When to use it
- You and a friend are moving into a place together and want the rent split settled before the first payment is due.
- You are taking in a roommate in an apartment you already rent and want expectations clear from day one.
- The rent is not split evenly — one of you has the bigger bedroom or the private bathroom — and the different shares should be on record.
- Things have started to slide in an existing arrangement and you want to reset the rules together, in writing.
A filled-in example
Sofia and Kenji are moving into a two-bedroom apartment in Austin. Sofia takes the bedroom with its own bathroom, so she pays $1,050 of the $1,900 rent and Kenji pays $850. They split utilities evenly and rent is due on the 5th.
Roommate Agreement
Recorded on Oct 20, 2026
Property: 2214 Elm Ridge Dr, Apt 3B, Austin, TX 78704
Moving in: Nov 1, 2026
Roommates
Sofia Alvarez
Kenji Watanabe
We agreed that
Rent & Expenses
Total monthly rent: $1,900, due on day 5 of each month
Sofia Alvarez pays: $1,050/month
Kenji Watanabe pays: $850/month
Utilities (electricity, water, internet): Equal split (50/50)
House Rules
Shared spaces (kitchen, living room, bathrooms) kept clean by everyone
Overnight guests okay for up to 7 consecutive nights
Quiet hours: weekdays 10pm–8am · weekends 11pm–9am
Each person responsible for their own belongings
Moving out: give at least 30 days notice to the other roommate
Sofia Alvarez · signature and date
Kenji Watanabe · signature and date
What you fill in, and why
The app asks for 10 details in 2 short steps: “Property & roommates”, “Rent & rules”. The ones worth a moment’s thought:
- Total Monthly Rent
- The full rent for the place, as it appears on the lease. Writing the total next to each share means anyone can check the split at a glance — and the app will not let you save shares that don’t add up to it.
- Common mistake: Entering only your own share as the total. Then the two shares look like they cover twice the rent.
- Roommate 1's Monthly Share
- Each person’s monthly amount. An even split is common, but it doesn’t have to be: the bigger room, the private bathroom or the parking spot are all good reasons for different shares, and putting the numbers in writing ends the “but you agreed” conversation before it starts.
- Rent Due Day of Month
- The day of the month each share is due. Choose a day a few days before the landlord’s due date if one of you collects and pays. The app accepts days 1 through 28, so the date exists in every month.
- Common mistake: Matching the landlord’s due date exactly when one person pays the landlord. A share that arrives on the same day is already late.
- Utilities Split
- How electricity, water and internet are shared: evenly, by one person, or based on usage. “Based on usage” suits a roommate who works from home all day; it also needs you to agree how usage is measured — put that in the notes.
Before you can save, the app checks: Move-in date must be on or after the agreement date. Roommate shares don't add up to the total rent. Rent due day must be between 1 and 28.
What the signed record shows — and what it doesn’t
It shows
- Who agreed to live where, from which date, and what each person agreed to pay toward the rent.
- The day rent shares are due and how utilities are split.
- The house rules both of you accepted: shared spaces kept clean, overnight guests up to 7 nights in a row, quiet hours, 30 days’ notice before moving out.
- Who signed, when, and from which device, on the certificate page of the PDF.
It doesn’t show
- Anything about the lease or the landlord’s rights. Your lease is still the document that governs the apartment.
- That anyone has paid. Keep payment receipts; this records the plan, not the history.
- Rules you did not write down. The template has standard house rules; anything specific to you belongs in the notes.
When this isn’t enough
- It is an agreement between roommates, not with the landlord. It does not change your lease, add anyone to it, or decide what the landlord can charge — if only one of you signed the lease, the landlord will still look to that person for the rent.
- You are renting a room out of a home you own or lease, and the other person will live there long term. Depending on your state’s landlord-tenant rules, that can make you their landlord, with notice and deposit requirements this record does not handle.
- You are subletting your place while you are away. That is a different arrangement, usually one your lease says something about — check it before you hand over keys.
- There are more than two roommates. This template names two; with three or more, every share and the utilities split need to be written out for everyone.
How signing works
- You fill in the template in the Agreely app and sign it first.
- You send the other person one link — by text, WhatsApp, email, anything.
- They read the same document in their browser, type or draw their signature, and both of you get the identical signed PDF.
Signatures are captured under the U.S. ESIGN Act and UETA, with a certificate page recording who signed, when, and from which device.
Questions people ask
Can we change the house rules?
The template includes a short set of standard rules — guests, quiet hours, clean shared spaces, move-out notice. If you want something different, like no overnight guests on weeknights or a pet policy, write your version in the notes before you sign, so the agreement shows what you actually agreed to.
What if one of us moves out early?
The agreement asks for 30 days’ notice to the other roommate. It does not change what you owe the landlord under the lease; if you both signed the lease, talk to the landlord about it too.
Who should fill it in?
Either of you. Whoever creates it signs first in the app and sends the other a link; they read the same page in their browser and sign there, without installing anything.
Our rent goes up next year. Do we start over?
Make a new agreement with the new amounts when the lease renews. The old one stays as the record of what applied before, and the new one shows the current split.
Does this cover the security deposit?
Not directly — there is no deposit field. If you split a deposit, write each person’s part and how it comes back when someone moves out in the notes; deposit rules between tenant and landlord are set by your lease and state law.