Roommate Agreement in Rhode Island
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 Rhode Island law says
| Roommate not on the lease | Under Rhode Island's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, a tenant is a person entitled under a rental agreement (written or oral) to occupy a dwelling unit to the exclusion of others. A roommate who is not on the written lease is a tenant only if they have their own oral or written agreement with the landlord. 'Landlord' includes a sublessor, so a tenant who sublets to a roommate is that roommate's landlord. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11 |
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| Removing a roommate or subtenant | No roommate-specific statute. Because a sublessor counts as a landlord, a tenant who sublets ends a month-to-month subtenancy with written notice at least 30 days before the date in the notice (10 days for week-to-week). Self-help recovery of possession is prohibited, so a subtenant who stays must be removed through a court eviction for holding over. |
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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 · Rhode Island 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.