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Roommate Agreement for Alberta Renters
Why do you need a written Roommate Agreement?
Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act sets out the responsibilities and duties that a landlord has
to the tenant, and the tenant to the landlord. The legislation does not address the roommate
relationship and what duties and responsibilities roommates have to each other. A written
agreement helps you avoid having problems with your roommates.
Usually when you rent an apartment or house, there will be a written lease between the
landlord and the tenants but it does not explain how those tenants will live together as
roommates. A Roommate Agreement states how the roommates will share the responsibilities
of renting –for example, how much of the rent each roommate is responsible for paying, how
the rent will be paid to the landlord, and who will pay the landlord.
What should a Roommate Agreement say?
This form is a fillable version of our Sample Roommate Agreement. Be aware that the sample
agreement contains some terms that may not apply to your situation, so it should be adapted
to fit your situation. Additional terms should be added if they are needed. Before agreeing to
terms in an agreement, the tenants should get legal advice.
Note: If your landlord is your roommate, the “Sample Living with Your Landlord Agreement for
Alberta Renters” (and form) would be more appropriate for your situation.
Disclaimer
This form is for information purposes only and nothing in the form is legal advice. The contents
are provided as an information service. The use of the form in no way creates an agreement
or contract with the author(s). The author(s) are not obligated to give any advice on how to fill
out this form. This form was developed in Alberta, Canada and incorporates the laws of
Alberta. The laws in other jurisdictions may be different. You should contact a lawyer if you
have any questions about applicable laws in your jurisdiction and to receive legal advice.
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Roommate Agreement
This Roommate Agreement (“agreement”) is made on __________ , _____ , 20 _____ between
_____________________________________________________________________
AND
_____________________________________________________________________
(the “roommates”)
THE ROOMMATES AGREE AS FOLLOWS:
1. Rental Unit / Lease Agreement
A. The roommates have entered into this agreement to live together in the following
place: _________________________________________________________________________ (the
“rental unit”).
B. This is a binding agreement between the roommates living together in the rental unit.
Each roommate will carry out their responsibilities contained in this agreement in a
timely manner.
C. This agreement does not replace the rights and responsibilities that the roommates
have as tenants under the Residential Tenancies Act and their residential lease
agreement with _____________________________________________________________ , the
landlord of the rental unit.
2. Terms of Agreement
The terms of this agreement are in effect from
__________ , _____ , 20 _____ until __________ , _____ , 20 _____.
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3. Security Deposit
A. The total security deposit payable to the landlord for the rental unit is $ __________.
B. Each roommate will pay their share of the security deposit to the landlord as follows:
___________________________________________________ will pay $ __________
___________________________________________________ will pay $ __________
4. Damage
Each roommate is responsible for the damages that they, or their guests, cause. If the cause
cannot be determined, then the repair costs will be split equally amongst all roommates.
5. Rent
A. The rent payable to the landlord for the rental unit is $ __________ per:
month
week
B. Each roommate will pay their share of the rent as follows:
___________________________________________________ will pay $ __________
___________________________________________________ will pay $ __________
C. Each roommate will pay their share of the rent to the landlord on time and in a way
that will provide them with proof of payment. Each roommate will keep a copy of this
proof of payment and provide the proof of payment to any other roommate or the
landlord upon request.
D. Each roommate is liable for any damages resulting from their failure to pay rent.
Damages include, but are not limited to: late fees, interest, and Court costs.
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E. The roommates may pay their share of the rent by personal cheque. If a roommate’s
cheque cannot be processed because of insufficient funds or any other reason, that
roommate will be responsible for all fees arising from that bounced cheque (including
any bank fees or fees imposed by the landlord).
F. If the roommates are evicted because of the failure of one or more roommates to pay
their rent, the non-paying roommate(s) will be liable for:
a. any moving expenses of the paying roommates
b. rent for the remainder of this agreement and
c. any penalty imposed by the landlord (including any penalty for breaking the lease)
G. If a roommate moves out of the rental unit, they must continue to pay their share of the
rent until the lease ends or until they are released in writing by all of the other
roommates from the responsibility to pay their share of the rent.
