RoomBy Eric Willden · RoomRentalsHQ
How to Rent a House by the Room: Profit Math from 2 Real Houses
People ask me all the time if renting by the room is actually worth it. Here's my honest answer, with real numbers from my two houses in DFW.
The big idea
More rooms is better. The first 2–3 tenants cover the bills. Your profit comes from rooms 4, 5 and up. That's why I look for 5+ bedrooms, and why I turned a front den into an extra bedroom.
The numbers
These are monthly, 12-month averages with all rooms full. Mortgages include escrow (taxes and insurance).
| Bedford (7 rooms) | Euless (6 rooms) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $5,575 | $4,900 |
| Mortgage | $2,233.74 | $1,857.61 |
| Utilities | ~$498 | ~$693 |
| Internet | ~$110 | ~$90 |
| Mowing | ~$65 | ~$65 |
| Cleaner | — | $120 |
| Profit | ~$2,665 | ~$2,070 |
That's about $4,735 a month from two houses. My goal is $2K+ per house, and both clear it.
What's not in the table
- Setup: about $400–500 per room for a queen bed, small dresser and end table.
- Vacancy: a room can sit for a few weeks between tenants. Plan for it.
- Repairs: things break all the time.
How to run your own numbers
- Add up mortgage, utilities, internet, lawn and cleaning.
- Divide by what a room rents for. That's how many rooms just cover the bills.
- Every room past that is profit. If it doesn't get you near $2K/mo, look for more bedrooms.