TIFU by assuming my roommate and I were on the same page about rent

This happened over the last few months and it’s finally blowing up in a very awkward way.

When my roommate and I moved into our place, the total rent was $2,400. The master bedroom is noticeably bigger and has its own bathroom. I took that room. We casually agreed I’d pay “a bit more” and left it at that. No written breakdown. No exact number discussion. Just vibes and a handshake.

I started sending $1,300 each month and he sent $1,100. In my head that was the fair split. Bigger room, private bathroom, extra $200. Done.

Fast forward to this week. He brings up that he feels like he’s been overpaying compared to the space difference. I was confused because I thought I was the one paying more. Turns out, in his head, “a bit more” meant I’d cover utilities too since I had the master. He assumed the $1,100 he was sending was his total housing cost. I assumed utilities were split 50/50 on top of rent. We never clarified it.

So for months I’ve been splitting electric, water, and internet evenly. He thought I was just forwarding him his portion of utilities out of courtesy and that I was absorbing most of it because of the room difference.

The tension now is uncomfortable because neither of us is technically wrong. We just… never defined the numbers clearly. That’s when the conversation started.

Now we’re sitting here recalculating past months like two accountants who should’ve just spoken clearly in the first place. No one’s yelling. It’s just awkward. Lesson learned. If money is involved, vague language is expensive.

TL;DR: My roommate and I agreed I’d pay “a bit more” for the master bedroom but never defined exact numbers. Months later we realized we had completely different assumptions about how rent and utilities were split, and now we’re awkwardly recalculating everything.