Cleaning rota for 9 housemates

A house of nine, such as a large student let, has fewer chores than people, so some housemates are off each week. A fair rota shares the weeks off as evenly as the chores. Below is a full nine-week cycle for six chores.

Worked example: 9 people, 6 chores, 9 weeks

Ana, Ben, Cleo, Dev, Eli, Fay, Gus, Hana and Ivo share six chores. Each chore has one person a week and moves on by one person every week, so three people are off.

After nine weeks every person has done each of the six chores exactly once and has had three weeks off. Week 10 repeats week 1.

Making the weeks off feel fair

• Count the off weeks too. The week off rotates exactly like a chore, so nobody gets more of them than anyone else.
• Add chores to shrink the break. With nine chores for nine people, nobody is off. Seven chores leaves two people off each week.
• Put the toilet right after the bathroom in the list. Neighbours in the list land on different people in the same week.

This size needs the Pro licence

The free version makes rotas for up to 4 people and up to 4 weeks, so neither nine people nor a nine-week table fits. Both need the paid Chore Rota Pro licence, USD 3.50 one-time, which covers up to 12 people and up to 26 weeks and nothing above that. Only the organiser needs the licence. Housemates who receive a link do not.

Every housemate gets a personal link with their own weeks, "No chore this week" in a week off, and a button that downloads a calendar (.ics) file. Privacy: the schedule lives only in the link, anyone with the link can read the names and chores in it, and nothing is stored on a server. See the privacy page.

Open the chore rota generator

More guides

• Fair chore rotation for 7 or 8 housemates
• Shared house cleaning rota for 6 housemates
• Weekly cleaning rota for a student house of 5
• Chore rota for 12 housemates: the largest size