Free roommate agreement template for college and shared houses
Updated
Short answer
A roommate agreement is a short written list of how the house runs: who pays what and when, the chore rotation, quiet hours, guest rules, what food and supplies are shared, laundry rules, and how you'll settle disagreements. Copy the template below, fill it in together in the first week, and have everyone sign it. It sits alongside your lease and does not replace it.
Most roommate problems come from expectations nobody said out loud. A roommate agreement is a page where you say them out loud, once, while everyone still likes each other. Copy the template below, fill it in together in your first week, and revisit it after a month.
This template is a house agreement, not legal advice, and it doesn't replace your lease. If you're a student, your school's off-campus housing office often has its own roommate agreement and can help with disputes.
Roommate agreement template
Our house agreement
Address: ______________________ Dates: from ________ to ________
Housemates: ______________________________________________
1. Rent and bills
- Rent per person: ________, due on the ____ of each month, paid to ________.
- Shared bills (internet, electric, gas, water, trash): who holds each account ________; split rule (equal / by room / by floor) ________.
- Everyone pays back the account holder within ____ days of the bill being posted.
2. Chores
- Shared chores rotate weekly in this order: ________________.
- Wash your own dishes the same day.
- If you can't do your turn, swap with someone. Don't skip.
3. Quiet hours
- Weeknights: ______ to ______. Weekends: ______ to ______.
- Parties or late nights need ____ days' notice in the house chat.
4. Guests
- Overnight guests: up to ____ nights a week without asking the house.
- Guests who stay longer than ____ nights in a row need everyone's OK.
5. Food and supplies
- Shared: ________________ (e.g. toilet paper, dish soap, cooking oil). Bought by rotation / split as an expense.
- Everything else is personal. Ask before using it.
6. Laundry
- Collect your load when it finishes. Finished loads may be moved after ____ minutes.
- Clean the lint trap after every dryer load.
7. Shared spaces
- Nothing personal left in the kitchen, living room, or bathroom overnight.
- Thermostat: ____ °F in winter, ____ °F in summer, unless everyone agrees otherwise.
8. Repairs and the landlord
- Report anything broken within ____ days. ________ contacts the landlord.
9. Disagreements
- Raise it directly first, then at a house meeting. No passive-aggressive notes.
- We review this agreement on ________ and when anyone moves in or out.
Signed: ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
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Turn the agreement into a house that runs itself
An agreement on paper gets forgotten by October. In hausync the same rules become things that happen on their own: chores rotate and remind whoever's turn it is, bills are logged and split the way you agreed, quiet hours show on the shared calendar, laundry machines show who's using them, and repairs go on a ticket board. It's free, and housemates join with an invite link.
Questions people ask
Is a roommate agreement legally binding?
Sometimes partly, often not, and it depends on where you live. Treat it as a house agreement that makes expectations clear, not as a substitute for your lease. For anything legal, read your lease or ask your school's off-campus housing office or a local tenant resource.
When should roommates make an agreement?
In the first week, before habits form. Revisit it after a month and whenever someone moves in or out.
What do roommates fight about most?
Cleaning and chores, money, noise, and guests. Those are the sections that matter most in the template.