Roommate Agreement in Missouri

An agreement between roommates on rent shares, bills, chores and moving out. It is a contract between you — it does not change your lease with the landlord.

What Missouri law says

Roommate not on the lease	Missouri's landlord-tenant law defines a tenant as any person who occupies the premises with the landlord's consent. So an occupant who is not on the written lease can still be a tenant if the landlord has consented to them living there; someone living there without the landlord's consent is not the landlord's tenant. No statute sets out separate rules for roommates. Whether the landlord consented is a question of fact (for example, accepting rent from the occupant). The lease usually controls who may live in the unit. Source: RSMo 441.005
Removing a roommate or subtenant	No roommate-specific statute. A tenant who rents to a subtenant acts as that person's lessor. A subtenant whose term has ended, or who holds over after the term of the person they claim under, can be removed through an unlawful detainer case in court; a month-to-month or at-will occupancy is first ended with one month's written notice. Notice rule: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060. Lockouts and self-help removal are risky; the court process is the safe route. Source: RSMo 534.030.1; RSMo 441.060.1, .4(1)

Roommate not on the lease

Missouri's landlord-tenant law defines a tenant as any person who occupies the premises with the landlord's consent. So an occupant who is not on the written lease can still be a tenant if the landlord has consented to them living there; someone living there without the landlord's consent is not the landlord's tenant. No statute sets out separate rules for roommates.

Whether the landlord consented is a question of fact (for example, accepting rent from the occupant). The lease usually controls who may live in the unit.

Source: RSMo 441.005

Removing a roommate or subtenant

No roommate-specific statute. A tenant who rents to a subtenant acts as that person's lessor. A subtenant whose term has ended, or who holds over after the term of the person they claim under, can be removed through an unlawful detainer case in court; a month-to-month or at-will occupancy is first ended with one month's written notice.

Notice rule: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060. Lockouts and self-help removal are risky; the court process is the safe route.

Source: RSMo 534.030.1; RSMo 441.060.1, .4(1)

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ROOMMATE AGREEMENT for [rental address]

Roommates: [roommate names]

Rent: total $[total rent] per month. Shares: [each roommate's share]. Each share is paid to [who pays the landlord] by [due date].

Security deposit paid by each roommate: [deposit shares]. When someone moves out, their share is returned [how and when].

Utilities and internet: [how bills are split and who holds each account].

Rooms and shared spaces: [who has which room; shared areas].

Cleaning and chores: [chore plan]. Quiet hours: [quiet hours]. Guests: [overnight guest limits].

Moving out: a roommate who leaves gives [notice period] written notice to the others and [finds a replacement approved by the landlord / pays their share until the lease ends].

Disputes: we will first try to talk it out, then [mediation or small claims court].

Signatures and dates: [signatures]

Roommate Agreement for other states · Missouri tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.