Is a roommate agreement legally binding?

It is a contract between the people who sign it, so it binds them in the ordinary way. What it cannot do is change the lease: if the lease makes every tenant jointly responsible for the full rent, an agreement between roommates to split it does not change what the landlord can collect from each of you.

Does the landlord need to sign it?

No. It is an agreement among roommates and does not need the landlord as a party. If you want to change the tenancy itself — adding or removing a tenant on the lease — that is a change to the lease and the landlord has to agree.

What if one roommate stops paying?

The agreement gives you a written record of what was agreed, which matters if the dispute goes further. It does not protect you from the landlord: under a joint lease the others usually remain responsible for the full rent regardless.

Should we cover chores and guests?

The disputes that end shared tenancies are rarely about rent. Cleaning, overnight guests and noise are the common causes, and writing them down early is easier than negotiating them during an argument.

How much notice should a roommate give before moving out?

Set it deliberately, because the remaining roommates need time to cover the share. The agreement asks you to choose the period and prints it, rather than assuming one.

Roommate Agreement

Roommate agreement: set rent shares, utilities, guests and move-out notice between roommates.

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A roommate agreement is between the people sharing a home, not between a tenant and the landlord. It does not replace the lease — it records what the roommates agreed among themselves, which is the part the lease never covers.

Who this document is for

Roommates signing a lease together who want rent shares in writing
An existing tenant taking in a housemate
Students or co-workers sharing a rental

When to use something else

Using the wrong document is the most expensive mistake in this category, because the paperwork looks complete while doing the wrong thing. This is not the document for:

Creating the tenancy itself — the landlord issues that lease
Subletting your unit to someone else — use a Sublease Agreement
Renting a single room as the property owner — use a Room Rental Agreement

What the generated document contains

Each roommate by name, with contact details
How rent is split, and each share
How utilities are divided
Shared space rules, quiet hours and guests
Notice required before a roommate moves out
How disagreements get resolved

State and local requirements

Requirements for this document differ by state, and sometimes by city. Notice periods, deposit limits, permitted fees and required disclosures are all set locally, and a number that is correct in one state can be wrong in the next one.

This page does not state those figures. The questionnaire asks you for the values that apply to your tenancy and prints what you enter, so the document reflects your situation rather than a national average. Start with the state lease pages for the jurisdiction you are renting in.

How it works

Answer the guided questions
Review the readiness check, which flags contradictions before you pay
Preview the finished document free
Become a member and download the PDF and Word file. Cancel any time.

What to have ready

You will need answers to these 19 required questions, spread over 7 steps. The questionnaire also has optional questions, and some answers lead to follow-ups. Your answers are kept in this browser for 24 hours, so you can come back and finish (how saving works).

Roommates
- Who is roommate #1?
- Roommate #1 email?
- Who is roommate #2?
- Roommate #2 email?
- What address do you share?
- When does this roommate agreement start?
Master lease context
- Is there a master lease with the landlord?
Rent split
- How is rent split?
- Total monthly rent for the unit ($)?
- When is rent due?
- How is the rent paid each month?
- How are utilities split?
Security deposit
- Was a security deposit paid for the home?
House rules
- Smoking policy?
- Shared space rules (kitchen, bathroom, cleaning)?
- Are overnight guests allowed?
Move-out & disputes
- Notice before moving out?
- How will disputes be handled first?
State
- Which state is this document for?

Frequently asked questions

It is a contract between the people who sign it, so it binds them in the ordinary way. What it cannot do is change the lease: if the lease makes every tenant jointly responsible for the full rent, an agreement between roommates to split it does not change what the landlord can collect from each of you.
No. It is an agreement among roommates and does not need the landlord as a party. If you want to change the tenancy itself — adding or removing a tenant on the lease — that is a change to the lease and the landlord has to agree.
The agreement gives you a written record of what was agreed, which matters if the dispute goes further. It does not protect you from the landlord: under a joint lease the others usually remain responsible for the full rent regardless.
The disputes that end shared tenancies are rarely about rent. Cleaning, overnight guests and noise are the common causes, and writing them down early is easier than negotiating them during an argument.
Set it deliberately, because the remaining roommates need time to cover the share. The agreement asks you to choose the period and prints it, rather than assuming one.

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