furniture, that airfryer someone bought in a moment of ambition. When someone moves out, the app already knows what their share is, so nobody has to dig through Venmo history from eight months ago.

rooming, minus the drama. Join the waitlist at joinhomies.app.