The Georgia roommate agreement (“room rental agreement”) is a sort of contract between two or more tenants sharing the same rental property (“co-tenants”). This document may also outline the terms and conditions associated with shared spaces, as well as rules that all co-tenants must follow.
It is necessary to complete a room rental agreement when more than one person lives in a rental unit but may not be stated on the lease, as in when a master tenant seeks a roommate. This document is considered to be a signed contract and is vital in the event of legal action.
In the state of Georgia, there is a room rental agreement that can be established between roommates. It is designed to help the two parties determine who is paying which portion of the rent and the utilities fairly. This is a legally binding contract that an individual can use to add people to the lease when they decide that they can no longer afford all of the expenses alone. In effect, this is an agreement that adds a third party to the lease agreement that is already in effect between the landlord and the tenant. This type of agreement can be a solution that will keep the tenant from breaking the terms of the lease because it will make paying rent more manageable.
In this type of agreement, the new tenants that move in will have the same permissions to use the property as the original tenant, but they are going to sign a new room rental agreement or a roommate agreement instead of signing the original lease. In the document, the dates of the original lease, as well as the date when the new tenant moves in, will need to be stated. The document should also explain the rent break down for the unit and the breakdown for paying utilities as well.
This is a document that can also be used to determine how the unit will be cleaned, the rules for repairing something that breaks, and how the cost of upgrades to the unit should be handled. Any other rules that will apply to the new tenant, which will include anything that the landlord provided when the original tenant first moved in, should be included as well.
Requirements of a Georgia Room Rental Agreement
When two parties enter into a room rental agreement, there are a few things that will need to be given to the other party before the agreement is signed. These items include:
A Security Deposit
This is an amount that that new tenant will need to provide in case there are any damages to the shared spaces or the bedroom area that they are renting. When the tenant moves off of the property, the money will then either be used for repairs if they are needed or returned to the individual in a timely fashion. This amount can vary, but it should not typically be more than the amount that they pay for a single month of rent.
A Pet Fee Deposit
If the new tenant is going to be moving in with pets, there is likely to be a fee that is going to be required as well. This fee will be kept in case there is any pet damage that needs to be repaired. If there are any specific rules regarding pets that the landlord outlined in the original agreement, they need to be provided for the new tenant as well. Sometimes, these fees are a monthly charge that the landlord requests, and other times, it could be a small fee that only needs to be paid once.
The Landlord’s Information
The landlord’s information will be another piece of critical information that will be required. The original tenant will need to provide the landlord’s name, the management company, the address of the rental office, and a phone number where they can be reached. This is essential information for the new tenant to know in case there is an issue where they will need to contact the landlord to correct.
Notices or Disclosures
Any notices or disclosures that were provided with the original lease will also need to be given to the new tenant. In the state of Georgia, units that have buildings that were built before the year 1978 will need to include a lead paint disclosure to inform the tenant of the potential risks of living on the property. If mold is an issue in the area, the new tenant will need to be aware of this as well, and if there is a mold notice in the lease, it should be provided.
In Georgia, there is a flood disclosure that is to be provided to tenants who are moving into a unit that has flooded at least three times in the past five years. If there is a lot of flooding that occurs in the area or the disclosure was provided with the original lease, it should be included in this agreement as well.
How to Write a Room Rental Agreement in Georgia
This agreement is very similar to a residential rental agreement, but it adds an additional party to the agreement. Therefore, several sections will need to be included in the document when it is written, and some of the ones that need to be present in the document include:
Date
At the very top of the document, the first thing that will need to be visible is the date that the document was first drawn up. This will help to ensure that the information on the agreement is relevant to the property that is being discussed and that all of the details are important to renting the unit today.
The Parties
The next section should lay out the parties that are involved in the room rental agreement. This will include the original tenant as well as the new tenant. Their full names, phone numbers, and email addresses should be listed in this section. If there are other roommates that already reside in the unit, then they will need to be listed as well in this section as co-tenants. Their phone number should also be listed in this section so that they can be contacted in the event that there is an emergency with the property. The landlord’s information should also be listed here as well so that it is in a location where it can easily be reached by the new tenant.
The Property Details
After the parties have been noted in the agreement, the specific property that is up for rent should also be listed in the next section. This information will need to include the full address of the unit, which will include the unit number, the street number, and any other information that may be required. Also, in this section, the county that the unit is located in should be listed as well, especially if there are any special events or locations that only residents of the county can explore.
The Dates of the Original Lease
Since the new tenant is going to be agreeing to the terms of the original lease, it is vital that they know about the lease that was originally signed and the dates when the agreement starts and ends. The renewal process for the lease should also be located in this section. If the original tenant does not wish to renew, the new tenant may be able to take over the lease or agree to a sublease arrangement.
The Rental Amount and Security Deposit Required
This section is designed to split the actual rent that is due into portions for each roommate to pay each month. The new tenant will need to know the portion of the rent that they are responsible for as well as the date that it is due each month. Also, make sure to include any late fees that will apply if the new tenant is late with their rent, and whether or not they will be responsible for taking their portion of the rent to the management company. In a roommate situation, some people will opt to have one of the roommates deliver the rent to the landlord instead of providing them with multiple checks.
Typically the amount that each person pays for rent will be broken down by the size of the unit, but if it is split evenly, it also needs to be addressed here as well. The security deposit that is required from the new tenant will need to be listed in this section as well. Typically, the amount is not more than a month of rent, but it can vary in the State of Georgia.
The Utilities
When a unit is shared with additional roommates, the utilities will likely be shared as well. Some landlords in the state may cover the electric bill or the water bill, but anything that is not covered by the landlord should be listed here as an additional expense that will need to be taken care of.
Additional Agreements
This section can be used to address things like a cleaning schedule, handling repairs, and having guests in the unit. Common areas will need to be respected as just that, but the bedrooms are going to be cleaned on an individual basis. This will help the roommates avoid a dispute that has already been addressed in this agreement.
Signatures
The final section of the agreement is the signature section. It will provide a place for the parties to sign and date the document. There may also be a section for the landlord to sign that indicates that they are fine with the arrangement.
