This agreement sample is for informational and educational purposes only. The agreement sample is not intended to be used for any purpose and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. You should always seek the advice of your legal services provider before entering into any agreement.

Roommate Agreement

(Each roommate should receive a copy of this agreement)

We have signed a lease/rental agreement for _____________________________ (address) on ___________ (date). We hope to make certain that responsibilities of renting will be shared equally by all roommates. It is for this reason that we are signing this agreement.

ROOMMATES

The roommates of the above address are:

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

TERMS

This agreement shall remain in effect from_______ to _______.

Under a month-to-month tenancy, each roommate must give the other roommate(s) and landlord thirty days □       written and/or □ oral notice in advance, if the roommate will be moving out before date shown above. The roommate may leave if a substitute roommate is found and is acceptable to the remaining roommate(s) and the landlord. Each roommate will be primarily responsible for finding his/her own replacement tenant.

Under a lease agreement, the departing roommate will be responsible for upholding the lease agreement until, and possibly after, a replacement or sublessee is found.

The landlord should be notified of any pending roommate switch, so that proper arrangements can be made.

The departing roommate will be responsible for his/her original portion of the rent, unless other arrangements are made in a written agreement with the roommate(s) and landlord.

DEPOSIT

The roommate(s) have paid a security deposit of ______. List amount each roommate has paid: ______________________________. Each roommate is responsible for charges associated with the damages he/she or his/her guest(s) cause. If the cause cannot be determined, then the roommates will split the cost of damages equally.

RENT

Each roommate shall pay the following amount of rent: ______________________________. Amounts may not be equal. The rent shall be paid on the _______ day of each month. Rent will be paid in the following manner (list all rental rates) _________________________.

PETS

If pets are permitted under the lease, each pet owner shall be responsible for all damages caused by his/her pet. This includes damage to furniture, carpeting, blinds, doors, lawn, and garden.

HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES

A single ledger will be kept of all supplies purchased by each roommate. The supplies include such things as paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning fluids, dish detergent, foil, plastic trash bags, scrub brushes, and any other goods needed for the home which will be shared by all roommates.

KITCHEN USE AND CLEAN-UP

□            Food expenses shall be shared by all roommates. Preparation of meals shall be determined by an attached schedule which can be flexible.

OR

Food is to be bought by each roommate. There is to be no borrowing of food without prior approval. A separate space will be provided for each person's groceries. Shared meal preparation and clean-up is optional.

PERSONAL PROPERTY

All roommates agree to refrain from borrowing roommates’ personal items without prior approval. Exceptions to this should be clearly stated, with the roommates reserving the right to change their minds about the sharing of their items. Property that is borrowed will be used respectfully and returned in the same condition. If damage is done to personal property, the roommate responsible for damage will be held liable.

CLEANING AND YARDWORK

All roommates agree to share the responsibilities of cleaning and maintenance of the premises. This includes dusting, vacuuming, emptying trash, mopping/waxing floors, cleaning bathrooms, and yardwork.

□            The roommates have decided to develop a schedule which is attached. It states when each roommate will complete the cleaning and maintenance jobs.

OR

The roommates will work together at a designated time to complete the above jobs.

MEDIATION

Roommates agree to discuss unresolved roommate problems with an advisor at the University Housing Information Office. Any roommate may initiate this process, which includes consultation and mediation.

All roommates agree to make a good faith effort to discuss /obtain a resolution prior to taking any action.

ADDITIONAL TERMS OF AGREEMENTS

In addition to the items mentioned above, the following items have been known to cause conflict between roommates. If you foresee any of these as a problem, write out any needed additional agreements and attach. Space is provided at right for adding other issues needing specific agreements.

               Smoking/alcohol/drugs                  Parking                 Overnight guests                            

               Cleanup after parties/guests                       Use of sound system                      Behavior of guests                             

               Food/groceries/household supplies           Phone messages                              Keys                     

               Quiet hours for studying                Compliance with landlord’s           Shared areas (bathroom)                             

and sleeping       rules

Each roommate agrees to do his/her own dishes as needed. A schedule of kitchen cleanup may be attached.

It will include cleaning the refrigerator and oven, mopping the floors, and emptying the trash.

UTILITIES

The following services have been arranged and paid for as follows:

Item       Account in Name of         Amount of Deposit           Deposit Paid By  How Bill Shared  Name Roommate Responsible for Payment

Gas                                                                   

Water                                                               

Electricity                                                                       

Newspaper                                                                    

Garbage                                                                          

Cable TV                                                                         

Phone                                                               

*Charges for unclaimed telephone calls shall be allocated equally among the roommates.

□            Each roommate has been assigned the responsibility for payment of a specific bill. This includes determining the amount owed by each roommate, collecting that amount, and seeing that payment is made before the due date. OR

□            The attached schedule has been developed to assign each roommate the month in which he/she will be responsible for the collecting and payment of all bills.

SIGNATURES OF ROOMMATES