Roommate Agreement Generator
Put your household's deal in writing: who pays what share of the rent and bills, who put in what toward the deposit, chores, guests, quiet hours, and how much notice someone gives before moving out. Free PDF in English or Spanish. It runs in your browser.
This agreement is between the roommates only.
The landlord does not sign it and is not bound by it, and it does not change your lease or anyone's obligations to the landlord. A self-help template, not legal advice.
This agreement is only between the roommates. The landlord does not sign it, and it does not change the lease or anyone’s obligations to the landlord.
- Add the lease end date so everyone knows how long the rent commitment runs.
Still blank (these print as blanks you can fill in by hand):
- Address of the home
- Name of roommate 1
- Name of roommate 2
- Total monthly rent
- Roommate who collects the rent
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to or stored on our server.
Roommate Agreement
This Roommate Agreement is made by the roommates who sign below (each a “Roommate”) about sharing the home at [ADDRESS], starting [DATE].
1. This Agreement and the Lease
This Agreement is only between the Roommates. The landlord is not a party to it and is not bound by it, and it does not change the lease or any Roommate’s obligations to the landlord. If this Agreement and the lease conflict, each Roommate will still follow the lease with the landlord, and the Roommates will settle the difference among themselves under this Agreement.
2. Rent
The total rent for the home is $[AMOUNT] per month. Each Roommate pays this share of the rent:
[ROOMMATE 1]: $____ per month
[ROOMMATE 2]: $____ per month
Each Roommate pays the Roommate’s share to [COLLECTING ROOMMATE] at least 3 days before the rent is due to the landlord (day 1 of each month). [COLLECTING ROOMMATE] pays the full rent to the landlord on time and gives the other Roommates a copy of the payment confirmation or receipt when asked.
A Roommate who is late with a share pays any late fee the landlord charges because of that lateness.
3. Utilities and Shared Services
The Roommates have not listed shared utilities. Any shared bill is split in equal shares unless all Roommates agree otherwise in writing.
4. Security Deposit
No security deposit is recorded in this Agreement.
5. Chores and Shared Spaces
Each Roommate keeps the Roommate’s own room clean, cleans up after using shared spaces, and does a fair share of the cleaning of shared spaces on a schedule the Roommates agree on.
6. Guests
A Roommate’s overnight guest may stay no more than 3 nights in any 7-day period without the agreement of the other Roommates. Each Roommate is responsible for the conduct of the Roommate’s guests and for any damage they cause. Guests must follow the lease.
7. Quiet Hours and Conduct
Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. During quiet hours, each Roommate keeps noise low enough that it does not disturb the others. No smoking or vaping inside the home. No pets unless all Roommates agree in writing and the lease allows it.
8. Moving Out
A Roommate who plans to move out gives the other Roommates at least 30 days’ written notice. The departing Roommate keeps paying the Roommate’s share of the rent and utilities until the lease ends or until a replacement approved by the remaining Roommates (and by the landlord, if the lease requires it) takes over that share, whichever comes first. The departing Roommate removes the Roommate’s belongings and leaves the Roommate’s room clean.
9. Disagreements
The Roommates will try to settle disagreements by talking directly and in good faith. If that does not work, they will try a free or low-cost community mediation service before going to court.
10. Other Terms
Changes to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by all Roommates. If a new Roommate joins, the Roommates will sign a new or amended agreement. If part of this Agreement is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
ROOMMATE 1
Signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________
Printed name: ______________________________
ROOMMATE 2
Signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________
Printed name: ______________________________
Before you sign
This agreement is signed only by the roommates. The landlord does not sign it, it does not change the lease, and it does not add anyone to the lease. Whether a person may live in the home, sublet, or replace a roommate depends on the lease and the law where you live, so read your lease and ask the landlord before a new person moves in.
Keep records: who paid what, when, and to whom. A shared spreadsheet or payment app history helps if there is ever a disagreement.
Give every roommate a signed copy.
What the Agreement Covers
The agreement starts with the numbers. You enter the total rent and choose equal or custom shares; the generator checks that the shares add up to the total before it lets you download. The same goes for utility percentages and deposit shares. You also choose whether one roommate collects the rent and pays the landlord or everyone pays the landlord directly.
The house-rules section covers chores and shared supplies, overnight guests, quiet hours, smoking, and pets. The move-out section sets how much written notice a departing roommate gives and whether that roommate keeps paying until the lease ends or an approved replacement takes over the share.
Roommates, the Lease, and the Landlord
The lease is a contract between the tenants who signed it and the landlord. A roommate agreement is a separate contract among the roommates, and the landlord is not a party to it. The generated agreement says so in its first section, and it says that if the two conflict, each roommate still follows the lease with the landlord and the roommates settle the difference among themselves.
State and local law also decides who may live in a rental and what rights a non-tenant occupant has. New York is one example: its roommate law lets a tenant on a one-tenant lease share the apartment with one additional occupant (and that occupant's dependent children), while on a lease with two or more tenants the total number of tenants and occupants (not counting occupants' dependent children) may not exceed the number of tenants named in the lease. It also says an occupant does not, without the landlord's express written permission, "acquire any right to continued occupancy in the event that the tenant vacates the premises or acquire any other rights of tenancy" (N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-f; see also the New York Attorney General's Residential Tenants' Rights Guide). Check your lease and your state's rules before someone new moves in.
For deposit limits and return deadlines, notice rules, and entry rules in your state, see our landlord-tenant laws by state.
What This Agreement Does Not Do
- It does not change the lease, add anyone to it, or bind the landlord.
- It does not approve a sublet or a replacement roommate; the lease and your state's law control that.
- It does not decide how the landlord must handle or return the security deposit.
- It does not collect or track payments. Keep your own records, or use our rent receipt generator for receipts between roommates.
Disclaimer: General legal information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a roommate agreement change our lease?
No. The landlord does not sign it, so it only records what the roommates agree among themselves. The lease still sets the terms between each tenant and the landlord.
Can a roommate agreement add someone to the lease?
No. Whether a new person may move in, and whether they get any rights as a tenant, depends on the lease and the law where you live. New York’s roommate law, for example, says an occupant who is not a tenant does not gain a right to stay if the tenant leaves, or any other rights of tenancy, without the landlord’s express written permission.
How does the generator split rent?
Choose equal shares or enter custom amounts. Equal shares are split to the cent, with any leftover cent added to the first roommates so the shares add back to the total exactly. Custom amounts must add up to the total rent, and custom utility percentages to 100, before you can download.
What happens to the security deposit?
The agreement records who paid what share of the deposit and how the roommates will divide whatever the landlord returns, with damage caused by one roommate charged to that roommate. How the landlord handles and returns the deposit is set by the lease and the law that applies to the landlord.
Is anything I type saved?
No. The agreement is built in your browser and the PDF is created on your device. Nothing you type is sent to or stored on our server.
Sources
- New York Real Property Law § 235-f (unlawful restrictions on occupancy)
- New York Attorney General: Residential Tenants' Rights Guide
Read on September 27, 2026.
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