Roommate agreement template
fill in the blanks, then sign.

What a roommate agreement is, and what it isn't

Your lease is between the tenants and the landlord. A roommate agreement is between the roommates. It covers everything the lease doesn't: how rent is divided, who holds the internet account, how often the bathroom gets cleaned, and what happens if someone wants to leave before the lease ends.

It doesn't change the lease. If the lease says rent is due on the 1st and every tenant is responsible for the full amount, a private agreement between roommates can't change that. What it does is make expectations explicit while everyone still gets along, which is when these conversations are easiest.

It's worth doing even with close friends. Most roommate fights aren't about bad people. They're about two people who each assumed something different.

This template is a general starting point, not legal advice; for anything you need to be binding, check your local rules or ask a tenant-rights organization.

How to use this template

1. Copy the template below into a shared document.
2. Sit down together, in person or on a call, and fill it in clause by clause. Budget about an hour.
3. Cross out anything that doesn't apply, and add anything specific to your home, like parking, pets or a shared car.
4. Use real numbers and dates. "Rent is due on the 28th" works. "Rent is due on time" doesn't.
5. Everyone signs and dates it, and everyone keeps a copy. A photo of a signed page or a shared PDF is fine.
6. Set a date to review it, such as halfway through the lease or at renewal.

Do it before move-in or in the first month. Agreeing on a guest policy after the first argument about a guest is much harder.

The roommate agreement template

Roommate agreement for ______ (address). Between: ______, ______, ______. Lease term: ______ to ______.

1. Rent and due date. Total monthly rent is $______. Shares are: ______ $______, ______ $______, ______ $______, based on ______ (equal split / room size / income). Each roommate pays their share to ______ (or directly to the landlord) by the ______ of each month, so rent reaches the landlord before it is due.
2. Late rent. If a share is more than ______ days late, that roommate pays any late fee the landlord charges and repays anyone who covered for them within ______ days.
3. Security deposit. The total deposit is $______. Each roommate paid $______. Damage caused by one roommate is deducted from that roommate's portion. Deductions for shared areas are split equally. The refund is divided in proportion to what each person paid, after deductions.
4. Utilities. Accounts and holders: electricity ______, gas ______, water ______, internet ______. Utilities are split ______ (equally / with these fixed adjustments: ______). The account holder posts each bill within ______ days, and everyone pays the holder within ______ days of it being posted.
5. Groceries and shared supplies. Shared items are: ______ (for example toilet paper, dish soap, cleaning supplies, cooking oil, spices). These are bought by ______ (whoever runs out / a rotation) and split ______. Personal food is kept on each person's own shelf and is not borrowed without asking.
6. Cleaning. Shared areas are ______. Cleaning follows a ______ (weekly / biweekly) rotation: ______. Dishes are washed within ______ hours. Trash goes out on ______ by ______.
7. Guests. Overnight guests may stay up to ______ nights per ______ without asking first. A guest staying more than ______ nights a month pays $______ toward utilities, or the roommates agree on a new arrangement. Parties or gatherings over ______ people need ______ days' notice.
8. Quiet hours. Quiet hours are ______ to ______ on weeknights and ______ to ______ on weekends. During quiet hours, music, TV and calls in shared areas are kept low or moved to headphones.
9. Shared spaces and belongings. Shared furniture and kitchen items are: ______. Personal items are not borrowed without asking. Anyone who breaks something repairs or replaces it within ______ days. Items bought together are, when someone moves out, ______ (bought out at ______ / kept by ______).
10. Moving out early. A roommate who wants to leave before the lease ends gives ______ days' written notice. They remain responsible for their share of rent and utilities until ______ (a replacement approved by the remaining roommates and the landlord moves in / the lease ends / this date: ______). They help find a replacement, and their deposit share is settled ______.
11. Money and disputes. All shared expenses are recorded in ______ (shared app or spreadsheet) within ______ days of being paid. Balances are settled by the ______ of each month. Anyone who disagrees with an expense raises it within ______ days. Disagreements are discussed at a house meeting first; if that doesn't resolve it, the roommates agree to ______ (ask a neutral third person / use a community mediation service) before anything else.
12. Changes. This agreement can be changed only in writing, agreed by all roommates. It is reviewed on ______.

Signed: ______ (date ______), ______ (date ______), ______ (date ______).

A filled-in example: three roommates

Maya, Theo and Dani rent a three-bedroom for $2,700 a month. The rooms are different sizes, so they split rent by room: $1,000 for the largest bedroom, $900 for the middle one, $800 for the smallest. Here's how a few clauses read once filled in:

• Rent: "Total monthly rent is $2,700. Shares are Maya $1,000, Theo $900, Dani $800, based on room size. Each roommate pays their share to Maya by the 28th of each month."
• Deposit: "The total deposit is $2,700. Each roommate paid $900."
• Utilities: "Electricity: Theo. Internet: Dani. Utilities are split equally. The holder posts each bill within 2 days, and everyone pays the holder within 3 days."
• Moving out early: "A roommate who wants to leave gives 45 days' written notice and pays their share until an approved replacement moves in or the lease ends."

Notice that the deposit is split equally even though rent isn't. That's a choice they made, and it's in writing. If Dani moves out, nobody has to remember whether she paid $800 or $900 toward it. If you're working out your own numbers, the guides on splitting rent and splitting utilities walk through the methods.

Clauses people forget, and later argue about

• The partner who has quietly moved in. The guest clause is the one that gets tested most. A specific number of nights is easier to point to than a feeling.
• Things bought together. A couch split three ways is easy to buy and hard to divide. Agree now: whoever keeps it buys the others out at a set amount, or it goes with the person who paid the most.
• The person who fronts the money. If one roommate pays the landlord or holds every utility, they're lending money to the house each month. A clear "pay by" date protects them.
• Normal wear versus damage. Landlords generally can't charge for ordinary wear and tear, but they can charge for damage. Take dated photos of every room at move-in and keep them with this agreement.
• Subscriptions. Decide who cancels the shared streaming account when the lease ends, so nobody pays for it six months later.

If someone does leave early, the moving-out-early guide covers what usually happens to their rent and deposit.

Keep the agreement alive after you sign

An agreement only helps if what actually happens matches what's written. Two habits keep them in line:

1. Make one shared record the source of truth for money. Clause 11 names it. When rent, utilities and groceries all live in one place that everyone can see, there's nothing to reconstruct from memory. In Chipp, a household group shows each person's balance, recurring rent and utilities (Chipp+) post themselves every month, and reminders go out before the due date so nobody has to be the one who asks.
2. Hold a short house meeting once a month. Fifteen minutes: settle balances, check the cleaning rotation, and raise anything that's starting to bother someone while it's still small.

When the lease renews or someone new moves in, update the template and sign it again. It takes ten minutes and saves a lot more than that.