What the agreement covers
One page is enough, and everyone signs it. It answers the questions that otherwise get settled by argument in month four.
- State each person's share of the rent, which may differ if one bedroom is larger or has its own bathroom.
- Name who pays each utility and how the others reimburse that person, with a due date.
- Set the guest rule, including how many nights a week a partner may stay before contributing to utilities.
- Set quiet hours for weeknights and the rule for parties.
- Divide the cleaning by task and by week, and list which supplies are bought jointly.
- Say what happens when someone leaves early, including the notice required and who finds the replacement.
A roommate agreement does not override the lease. If all of you signed one lease, most leases make each tenant liable for the whole rent, so a roommate who stops paying becomes your problem with the landlord. Know whose names are on the lease and on the security deposit before you move in.
Money without friction
Put shared bills in a simple shared spreadsheet or a bill-splitting tool, and settle on a fixed day every month. Keep food separate by default and share only staples you have agreed on, such as oil, salt and dish soap. Each roommate also needs a separate renters insurance policy, because a policy generally covers only the people named on it.
Raising a small problem
Raise an irritation within a few days, in person, at a neutral moment, and about one behavior. "The pans from Sunday are still in the sink, and I would like dishes done within a day. I am glad to follow the same rule" is complete. The named mistakes are the passive-aggressive note, the complaint in the group chat, the grievance saved for three months and delivered as a list, and the appeal to the third roommate to take sides.
A standing check-in
Hold a fifteen-minute house meeting once a month, ideally over food. Run the same agenda every time: money owed, chores that are slipping, upcoming guests or travel, and anything that is bothering anyone. A routine meeting makes a complaint ordinary business. If the same problem survives three meetings, change the system instead of repeating the request. A cleaner who comes twice a month, split three ways, often costs less than the argument.
Tip Photograph every room on move-in day and share the dated pictures with your roommates and the landlord. Deposit disputes at move-out are settled by whoever has the evidence.
