A roommate agreement is an informal agreement between roommates. It includes each roommate’s expectations for living in a property and helps the other(s) to understand those expectations so that everyone can be conscious of each other while living together.
1. A roommate agreement is informal and not required
Not all roommates want or need to make a roommate agreement, so it’s up to you and your roommates if you’d like to create one. Landlords don’t require them, so it’s the responsibility of those living in the rental property to decide if they want one and how they’d like to make it.
2. Landlords aren’t in charge of roommate agreements
As landlords don’t require roommate agreements, they also aren’t in charge of them. It’s really up to you to create and uphold a roommate agreement. So, if someone does break the rules, don’t try to get your landlord involved — you and your roommates will need to decide what will be done instead.
3. Roommate agreements can be written or verbal
Since a roommate agreement is informal, it doesn’t need to be written out. You and your roommates can decide how you’d like to create it. You can just talk things out if you’d like, or you can write out a more official agreement so everyone will remember the rules and consequences.
Roommate agreements depend on the situation
There’s not a single way to form a roommate agreement and they can be created for each unique roommate situation. Get together with your roommates and decide if you all want to make an agreement and if you do, sit down together and discuss expectations. Everyone should be in agreement by the end of it.
