How to Draft a Roommate Agreement

Roommates make lots of informal agreements about splitting rent, sharing chores and choosing bedrooms. It's best to put your understandings in writing, because oral agreements are too easily forgotten or misinterpreted after the fact. Here are some key decisions to consider when drafting an agreement.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Determine everyone's share of the monthly rent. Designate who will write the rent check to the landlord.

2. Decide who will occupy which bedrooms.

3. Set up a schedule for household chores that lays out who is responsible for cleaning specific rooms or areas and how often.

4. Decide whether you will share shopping and cooking responsibilities. If so, how will you split the work and costs?

5. Agree upon a quiet curfew - when should stereos be turned off or down low?

6. Decide whether overnight guests are acceptable. If so, how often?

7. Determine how much notice a roommate must give before moving out. Also, decide whether the person moving out needs to find an acceptable replacement.

8. Come to an understanding about how disagreements among yourselves will be handled. If you want a roommate to leave, how can it be done fairly?

9. Write down everything once you've reached agreement.

10. Write your names, address, lease dates and monies owed at the top of the page.

11. List the agreements you've made clearly and concisely.

12. Include lines at the bottom of the page for signatures and dates.

13. Make copies so you will each have a signed draft.

14. Sign the agreement and date it.

Tips & Warnings

• Spell everything out, even if it seems obvious. For example: "Food: Each roommate is responsible for her own food."
• If you find problem areas in the implementation, renegotiate and draft a new agreement.
• Seek a mediator or other neutral person to help resolve issues you cannot agree upon.
• The agreement you make with your roommate does not concern your landlord. You will be held liable for the entire amount of rent owed on the apartment if your roommate fails to pay his or her share.

[sivalik]

on 1/11/2009 Indians looking for roommates/flatmates:
http://www.IndiaFlatmate.com/

is the best!

[lilnyc]

on 3/22/2007 Make sure to get a copy of your lease agreement!! I have a story worth writing a book about, but in brief...I was amended onto a lease, or at least I paid to be. Then a new management co took over and said I was never a tenant. Bottom line, my roommate never intended to add me, rather used me to pay the rent and told me to leave so that her family could move in a year later. It got very complicated, but this space is too small to detail it.

on 8/8/2006 One person should be in charge of keeping a monthly record, but this must be open to everyone. Write down all expenses, the split, and when paid. Write down important chores, if assigned, when done, by whom. Keep copies of all shared bills with this record.
This is also a good spot for anyone to write down minor problems, so they can be discussed later, and the resolution - if not resolved, that should also be noted.

on 8/8/2006 A minimal background check is vital, and that doesn't mean you know someone who knows this person. Go online to Intuit or other reputable background researchers. Get a credit report. We're in the "crazy years" (re: the writings of Robert Heinlein) and something terrible can happen - and will happen to someone. Don't let it be you.

on 8/8/2006 If you are going to be roommates for a long time, possibly years, have an attorney look over your agreement and make recommendations. This will turn out to be either barely worth the money, or priceless. It will never be worthless.