Monopoly rent, buildings and mortgages: worked examples

Monopoly has no running points score. This walkthrough covers payments in the US Classic C1009 edition taught on our Monopoly rules page. Use that edition’s deeds and cards; prices and mortgage terms can differ elsewhere.

Check the rent before paying

Landing	Worked payment
Oriental Avenue, undeveloped, owner holds the whole light-blue set	Base rent 6 doubles to 12
Oriental Avenue with two houses	Its deed lists 90
A railroad whose owner holds three railroads	Pay 100
A utility, rent roll totals 8, owner holds one utility	8 × 4 = 32
Same utility roll, owner holds both utilities	8 × 10 = 80
Mortgaged property	No rent

A movement card can override ordinary rent. The owner must request rent before the next player rolls. Mortgaging one deed does not remove the group rent benefit from the others that remain unmortgaged.

Follow an auction

Suppose you decline a property at its printed price. The banker opens bidding at 10. You may still bid; the printed purchase price is not a minimum auction price. If the highest bid is 85, that bidder pays 85 to the bank. If nobody bids, the deed stays unsold.

Build and sell evenly

For a three-street set, house counts of 2–1–1 are legal; 3–1–1 are not. Move through 2–2–1 and 2–2–2 before giving a street its third house.

If each house costs 50, moving from 1–1–1 to 2–2–2 costs 3 × 50 = 150. Selling those three added houses back returns 3 × 25 = 75, and you must reduce the set evenly.

Four houses on every street allow hotel upgrades. For a hotel costing 50 plus four houses, pay the extra 50 and return that street’s houses. Selling that hotel reverses the upgrade: receive 25 and exchange it for four houses, which can then be sold evenly. Physical building availability still matters; the rule sheet does not explain every shortage during hotel liquidation, so agree how to resolve that situation before play.

Work out a mortgage transfer

For a deed with mortgage value 100:

Action	Bank payment or receipt
Mortgage it	Receive 100
Lift your mortgage	Pay 100 + 10 = 110
Receive it in a trade and lift it immediately	Pay 110, separately from the trade price
Receive it and keep it mortgaged	Pay 10 immediately
Lift it later after that transfer	Pay another 110

Keeping then lifting the transferred mortgage costs 120 in total. Do not mistake the first 10 payment for a deposit against the later 110.

Resolve bankruptcy by creditor

Raise cash before declaring bankruptcy. If the unpaid debt is rent to another player, that creditor receives the remaining assets; mortgage-transfer charges apply. If it is a debt to the bank, properties return for auction with mortgages cancelled. Jail cards return to their decks in the latter case.

The last remaining player wins. For decision advice, read Monopoly beginner strategy.