Roommate agreement template (free, printable)
Quick answer
A roommate agreement is a short written record of the house rules your roommates agreed on: quiet hours, guests, shared spaces, cleaning and shared items, plus a line pointing to where your rent and bills are written down. Fill in the blanks together, circle one default per row, then sign and date it. It is a record of what you agreed, not legal advice.
Key points
- Circle one default per row or write your own, so the agreement is quick to fill in and short to read.
- Keep money out of the house rules. Rent and bills go in a separate budget, which this page names by date.
- Every person who lives there signs and dates the page and keeps a copy. A photo of the signed page is an easy way to keep one.
- Add a review date, such as the day the lease renews, so a rule can change without an argument.
How to use this template
Sit down together, fill the page in once, and sign it the same day. This page holds the house rules only. The money lives in a separate budget.
- Fill it in as a group. Print one copy, or put the page on one screen, so nobody receives rules they had no part in.
- Circle one default per row. If none fits, write your own in the blank. A row with a blank is better than a default nobody believes in.
- Settle disagreements on the page. When two people want different things, write the compromise in the blank instead of leaving the row empty.
- Complete the money block. Write the date of your rent and bills budget. If you do not have one yet, the roommate budget template is the companion to this page. It lists each cost with its split rule, due date and account holder.
- Sign, date and keep a copy each. Take a photo of the signed page if you do not print copies.
- Pick a review date and write it on the last line.
This page is a written record of what you agreed, not legal advice. If a rule touches your lease, such as long-term guests or subletting, read the lease or ask your landlord before you write anything down.
The template
House rules
| Topic | Circle one, or fill in the blank | Our rule |
|---|---|---|
| Quiet hours, Sunday to Thursday | 9 pm / 10 pm / 11 pm / ____ | |
| Quiet hours, Friday and Saturday | 11 pm / midnight / 1 am / ____ | |
| Overnight guests, per person per month | 2 nights / 4 nights / 6 nights / ____ | |
| Notice before a guest stays | none / same-day text / day before / ____ | |
| A guest who stays more than ____ nights in a row | needs everyone’s okay | |
| Dishes in the sink | washed the same day / within 24 hours / ____ | |
| Living room | nothing left out overnight / ____ | |
| Bathroom schedule | none needed / mornings rotate / ____ | |
| Common-area cleaning | every week / every two weeks / ____ | |
| Cooking basics (oil, salt, spices) | each buys their own / shared, bought in turns | |
| Toilet paper and cleaning supplies | each buys their own / shared, bought in turns | |
| Food in the fridge | own unless labeled shared / all shared / ____ | |
| Borrowing a roommate’s things | ask first / fine inside the home / ____ |
Cleaning rotation
| Task | Who | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen floor and counters | ||
| Bathroom | ||
| Trash and recycling | ||
| Vacuuming common areas | ||
Money
| Topic | Where it is written down |
|---|---|
| Rent, utilities, internet | Our roommate budget dated ____ |
| Security deposit | ____ |
| Groceries and household supplies | ____ |
Signatures and review
| Name | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|
We will read this agreement again on ____ (for example, when the lease renews) and whenever someone moves in or out.
What to agree on
- Quiet hours. People keep different schedules, so a time on paper settles it before anyone is woken up. Set weeknights and weekends separately if they differ.
- Guests. Say how many nights, how much notice, and when a guest becomes a long stay. A guest who is there most of the week uses the same space as a roommate, which is a money question for your budget, not this page.
- Shared spaces. Agree on how long dishes can sit and what stays out in the living room. Specific beats polite: “washed the same day” can be checked.
- Cleaning. A rotation with names beats “we will all pitch in”. Write who does what and how often, and swap turns by agreement.
- Shared items. Decide which things are shared and who buys them. Which costs roommates usually split is covered in what expenses roommates should split.
- Review. A dated review turns a rule that is not working into an item on the agenda instead of a grudge.
When the agreement is signed and the rent and bills are set, a Household group in EvenOut can hold the shared costs, and a monthly Repeat adds a fixed bill such as rent for you. When someone leaves, the roommate move-out checklist covers the money side.
Frequently asked questions
Who should sign a roommate agreement?
Everyone who lives in the home. If someone moves in later, they read the page, ask for any changes, and sign with a new date. Everyone else initials the change so the page stays current.
Where do the rent amounts go?
In a separate budget, such as the roommate budget template, referenced by date in the money block. Keeping the two apart means you can edit a quiet-hours line without reopening a rent discussion.
What if one roommate will not agree to a rule?
Leave the line blank or write the compromise you can all accept, and set a short review date for that line. A rule that one person never agreed to is not yet an agreement.
How often should we update it?
At lease renewal, whenever someone moves in or out, and any time a rule keeps causing friction. The review line at the bottom of the page is there so the date is already chosen.
Keep reading
- Guide What to include in a roommate agreement Twelve money clauses for a roommate agreement, each with fill-in wording: rent shares, utilities, guest costs, late payment, notice and move-out money.
- Template Roommate budget template: monthly shared costs A monthly roommate budget with amounts, split rules, due dates, account holders, a replacement fund and three spreadsheet formulas. Example for 3 roommates.
- Glossary What is a roommate agreement? A roommate agreement is a written record between roommates of money, house rules and move-out. See how it differs from a lease, plus a five-line money clause.
- Template Roommate move-out checklist for money matters A printable 15-row roommate move-out checklist for money only: final rent, utilities, accounts, deposit share, buyouts and a settle-up 7 days before keys.
- Guide What expenses roommates should split, and which to skip A table of 12 roommate expenses with a default split and one rule each, plus a three question test for new purchases and a spending limit.