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What to include in a roommate agreement (free template)

Published · Updated · Landlords and tenants

A roommate agreement is a short contract between the people who share a home. It sits alongside the lease with the landlord and settles the questions that cause most flatmate arguments: money, mess, guests and what happens when someone leaves.

What it does not change

The agreement binds the roommates to each other, not the landlord. If you all signed the lease, each of you is usually liable to the landlord for the full rent, not just your share. A roommate agreement lets you recover a share from a roommate who does not pay; it does not stop the landlord coming to you for all of it.

What to include

  1. Who and where. Everyone's names, the address, and the lease dates.
  2. Rent. Each person's share, the due date, and who pays the landlord. Splits based on room size are common; write the amounts down.
  3. The deposit. What each person paid, and how deductions and the refund are shared at the end.
  4. Bills. Electricity, gas, water, internet and streaming: who holds each account and how costs are split and paid back.
  5. Shared supplies. Groceries, cleaning products and household items: shared or separate.
  6. Cleaning. A rota for shared spaces, or a cleaner and how it is paid.
  7. Quiet hours and guests. When it should be quiet, how much notice for guests, and how many nights a guest can stay. Check the lease too: many limit long-stay guests.
  8. Pets, smoking and parking. Even if the lease covers them, agree the details between you.
  9. Moving out. How much notice a roommate gives the others, whether they must find a replacement, and how their deposit share is handled. A replacement or a sublet usually needs the landlord's consent.
  10. Settling disagreements. A house meeting first, then a neutral third party.

Is a roommate agreement legally binding?

The money parts usually can be: an agreement to pay a share of rent, bills or the deposit is an ordinary contract, and a roommate who breaks it can be taken to small claims court. House rules such as chores and quiet hours are much harder to enforce in court. Their real value is that everyone agreed to them in writing before there was a problem.

Tips that prevent most disputes

  • Sign it before anyone moves in, not after the first argument.
  • Pay each other by bank transfer or an expense app, so there is a record.
  • Do the move-in checklist together, so damage at move-out is not blamed on the wrong person.
  • If someone moves in partway through a month, the prorated rent calculator works out their first payment.

Use the free template

The free roommate agreement template covers rent shares, the deposit, bills, quiet hours, guests, cleaning and moving out. Fill it in online in a few minutes or download the Word file. When someone leaves, the sublease agreement and notice to vacate cover the next steps.

General information, not legal advice. Tenancy rules vary by state and country.

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