Roommate agreement

What a roommate agreement is

A roommate agreement is a document that roommates sign to set clear expectations about living together. It records how rent and bills are divided, who does which chores, rules for guests and quiet hours, and what happens when someone wants to move out. It puts the small agreements everyone makes at move-in into writing, so there is something to point to later instead of relying on memory.

A roommate agreement is different from a lease. The lease is the contract between the tenants and the landlord, and it governs the legal right to occupy the property. A roommate agreement is between the roommates themselves and mainly manages the day to day of sharing space. It can still carry weight, especially over money owed between roommates, but it does not replace the lease.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by state and province, and the right choice depends on your facts. For anything important, check with a qualified professional.

Why a roommate agreement helps

Most roommate conflict is not about big things. It is about the dishes, an unpaid share of the internet bill, or a guest who never leaves. A written agreement helps because it sets expectations before anyone is annoyed, gives everyone the same reference point, and makes it easier to raise a problem without it feeling personal. When money is involved, a signed record of who agreed to pay what can matter if a roommate leaves owing rent.

What to include in a roommate agreement

• Names and the property. Every roommate's name and the address.
• Rent split. How much each person pays, when, and to whom, plus how it is sent to the landlord.
• Security deposit. Each person's share and how it is handled when someone moves out.
• Utilities and shared costs. How electricity, internet, water, and shared supplies are divided.
• Chores. Who is responsible for cleaning, trash, and shared spaces, and how often.
• Guests. Rules for overnight guests and how long a guest can stay before it becomes an issue.
• Quiet hours. Times when noise should be kept down, useful for study or work schedules.
• Shared and personal items. What is shared and what is off limits, including food.
• Moving out. Notice required before leaving and how a replacement roommate is found.
• Signatures. Everyone signs and dates, and each keeps a copy.

How to write a roommate agreement step by step

1. Sit down together. Talk through expectations before writing, so the agreement reflects what everyone actually wants.
2. List the roommates and address. Include everyone who will live there.
3. Divide rent and deposit. Write down each share, the due date, and how it is paid.
4. Split the bills. Decide how utilities and shared supplies are handled, whether evenly or by use.
5. Set chores and quiet hours. Assign responsibilities and agree on noise rules.
6. Cover guests and shared items. Write down guest limits and what is shared versus personal.
7. Plan for moving out. Set the notice period and how costs are settled when someone leaves.
8. Sign and share copies. Everyone signs, and each person keeps a copy.

Roommate agreement and the lease

Your roommate agreement should not contradict the lease. If the lease bans pets or subletting, the roommate agreement cannot override that. It also helps to know how the lease treats the tenants. If everyone is named on one lease and it is joint, the landlord can often hold any tenant responsible for the full rent, so a roommate who stops paying is a problem for everyone. Knowing this helps you decide how strict the money terms in your agreement should be.

Handling money and moving out fairly

The two moments that cause the most friction are collecting rent each month and settling up when someone leaves. Agree in advance on how rent is pooled and sent to the landlord, whether one person collects it or everyone pays separately. For move-out, set a clear notice period and decide how the deposit share and any last bills are handled, including how a replacement roommate is approved. Writing this down early avoids a scramble later.

Handling disagreements

Even with a written agreement, disputes come up. The value of the document is that it gives you a calm way to raise them. Instead of an argument about who is being unfair, you can point to what everyone agreed, which keeps the conversation about the rule rather than the person. A few habits help: bring up small problems early before they build into resentment, agree on a regular time to sort out shared bills, and keep receipts so money questions have an answer. If a serious disagreement cannot be resolved, having the terms in writing also makes it easier to involve the landlord or a mediator, or to settle up fairly if someone decides to move out.

Adding or replacing a roommate

Roommates change over time, so it helps to plan for it in advance. Decide how a departing roommate gives notice, how their share of the deposit is handled, and how a replacement is approved by the others. Remember that the lease usually controls who is legally allowed to live there, so bringing in a new roommate often needs the landlord's agreement and may require adding that person to the lease. When someone new joins, update the roommate agreement with their name and their share of rent and chores, and have everyone sign the revised version so it stays accurate.

Pets, smoking, and shared food

Some of the most common flashpoints are worth spelling out directly. For pets, note whether they are allowed at all, who is responsible for them, and who covers any damage, keeping in mind the lease may already ban them. For smoking, agree on whether and where it is permitted. For food and supplies, decide what is shared and what is personal, and how shared items like cleaning supplies, paper goods, and staples are bought and split. These small items cause more friction than their cost suggests, so a clear rule saves a lot of low level annoyance over months of living together.

Fill out and sign a roommate agreement online

You can complete a roommate agreement on your computer and have everyone sign it. Open our fill a PDF tool, add a roommate agreement template, type in the names, rent split, and house rules, and download the finished document. It is processed in your browser, so your details stay on your own device.

When it is ready, the sign a PDF tool lets each roommate draw, type, or upload a signature and place it on the page. For the underlying lease or a rental application, browse the form templates library.

Keep your shared-housing documents together

Between the lease, the roommate agreement, and the bills, shared housing generates a lot of paperwork. Create a free account on fillable.ca to save your filled roommate agreement, update it when someone moves in or out, and keep everything in one place.