The Roommate Agreement Template I Wish I'd Had on Day One

Okay, I'm going to give you something. It's not a product. It's not an ebook. It's just a template. A Google Doc that you can copy, modify, and use with your roommates.

I've used versions of this in three different apartments. It's evolved over time. The first version was two paragraphs and a handshake. The current version is... longer. But not too long. You don't want a 12-page legal document for people you share a bathroom with. That's weird.

Here's what I've learned about roommate agreements: they work best when they're specific enough to prevent arguments but casual enough that people will actually read them.

The Template:

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**ROOMMATE AGREEMENT** *[Apartment Address] — [Date]*

**Rent:** - Total monthly rent: $_____ - Split method: [Equal / By room size / By income / Custom] - Each person pays: - [Name]: $_____ (Room: _____) - [Name]: $_____ (Room: _____) - [Name]: $_____ (Room: _____) - Due date: ____ day of each month - Payment method: [Venmo / Zelle / Check / Cash] - Late fee: $_____ after ____ days (optional, but recommended)

**Utilities:** - Electricity: Split [equally / by usage / per person] - Water: Split [equally / by usage] - Gas: Split [equally] - Internet: Split [equally / by speed need] - Other: _____ - Average monthly total per person: $_____ - Bill payer rotation: [Name] pays this month, rotates monthly

**Common Spaces:** - Cleaning schedule: [Rotate weekly / Assign areas / Hire cleaner] - Dishes: [Wash immediately / End of day / Your own dishes only] - Food: [Shared staples / Everything separate / Label your stuff] - Guests: [Overnight guests max ____ nights/month / No notice needed / 24hr notice] - Quiet hours: [____ PM to ____ AM on weeknights] - Parties: [Advance notice required / No notice / Never]

**Move-Out:** - Notice required: ____ days - Finding a replacement: [Current roommates approve / Anyone is fine] - Security deposit: Return within ____ days of move-out - Damage: Individual responsible for damage they cause

**Misc:** - Pets: [Allowed / Not allowed / Only with approval] - Smoking: [Allowed / Not allowed / Outside only] - Parking: [Assigned / First come / Not applicable] - Temperature: [Consensus / Individual space heaters okay / No space heaters]

**Signatures:** _[Name] — [Date]_ _[Name] — [Date]_ _[Name] — [Date]_

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That's it. One page. Maybe two if you have a lot of roommates.

Now, here's what to **include** and what to **skip**:

**INCLUDE:** - **Specific numbers.** Not "rent is split fairly." Actual dollar amounts. The calculator on this site can help you figure out what "fair" means for your specific rooms. - **A due date.** Not "by the end of the month." The 1st? The 5th? The 15th? Pick one and stick to it. - **A bill payer rotation.** Someone needs to actually pay the bills. If it's always the same person, they become the "mom" of the apartment and that's not fair either. Rotate monthly. - **Guest policy.** This is where most roommate fights start. "My boyfriend stays over every night but he's not *living* here." Yes he is. Define what "staying over" means. Two nights a week? Fine. Seven nights a week? That's a roommate who doesn't pay rent. - **Move-out notice.** 30 days is standard. Write it down so nobody can claim "I told you two weeks ago" when they actually told you yesterday.

**SKIP:** - **Legal jargon.** You're not writing a contract for a merger. You're writing rules for people who share a fridge. Keep it casual. - **Every possible scenario.** You can't plan for everything. Someone will break a dish, someone will have a loud night, someone will eat your labeled yogurt. The agreement is a framework, not a legal code. - **Signatures from a notary.** Unless you're in a very unusual situation, a roommate agreement doesn't need to be notarized. Signed names are enough. - **Punishments.** "If you're late on rent, you have to clean the bathroom for a month." This sounds fun when you're writing it, but it's actually just going to create resentment. Stick to late fees or just have a conversation.

**The most important thing:** Fill this out *before* you move in together. Not after the first argument. Not when someone is already mad. Day one. Before anyone has a reason to be defensive.

Sit down with your future roommates, order pizza, fill out the template together. It takes 30 minutes. It will save you 30 hours of arguments over the next year.

And if someone refuses to sign it? That's information. That's someone who isn't willing to commit to basic shared living rules. Maybe reconsider that arrangement.

— Jake

P.S. — I keep a copy of every roommate agreement I've ever signed. Not because I'm a hoarder, but because I've needed to reference them twice. Both times, having it in writing saved a friendship.