The Tennessee roommate agreement (“room rental agreement”) is a contract between multiple tenants in a shared living situation (“co-tenants”). This document establishes the financial responsibilities of each co-tenant and may also detail other terms and conditions associated with sharing the rental property.
When a tenant is looking for additional renters, there can be several key reasons for sharing the lease. One common reason is to reduce the cost of rent since roommates split it amongst the roommates. Some addition reasons to consider entering into a roommate agreement include the social value and to make day-to-day living easier for older renters who are on fixed incomes. In any situation, a room rental agreement is a versatile, legally binding document that will provide a legal framework for cohabitation. While roommates aren’t always officially recognized by the landlords or their management company, the agreement is designed to bind additional renters to the original tenant, which provides a set of rights in the state of Tennessee.
What to Include in a Tennessee Roommate Agreement
- The date that the roommate agreement begins and ends.
- The full names of all of the roommates. Indicate which one is the primary roommate.
- The terms of the agreement. Include a copy of the original rental agreement.
- The amount of rent that each roommate will need to pay.
- The utilities that will need to be paid, and whose name the bill will be in for each utility.
- The amount of the security deposit and how it was paid between the roommates.
- Any of the house rules that the roommates have deemed to be important.
- A cleaning schedule for the rental unit.
- The signature of all of the roommates and their printed name as well.
Roommate’s Rights in Tennessee
Thanks to the legally binding nature of the room rental agreement, roommates are granted a series of rights in the state. First, to evict a roommate, in the state of Tennessee, even if they aren’t on the lease, you will have to go to court. The letter of the roommate agreement is admissible, but anyone that has dwelled in a unit for more than 30 days is deemed an official tenant in the eyes of the state. Additionally, this also provides tenants rights to the roommates, so if the unit becomes unsafe or the roommate‘s privacy is violated by the landlord, then he or she has the right to sue the landlord in court.
