Roommate Agreement Checklist
By the Matezer team · Updated
A roommate agreement is a short written record of what you have decided about money, chores, guests and moving out. It takes an hour to write and saves months of friction, because nobody has to remember what was said in the first week.
What a roommate agreement is, and is not
A lease is the contract between the tenants and the landlord. A roommate agreement is between the people who share the apartment. It does not replace the lease and it cannot override it, so read the lease first: some leases restrict subletting, pets or the number of occupants.
The money parts of an agreement, such as who owes what, can matter if a dispute ever goes further. The household parts, such as chores and quiet hours, are there to set expectations. This checklist is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your rights as a tenant or an occupant in New York, talk to a tenant organization or a lawyer.
1. The basics
Start with who and where, so the document stands on its own.
- Full names of everyone living in the apartment
- The address, and which bedroom belongs to whom
- The start date, and the end date of the lease
- Who is on the lease, and who is not
2. Rent and deposit
Be exact. Round numbers and assumptions are where disputes begin.
- Each person's share of the rent, especially if rooms differ in size
- The date each share is due, and who sends the payment to the landlord
- How much each person contributed to the security deposit
- How the deposit is returned, and who pays for damage they caused
- What happens if someone pays late
3. Utilities and shared costs
List every recurring bill and whose name it is in.
- Electricity, gas, internet and any streaming or other subscriptions
- How each bill is split, and how you settle up each month
- A shared fund or a rotation for supplies like paper goods and cleaning products
- How you decide on shared purchases, and who keeps them when someone leaves
4. Cleaning and chores
Agree on a standard, then on a system that keeps it.
- Kitchen, bathroom, floors and trash: who does what, and how often
- How long dishes can stay in the sink
- Whether you rotate chores, split them by preference or hire a cleaner
- How fridge and cupboard space is divided
5. Guests, noise and shared spaces
This is where lifestyles differ most, so be specific.
- Quiet hours on weeknights and weekends
- Overnight guests: how often, how long, and how much notice
- Partners who stay regularly, and when that changes the split of bills
- Parties and gatherings
- Working from home, calls and use of the living room
6. House rules
Anything that would bother one of you belongs here.
- Smoking and vaping, including on a balcony or fire escape
- Pets, now and in the future
- Sharing or not sharing food and personal items
- Keys, locking up and who can be given access
7. Moving out and disagreements
The section people skip, and the one they need most.
- How much notice someone must give before leaving
- Who finds a replacement, and how the others approve them
- Who covers the rent if a room sits empty
- How you raise a problem: a monthly check-in works better than a note on the fridge
- What you do if you cannot resolve it between you
Make it stick
- Write it together, in plain language, in a shared document.
- Have everyone sign and date it, and give each person a copy.
- Review it after the first month and whenever someone moves in or out.
The agreement is easier to write when you already agree on the big things. Before you move in, go through our questions to ask a potential roommate, or start with people who already live the way you do: find a roommate on Matezer.