Have you ever been in that sticky situation (in both a literal and metaphorical sense) where your messy housemate refuses to take out the bins, leaving behind a pile of rotten fruit and last nights curry spewing onto the floor? Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing to have a bin-juice busting contract to stop your housemate from doing all those annoying anti-social house habits? Well, it turns out you really can have your very own contract (known as \u2018roommate agreements\u2019) and they\u2019re becoming increasingly popular in the UK.<\/p>\n
With flat-sharing on the rise and thousands of spare rooms<\/strong><\/a> up for grabs in places such as London, signing a roommate agreement is a great way to put your mind at ease when it comes to any issues you might run into when you\u2019re all set up in your new house.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve made a roommate agreement template just for you but make sure you tailor it to suit your household needs. \u2018What are my household needs?\u2019 we hear you ask. Don\u2019t worry – here\u2019s everything you need to consider.<\/p>\n Before you go signing any old thing, make sure you understand what it is that you\u2019re actually signing. A roommate agreement is a contract which outlines the terms and responsibilities of each occupant and can include requirements such as a cleaning schedule, bills and the cost of rent for each person (see our template).<\/p>\n Download the ideal flatmate Roommate Agreement Template here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A roommate agreement does stand up in court, however, the man (or woman) in the grey wig has the final say. If your housemate Sandra got drunk and spilt red wine over the remote control, you can\u2019t take her to court to reimburse the \u00a33 she owes you for the replacement. However, we totally back having the lingering threat of court every time she drinks your milk without asking (we won\u2019t tell if you don\u2019t).<\/p>\n Roommate agreements can be particularly useful in court if your housemate has refused to pay the rent that they owe you. As the roommate agreement clearly states how much rent each occupant should pay (even if the amounts are different for each person), you\u2019ll have a much greater chance of getting back exactly what you\u2019re owed.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve found a room to rent (browse thousands of spare rooms here<\/a><\/strong>), signing a roommate agreement is actually a really good idea, especially if you\u2019re going to be moving in with people who aren\u2019t previously known to you. Don\u2019t panic, the success rate of living with strangers is surprisingly not so bad, especially when you use this roommate matching tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n A roommate agreement is particularly useful when certain factors come into play such as having occupants paying differing amounts of rent (e.g. if one person has a particularly large room). By clearly stating how much rent each occupant should pay, if any financial issues come up, your roommate agreement covers you for exactly how much rent you\u2019re owed. Even though most roommate agreements cover all sorts of household chores and anti-social behaviours, you might want to think of it as a room rental agreement and use it solely to cover how much rent each occupant owes (see our simple template for a room rental agreement).<\/p>\n Download our Room Rental Agreement Template here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n When drafting up your roommate agreement, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. Remember to make the agreement unique to you to avoid agreeing not to break your roommates non-existent microwave from a template you\u2019ve pinched from the internet. These are the questions you need to ask when it comes to your roommate agreement:<\/p>\n Still not sure what to include in your roommate agreement? Here\u2019s a quick checklist to help you formulate your masterpiece:<\/p>\n Now that you know you won\u2019t be clearing up anyone\u2019s grubby mess, why not sign up<\/strong><\/a> to be the first to hear about new listings and find your perfect flatshare?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever been in that sticky situation (in both a literal and metaphorical sense) where your messy housemate refuses to take out the bins, leaving behind a pile of rotten fruit and last nights curry spewing onto the floor? Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing to have a bin-juice busting contract to stop your housemate from … <\/p>\nWhat is a roommate agreement?<\/h2>\n
Is a roommate agreement legally binding?<\/h2>\n
Should I sign a roommate agreement?<\/h2>\n
Roommate Agreement: Questions to ask<\/h2>\n
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Roommate agreement checklist<\/h2>\n
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