A Roommate Agreement is a contract between tenants living in the same home that outlines shared expenses and house rules.
Unlike a lease agreement, no landlord is involved in a roommate agreement. By signing this agreement, tenants agree to abide by the rules and pay their rent, utilities, and other expenses on time.
What Should a Roommate Agreement Include?
You should include the following in your roommate agreement:
- Expense breakdown. Every roommate agreement needs a breakdown of each tenant’s contribution toward shared expenses, including rent, security deposit, utilities, and shared supplies/groceries.
- Shared and private rooms. Indicate which parts of the house are common areas and which rooms are private to one or more tenants.
- Guests and parties. Roommates should unanimously decide what situations having guests over needs prior approval from other roommates. Set limits on how frequently roommates can have visitors and set guidelines for parties and larger groups of guests.
- Pets. If your lease allows, consider whether you are okay with having a pet, even if none of your housemates currently have plans to get one. Specify in writing what will happen if the pet owner is out of town or the pet causes any damage to the property.
- Chores. Roommates should all contribute to regular maintenance and deep cleaning for shared areas like the kitchen, bathroom, and living space. We recommend creating a rotating schedule for daily, weekly, and monthly chores.
- Quiet hours. Communicating each tenant’s schedule is good so roommates can respect each other’s rest or study routines. Designate quiet hours (for example, between 12 AM and 7 AM) where roommates agree to make little noise.
- Early move-out. Include any guidelines for early move-out in your roommate agreement so tenants know what options they have if their situation requires them to move out early.
- Sharing/borrowing items. Ensure everyone is on the same page about if/when it is acceptable to borrow another tenant’s belongings. Also, consider how these rules apply to shared items like cooking supplies.
- Any other house rules agreed upon by roommates. It is impossible to prepare for every situation. Still, you might want to consider potential argument-starters like the ideal temperature for the house, shared parking space, or shower times.
Why Do I Need a Roommate Agreement?
Roommate agreements prevent disagreements among housemates, whether renters move in with strangers or close friends.
Many universities require students on campus to fill out a dorm roommate agreement. Having a set of roommate rules on paper can go a long way in preventing disputes and keeping roommate relationships amicable.
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Creating a written roommate agreement may feel unnecessary if you move in with friends. However, conflicts often arise because each person has unspoken expectations for how the roommates should do things.
Steps to Create a Roommate Agreement
Writing a good roommate agreement is essential in preventing conflict among roommates.
Step 1: Fill out the agreement template
Please fill it out through our document builder and have each house member fill in their information.
Make sure it includes your name and the rental property’s address, including the street name or number, city, state, and ZIP code.
Step 2: Sit down with roommates and discuss house rules
Using the document as a guide, discuss the terms of your roommate agreement with your housemates. Do not rush through, especially if there is an issue your roommates disagree on.
It is better to pause and return to the agreement later than to hastily set a rule that not all roommates are happy about.
Step 3: Complete and sign the document
Once housemates have agreed to all terms, sign and date the document together.
Make sure you discuss how to communicate about issues in the future. And remember, you can always revise the contract with another written agreement if needed.