Room Rental Agreement
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A room rental lease agreement is commonly used to clarify rent terms, duration, house rules, and responsibilities in shared living arrangements across the U.S.
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What is a rental room agreement?
A room rental agreement is a legally binding document that governs the rental of a single room within a residential property rather than the entire dwelling. This type of contract defines simple terms and conditions of a room lease, including
- each party’s details;
- description of a property;
- mutual rights and obligations of the thee parties involved;
- payment terms;
- term and termination;
- termination; and
- applicable law.
This room rental lease agreement should be used exclusively for renting out a room. If you want to rent out the whole space, like an apartment, house, or condominium, it is better to use a separate residential lease agreement instead.
The parties involved in a sample room rental agreement contract are:
- Property owner. This is an individual or a legal entity who has in possession a room that is being rented out. A property owner could be represented by a property management agency.
- Tenant. This is an individual who wants to lease for a short or long period of time a separate room in a house or a several-bedroom apartment.
Who shall use this room rental agreement?
This room rental agreement would be suitable for:
- homeowners who have one extra bedroom in their house and want to rent it out further to someone;
- landlords who need to find one more tenant to rent out a room in a rented accommodation;
- students or college graduates who cannot afford renting out their own space and need to lease small premises like a room; or
- property managers that have lots of available rooms for rent under their administration and look for a reliable legal template for usage on a daily basis.
What to include in a room rental agreement template?
A well-drafted room rental agreement template must include the following essential provisions:
Identification of the Parties
This section of every room rental agreement form shall outline the full name, address, and contact details of the parties involved—a tenant and a landlord. A contact address for a tenant would be an address of a rented property where the room is located.
Once the document is ready, both parties have to sign it. Without putting a signature, a document cannot become legally valid.
Description of the Property
This is the legal “heart” of every sample lease agreement for room rental. The text of a document shall define:
- location of a property, where the room is located;
- size of a room and its detailed description;
- lead paint disclosure (it could be integrated either in the text of the present document or be attached in a separate addendum);
- detailed list of all furniture available in a leased room.
Payment Terms
This is a mandatory part of every sample rental agreement for room or any other lease agreement, as it defines terms and conditions for regular rental payments. Those terms and conditions must include the following:
- amount of a regular payment in U.S. dollars;
- frequency of regular payment (usually it is a monthly or weekly payment);
- acceptable payment methods (e.g., cash, deposit);
- payment instructions (i.e., when and how to pay);
- late fees, in case a tenant fails to pay on time; and
- amount of a security deposit.
A security deposit plays an important role in lease relations. This is an extra one-off payment that a tenant must pay at the beginning of a rental. If a tenant violates the provisions of a room rental agreement template, for instance, by not paying a rental payment, a landlord can use a security deposit to cover the breach. It is not possible to omit inclusion of a security deposit into the text of a simple lease agreement for room rental, as this is a requirement of all state laws.
Duration and Termination
Every simple room rental agreement shall define the period of time for which a tenant could use a room:
- In the case of a long-term rental, the text of a document shall define the start and end date of the lease;
- In the case of a rental agreement for room month to month, the text of a document shall provide only a start date.
Either party should be able to end this agreement by sending a prior written notice to the other party. The notice period differs depending on the initial duration specified in a room rental agreement sample, as well as the provisions of applicable state laws. All in all, the notice period could vary between 30 and 60 days.
Usage of Common Areas
One more important section for a sample rental agreement for room rental is the rules of usage of common areas. Since under this type of a contract a tenant is about to share the roof with a landlord, other tenants, or both, it is important to define terms and conditions of such co-living, including:
- Quiet Time. The parties must define the hours of the day during which everyone shall remain quiet. It means no parties, no guests invited, no loud music, etc.
- Cleaning of Common Areas. Common areas usually include balconies, gardens, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, living rooms, etc. A room rental agreement sample may define that a tenant shall pay an extra fee for a cleaning or to clean their room and common areas according to the specified schedule.
- Pets. Some landlords may allow having a shared room rental agreement to have some pets. If this is so, the text of a final contract shall stipulate types and/or sizes of pets that should be allowed.
Governing Law
The must-have clause for every sample tenancy agreement for room rental is an applicable law. This is a law of a state that applies to a contract’s execution, interpretation, and termination. Usually, parties tend to choose the law of a state where the property is located. For instance, in the case of a room rental agreement California, it means that applicable law is the law of the state of California.
How to customize a room rental agreement at FasterDraft?
To get a fully customized legal document template, follow the instructions given below:
- Click the “Create Document” button.
- Answer simple questions in the room rental agreement form.
- Select a template’s format—room rental agreement PDF or Word.
- Make a payment.
- Download, print out, and make both parties sign this document.
Table of content
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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1. What is the difference between a residential lease and a room rental lease agreement?
Both documents are dealing with a residential lease of property, however they differ as follows:
- Property Type. This simple room rental agreement is being used to rent a part of a residential property, specifically a room. while a residential lease agreement is for the rent of the whole property.
- Legal complexity. Usually, a sample lease agreement for room rental is a simple document, as a tenant has access to a part of the property and has to follow common rules for shared areas like kitchens or bathrooms. As a rule of thumb, the rules for termination of a room rental agreement are much easier compared to those required for termination of a standard residential lease.
- Eviction rules. If a landlord wants to end a residential lease and a tenant refuses to vacate a property, a landlord must follow a special eviction procedure. That procedure may take long months. This is not the case, however, with a termination of a lease agreement room rental.
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2. What is the difference between a rental room agreement and a roommate agreement?
The parties involved in a sample lease agreement for room rental are a property owner and a tenant. In the case of a roommate agreement, the parties are two or more tenants who live together in the same apartment and want to decide mutual rights and obligations regarding the usage of common areas like the bathroom or kitchen.
Last but not least, a roommate agreement cannot change or amend provisions of an existing room rental agreement sample. In other words, a roommate agreement defines rather strict rules for interaction between tenants living under the same roof.
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3. What is a month-to-month room rental agreement?
This is a type of short-term room rental agreement that is being renewed every month for one more month until it is terminated by either party.
If a landlord or a tenant wants to end a monthly room rental agreement, they have to send a termination notice before the expiration of a one-month period. A notice period is usually up to several days.
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