The Minnesota roommate agreement (“room rental agreement”) is a valuable document that is used by two or more tenants sharing the expenses of one rental property. This contract outlines the financial expectations and social obligations of sharing the space and must be signed by all co-tenants residing on the property.
In the state of Minnesota, a roommate agreement serves as a legal document that is honored in Minnesota courts. This is a useful method of keeping track of agreements between roommates, and it can even track things like chores, utilities, rent payment values, and it even provides some protections for roommates from landlord-based issues. For one of these documents, it’s important that everything is included including disclosures.
What to Include in a Minnesota Roommate Agreement
- Similarly to standard leases, it’s a good idea to establish terms and dates for a roommate agreement. To start, just include the calendar date of the lease.
- The next section should have several blank spaces to include the name for each of the roommates that are participating in the roommate agreement. There should be space for extra roommates, and if the space runs out, then additional roommates’ names should appear to the right.
- Next, the address for the unit should be included. Any supplemental address information should be recorded here as well.
- The fourth section should include the monthly breakdown of the rent. This includes the total amount and each roommate’s portion.
- Next, the fifth section can also include a similar breakdown for utilities and the security deposit. For this latter fee, policies on security deposit return and how deductions form the deposit work should be included.
- The penultimate section should establish house rules and terms and conditions for all roommates.
- Finally, there needs to be several spaces where roommates may sign, print their name, and date the document to indicate consent.
Roommate’s Rights in Minnesota
In Minnesota, even without a rental document, a roommate is deemed a month-to-month tenant. As a result, any roommate can leave the premises as long as he or she presents 30 days’ worth of notification before leaving. Minnesota doesn’t demand that landlords recognize roommates, so if a roommate moves out, the landlord can still legally expect 100 percent of the rent from the unit.
