Free Roommate Agreement Template
The agreement between the people living together — rent shares, bills, the deposit, chores, guests, quiet hours and how someone moves out. It settles what you owe each other; your lease still governs what you owe the landlord. Download Word & PDF, generated on your device.
- Free
- No signup
- Word & PDF
- Between roommates
How it works
- 01 Name everyone
All the roommates signing, and who is actually on the lease with the landlord.
- 02 Split the money
Rent shares, who sends it to the landlord, the deposit, and how the bills divide.
- 03 Agree the living rules
Chores, guests, quiet hours, pets, smoking — and how much notice before someone moves out.
- 04 Download Word & PDF
Four signature lines, generated on your device. No signup, no watermark.
FAQ
Roommate agreement questions
- Is a roommate agreement legally binding?
- Between the roommates, generally yes — it is a contract like any other, and a court can enforce it the same way. What it cannot do is bind your landlord, who is not a party to it. So it is enforceable where it matters most in practice: one roommate owing another for a share of rent, a deposit, a bill, or damage.
- Does a roommate agreement change the lease?
- No, and this is the thing worth understanding before you sign one. Everyone named on the lease is normally jointly and severally liable to the landlord — meaning the landlord can pursue any one of you for the entire rent, no matter how you have split it among yourselves. Your agreement decides who owes whom afterwards; it does not change what the landlord can do. That is why it is the second clause in the document rather than a footnote.
- What should a roommate agreement cover?
- The money first: the total rent, each person’s share, when each share is due, who actually sends it to the landlord, who paid what into the security deposit, and how the bills divide. Then the living arrangements: bedrooms and shared spaces, cleaning, overnight guests, quiet hours, pets and smoking. Then the exit: how much notice someone gives before moving out, whether they have to help find a replacement, and how the deposit gets divided when it comes back. The arguments that actually break up households are almost always about one of those, and almost always because nobody wrote it down.
- What happens if a roommate does not pay their share?
- They still owe it. The agreement says that a roommate who misses a payment remains responsible for it, and that if the others cover the shortfall to keep the rent whole, the person who missed it owes them back — including any late fee the landlord charged as a result. Covering for someone once does not turn it into an arrangement.
- What if a roommate wants to move out early?
- The agreement sets a notice period you choose, and by default asks the departing roommate to make a genuine effort to find a replacement acceptable to everyone and to the landlord, and to keep paying their share until a replacement takes over or the notice runs out. What none of that can do is take them off the lease — only the landlord can release someone from a lease they signed.
- Do we all need to sign it?
- Yes. It is an agreement among the roommates, so it binds the people who sign it. The document has four signature lines with room to print names; strike out any you do not need, and give everyone a copy.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Consult a licensed attorney for advice about your specific situation.