6. Shared utility and service costs
The roommates agree to pay shared utility and service costs as follows:
Nameontheaccount
Howthecostissharedbetween
roommates(%oramount)
Roommate responsible
forpayment
Heat
Water
Electricity
Telephone
Television
Internet
Garbage
Parking
Other:
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7. Household supplies
A. The following household supplies will be shared by the roommates:
Toilet Paper
Cleaning supplies
Detergents
Paper towels
Other:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
B. The costs of household supplies will be shared equally by all roommates.
C. The roommates will keep an accurate ledger for all household supplies shared by the
roommates. The ledger of household supplies will be tallied on the last day of each
month. If a roommate owes any other roommate(s) money for household supplies, then
that roommate must pay the amount owing to the other roommate(s) within 10 days.
8. Food
A. The roommates will each be responsible for purchasing their own food:
Yes No
If yes, each roommate will have a reasonable portion of the refrigerator and cabinet
space for food storage.
B. The roommates will share the costs of food:
Yes
No
If yes, the roommates agree that they will spend a total of $ __________ per month for
food, with each sharing the costs as follows:
___________________________________________________ will pay $ __________ on or before
the first day of the month for food
___________________________________________________ will pay $ __________ on or before
the first day of the month for food
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C. If the roommates share the costs of food, the money that both roommates contribute
for the cost of food will be used to pay for food only. The money will be kept in a
separate bank account, or an envelope/jar. If there is money left over at the end of the
month, then each roommate will receive their share of that money on or before the last
day of the month.
TIP:Iftheroommatessharethecostsoffood,youmaywanttoincludeacookingschedule.
9. Shared rooms and items
A. The following rooms will be shared and accessible at all times to all roommates:
garage
living room
sun room
kitchen
dining room
study
bedroom
washroom
master bath
other: ________________
BBBBBBBBBBB___
B. The following household items will be shared equally amongst the roommates:
Description Ownedby:
Vacuum
Stereo
PotsandPans
Dishes
Cutlery
Other:
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10. Household obligations and responsibilities
The roommates agree to the following household obligations and responsibilities:
A. Washing Dishes: Each roommate is responsible for the timely cleaning, drying, and
putting away of those dishes of which they, or their guests, use.
B. Laundry: Each roommate is responsible for the timely cleaning, drying, and putting
away of the laundry of which they, or their guests, use.
C. Taking out the garbage, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, sweeping, and other
similar duties of a shared space: The roommates agree to alternate the listed duties on
a weekly basis or sooner as required.
TIP:Youmaywanttoincludeascheduleofthehouseholdchoresandlistwhoisresponsiblefor
doingthosechores.
11. Moving out of the rental unit
A. If a roommate wishes to move out of the rental unit (the “vacating roommate”) before
the end of this agreement, then the vacating roommate must give the other
roommates written notice _____ days in advance.
B. The vacating roommate must find a substitute roommate acceptable to the remaining
roommates and landlord. The roommates’ consent to a substitute roommate must be in
writing. If the vacating roommate does not find an acceptable substitute roommate,
the vacating roommate must pay their share of the rent for the remainder of this
agreement.
C. The vacating roommate agrees to clean and restore their room and personal areas to
the condition they were in at the beginning of the agreement, subject to reasonable
wear and tear.
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12. Unresolved Issues
A. If an issue arises that is not directly dealt with by this agreement, the roommates agree
to schedule a house meeting to resolve the issue. All roommates should be willing to
cooperate and discuss the issue fairly.
B. If the roommates cannot resolve the issue, then the concern may be brought to the
attention of the landlord or an alternate dispute resolution service, whichever choice is
more appropriate in the circumstances.
13. Additional terms
The roommates can agree to additional terms. You should list them here. For example, they
may wish to clarify house rules such as:
Noise
Guests
Personal items
Smoking
Drug usage (e.g.,
alcohol, cannabis)
Pets
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Acceptance
___________________________________________________ has signed this agreement on
__________ , _____ , 20 _____.
Signature: ______________________________
___________________________________________________ has signed this agreement on
__________ , _____ , 20 ______.
Signature: ______________________________
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