Free Room Rental Agreement Sample

With your free room rental agreement you can identify the terms and conditions of your lease, which offers recourse for both landlord and tenant should either party be in breach.

We make provision for the most pertinent points needed in this type of lease contract.

Since every type of property is different, you could end up with a very lengthy document in an attempt to make provision for every instance. You can still address everything you need to, by using our free basic room rental agreement provided here and by attaching relevant documents as described below.

As landlords we've found it easier to have a simple room rental agreement form, wherein we reference other applicable terms and conditions which are dealt with in more detail in separate forms, for example:

• The Inventory
• Property Checklist prior to occupation
• Code of Conduct as prescribed by the Homeowners Association or Body Corporate
• House maintenance e.g. cleaning of gutters, swimming pool, lawn maintenance etc.
• Lead Paint Disclosure information and pamphlet for homes built before 1978
• Application form, where you have captured all the personal details of the tenant.
• Cleaning Schedule or Cleaning Roster where there are multiple tenants in a property.

We leave printed copies of all the documents referenced above as well as user manuals for appliances (if applicable) in the property for tenants to refer to from time to time. Upon handover they sign acknowledgement and receipt of all the above.

Sublease Agreement Templates - These forms are suitable for a Primary Tenant subletting to a subtenant. It may be used for subleasing a whole property, or areas within a property, or for subletting to a roommate.

Free Room Rental Agreement Form

This is a standard room rental agreement for instances where there are only two parties involved - the tenant and the landlord. A landlord can also use this form to have separate room rental agreements with a number of tenants within one property, e.g. students sharing accommodation.

We also supply a different form for an inclusive Room Rental Agreement for multiple roommates - where they are co-tenants, for example young professionals entering into a co lease or joint rental or lease agreement with the landlord.

A Room Rental Addendum caters for a Substitute Tenant replacing a tenant that needs to vacate earlier than planned.

Notes regarding the free room rental agreement form:

Security Deposit Payment: When the prospective tenant pays upon signing of the agreement the premises is secured for him, even if occupation will only happen some time in future. The landlord can then remove the listings for the property and notify any other applicants that the apartment has been let.

Escalation: Although we always make provision for an escalation at the rate permissible in law, a landlord should review this on merit. If you have a quality tenant who pays on time and looks after the property, you may consider not increasing the rental (review similar properties and their rentals as well as the number of available room rentals on the market) or you could increase the rental by a nominal amount.

Finding and placing a new tenant for a bit more rental income may cost you more in the long term!

Payment of Utilities: If you are letting a room in your home, then you may not have individual gas or electricity or water meters. Refer to the readings of a couple of months prior to occupation and the readings a month after occupation to get a sense of the extra usage of electricity, water etc. and calculate the percentage increase accordingly.

It is also difficult to apportion cleaning supplies, so it's easier to make provision for that in the rental amount.

Use of the Premises: You can be as specific as you wish in your free room rental agreement clauses. For example:

• Smoking - Not permitted (not even in any areas immediately surrounding the property such as entranceways) or permitted only on the outside private balcony of the tenant's bedroom or another designated area.
• Pets - Not permitted or describe a pet currently owned by the tenant which you are happy to have on the premises or state that you will only allow fish contained in a tank not exceeding 3ft. (Note from personal experience: snakes are great escape artists and you may not want a tenant keeping them as pets on the premises.)
  
  You may also want to ask for an additional pet security deposit if you are not charging the maximum permissible deposit already.
• Visitors - You may not deprive a tenant from having visitors from time to time, but you can place a limit on the number of simultaneous visitors (unless made by prior special arrangement) and the quiet times that need to be adhered to.

Variations on the Above Free Room Rental Agreement Form

Room Rental Lease Agreement - Co Lease Agreement

The room rental contract below is suitable for multiple occupants sharing accommodation in one property.

The free standard room rental agreement form has been adapted specifically for that purpose. Instead of each tenant signing a separate rental agreement with the landlord, in this contract they sign a joint rental agreement.

The image illustrates how we've identified all the tenants so you can see at a glance what rental each tenant is liable for and the rooms they are renting.

Notes to the free room rental lease agreement:

You can provide specific details of the private access allocated to each tenant. For example:
Tenant A: Upstairs master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and private balcony.
Tenant B: Downstairs bedroom with south facing windows.

Co Lease / Joint Rental Agreements
A landlord with multiple occupants can draft the agreement to state that they will be held jointly and severally responsible for the lease, as we've done in the free room rental lease agreement provided above. So if one tenant defaults or causes damages to the property, the remainder will have to foot the bill in total.

Many landlords prefer to have one rental lease agreement for a property. It works well when there is one tenant that initiated a communal sharing of a house and takes responsibility for the smooth running of the home. He communicates issues on behalf of the tenants to the landlord and can oversee maintenance on behalf of the landlord.

He can also have valuable input when it comes to the finding and screening of replacement tenants, especially for absentee landlords.

Addendum to a Room Rental Agreement

Tenants do have valid reasons for having to vacate their rooms earlier than planned. A simple Room Rental Addendum is an efficient and time-saving document to legally provide for a replacement tenant.

A______________________ Rental:_____ Security Deposit____
B______________________ Rental:_____ Security Deposit____
C______________________ Rental:_____ Security Deposit____
D______________________ Rental:_____ Security Deposit____

Property: ________________________________________

Whereas a Room Rental Agreement was signed by the Landlord and Tenants as identified on the above Property, for the period starting from _______________ until _______________ with an automatic extension thereafter, requiring two months written notice.

It is hereby recorded that Tenant (_), ________________________, shall end her tenancy on ___________ 20___
and that _____________________________,
shall become substitute Tenant (_) as from this date: _________________ with a Rental Amount of $______ and a Security Deposit amount of $______.

All the provisions of the original Room Rental Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and are accepted by the Landlord and Tenants without any variation. A copy of the above mentioned Room Rental Agreement as well as any other agreements and forms pertaining to the renting of the Premises were made available to the substitute Tenant (_).

Thus acknowledged and signed by the Substitute Tenant at _______________________ on this date _________________
in the presence of the undersigned witness:

Substitute Tenant: ______________________________
Witness: ___________________________________

Thus acknowledged and signed by the Landlord at _______________________ on this date _________________
in the presence of the undersigned witness:

Landlord: ______________________________
Witness: ___________________________________

A Room Rental Addendum is an easy and convenient way to allow for a substitute tenant, which can then be attached to your original free room rental agreement.

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