The Benefits of Drafting a Roommate Agreement

Drafting a roommate agreement is always a smart idea, even if you’re living with a close friend with whom you rarely disagree. You’ll be thankful you laid down some ground rules later down the road when an unexpected disagreement arises. Consider the following benefits if you or your roommate are still apprehensive about drafting one.

An Agreement Creates Discussion Upfront

Even before rules are put on paper, the act of sitting down to discuss and compose a roommate agreement is an important step on its own. You may think everything will be fine and agreeable between you and your roommate for the duration of the lease, but openly discussing your ideas and concerns right away may shed light on topics that would otherwise go undiscussed. The discussion that helps form the roommate agreement will give you both a better idea of what each person’s expectations are. Communication is an important first step.

An Agreement Lays the Ground Rule

Too often in roommate relationships rules are left unspoken and unwritten. For instance, you may assume that your roommate knows to take out the trash when it’s full, but you cannot operate on assumptions. Ironically, it’s the little things that usually end up leading to roommate blow outs, such as issues with cleanliness, noise level and sharing of apartment chores. If you sit down and make some ground rules right away, you’ll both know your limitations. Be thorough in this step and don’t leave any topic undiscussed. How do you feel about guests staying overnight? How often should the bathroom be cleaned? Are you each responsible individually for turning in your monthly rent check or is one person going to handle it? These are just several of the many questions you should discuss.

An Agreement Serves as a Referee

It might feel strange when you initially sit down to draft the agreement, especially if you’re living with close friends. However, if you take it seriously initially, the roommate agreement can benefit you both down the road. Once a problem arises, look to the roommate agreement to see how you’d decided to handle the situation. Proceed with amending the situation according to the document. For example, if you’d agreed to clean the apartment every Saturday and the place is a mess, the irresponsible party needs to do his or her part to amend the situation. The agreement will help you to resolve any situation amicably, as it was created on good terms.

An Agreement Will Improve Your Living Situation

Knowing what you’re getting into up front will ease any anxiety you both may have about living with one another. A roommate agreement will help to create a less stressful and uncertain living situation. You both can comfortably live knowing that you see eye to eye on apartment arrangements and have a concrete way to solve any issues that may arise.

All things considered, taking an hour to discuss and draft a roommate agreement is a small price to pay when you consider how beneficial it can be for the duration of your shared living situation.

_______________________________________

Rachael Weiner: I’m a communications professional for a non-profit, which financially necessitates my status as an apartment dweller. Constantly “on-the-go,” I’ve resided in five different apartments across the United States over the past five years. Roommate issues, budgeting, organizing and handling problem neighbors are my specialty.