Draft a Room Rental & Roommate Agreement in 30 Seconds

How to Write a Room Rental Agreement for a Shared House

Renting out a spare room — or moving into one — is different from a standard apartment lease. You are not just handing over a whole unit; you are sharing a home. The agreement has to cover two things at once: the rental terms for one private room, and the rules for living together. Getting both in writing before anyone moves in is what keeps a good arrangement from turning into a tense one. Here is how to do it.

Name the Parties and the Room

Start with who is who. One side is the person renting the room out — usually a live-in landlord who owns the place, or the primary tenant who holds the master lease. The other side is the incoming roommate. Then describe the property and, specifically, which room is being rented: "the front bedroom on the second floor," for example. Vague descriptions cause disputes, so be concrete.

Separate Private Space From Shared Space

This is the part a generic lease misses, and it is where most roommate conflict starts. Spell out clearly:

• Private to the renter — the specific bedroom, and any storage or parking spot that comes with it.
• Shared common areas — kitchen, living room, bathroom(s), laundry, hallways, yard, and any shared parking.
• Off limits — the owner's bedroom, a locked office, or anything else not included.

Set the Rent Share and a Fair Utilities Split

State the monthly room rent, the due date, and how it is paid. Then handle utilities, which is the bill people fight about most. Two common approaches: a flat amount added to the room rent so it never changes, or an even per-person share where each roommate pays 1/N of electric, gas, water, internet, and trash. Either is fine — what matters is that it is written down, along with who holds each account and how the security deposit is handled and returned.

Write the House Rules Everyone Will Actually Follow

House rules are the heart of a roommate agreement. Decide them together and put them in the document so no one has to relitigate them every week:

• Quiet hours — for example, no loud music or guests after 10 pm on weeknights.
• Overnight guests — how many nights a guest can stay before it needs a conversation.
• Cleaning and chores — a simple rotation for shared spaces, trash, and dishes.
• Groceries — what is shared and what is personal, and how shared staples get paid for.
• Smoking and pets — allowed, not allowed, or only in certain areas.

Cover the Term and How Someone Moves Out

Set the start date and whether the arrangement is fixed-term or month-to-month, then state the notice period either side must give to end it — 30 days is common. Add what happens to the deposit on move-out, and a short list of avoidable mistakes: skipping the deposit terms, leaving utilities undefined, forgetting that a subletting primary tenant may need the landlord's written approval, and not signing two copies so each person keeps one.

A Note on Local Law

EZdoc gives you a clean, professionally formatted starting point fast — but rules on deposits, notice, and renting rooms vary by state and city, and we do not guarantee the draft is compliant where you live. Have an attorney review the terms before signing, especially if you are subletting a room from a place you rent.

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