Electronic Signature Licitness for Roommate Rental Agreement in United States

How to eSign a document: electronic signature licitness for Roommate Rental Agreement in United States

whether you're moving to a new city for school or want a chance to start over in a new town finding a roommate has its perks finding a trusted roommate to help share the responsibility is another challenge entirely today we discuss the benefits of living with someone else plus how to find a trusted roommate and create a roommate agreement to ensure a fair relationship hey everyone it's alyssa here from bay property management group bringing you the latest rental industry news tips and advice for owners investors and tenants so let's get started living with a roommate has quite a few benefits for example a lower cost of living and having someone to socialize with that's because when you have a roommate most household costs including rent security deposits utilities groceries and other items are typically split additionally if you move to a new town that your roommate is familiar with you have someone to show you around however it's vital to find a trustworthy and respectful person having a roommate that doesn't want to respect your privacy or cooperate with the house rules can create conflict between people and issues with the rental agreement when you find a roommate it's crucial to create a mutual roommate agreement but first let's discuss how to find the right fit as a roommate there are several ways to find someone to share a home with thanks to advances in technology and the use of social media contacting potential candidates is now easier than ever a few common sites that make it easy to connect include facebook or craigslist additionally some specific apps are made to find roommates such as roomy match or roomie that said individuals must use caution whenever contacting or interacting with strangers after all when you communicate over the internet you don't always know who you're talking to so before you follow through with someone you found online consider searching for them on google or social media to get a better sense of who they are once you find a few potential candidates that you are comfortable with it's important to set clear standards from the start communication is a key factor in any relationship including roommates when speaking with someone about living standards it's important to set clear expectations and ensure everyone is on the same page the first thing you'll want to discuss is a few essential standards for example go over how to handle shared spaces cleaning expectations guests and household noise levels as you get further into your communication with a potential roommate be sure to look out for red flags such as no job or work history disrespectful disposition party animal no references smoking alcohol or drug use and lack of personal hygiene while you may be excited to move it's important to take your time and set clear boundaries in order to find someone willing to comply with your expectations keep in mind even if you think you found the perfect roommate you'll still want to create a roommate agreement creating a roommate agreement is crucial while living in a rental home staying on the same page as your housemates ensures that everyone knows their responsibilities and is held accountable ingly while you are both on the lease your landlord will likely leave it up to you to decipher who is responsible for what before moving into a new regional home with a roommate sit down with them and draft a roommate agreement together that way you'll both be able to verbalize your expectations and come to a mutual understanding of the house rules although a roommate agreement isn't illegally binding contract it's an excellent way to keep all occupants accountable without a mutual understanding you could be left with a larger rent payment more household duties or living with extra guests in the home living with another person isn't always easy and you won't always agree on every household rule however the goal is for everyone to live in a safe clean and comfortable rental home so let's go over some ways to set boundaries and lay down house rules for you and your roommate number one living arrangements outlining the living arrangements is one of the most crucial parts of a roommate agreement deciding who will occupy what room and discussing shared living spaces before moving in is crucial in maintaining privacy in your rental typically each roommate will have their own personal bedroom and then the home's common areas are shared number two pet policies going over the pet policy is another massive part of keeping things fair and respectful within the home if the lease allows pets in the rental discuss with your roommate to see if they have any animals that will be living there everyone needs to agree and feel comfortable with any pets living in the united number three inviting guests over having guests over with roommates can be tricky sometimes if everyone invites their friends over at once the place can quickly become crowded on the other hand if your roommate invites a friend over for a few days and they don't leave it can create a conflict keeping an open line of communication when inviting people over is a great way to avoid any type of conflict within the home number four splitting household chores when you live with more than one person your shared spaces can quickly become cluttered and messy since nobody wants to be the one who's cleaning all the time it's a good idea to develop a turn-taking system when it comes to household chores that said a good rule of thumb is also to always clean up after yourself and number five parking spaces some rental units have limited parking spaces if you have a roommate you both must stay in your respective spot if you're having guests over it's probably not the best idea to allow them to park in your roommate's parking spot keeping a consistent expectation for parking can give you both peace of mind the next major aspect of a roommate agreement is staying accountable for splitting household payments it's hard to have one person in charge of rent and one person in charge of utilities costs can get mixed up and it can become unfair quite quickly with that in mind here are some of the common expenses that roommates need to address rent rent is one of the most significant payments you'll likely split with your roommate agreeing to split this payment is crucial in maintaining a fair roommate relationship typically if there are two people living in the home you'll split the rental fee fifty fifty so if the rent is fourteen hundred dollars per month each person should plan on paying around seven hundred dollars the security deposit the security deposit is due when you first move in and has another larger payment to split although it's a one-time payment you and your roommates should agree on how the price is divided if there are two of you perhaps you'll split it down the middle if there are three plan on splitting it three ways utilities if utilities aren't included in the monthly rental payment you'll want to decide how to split these costs since utility payments can differ from month to month it might be easier to split these payments monthly or if the utility cost is around the same you could decide who pays for what utility each month and occasionally switch it up miscellaneous household items while most roommates purchase their groceries and belongings there are some shared household items that you may want to split the costs of for example cleaning supplies toilet paper dishwashing supplies and more before moving in with someone decide who wants to pay for what items discussing what happens if one individual leaves early is another crucial aspect of your roommate agreement since all rental occupants will be listed on the lease when one person vacates it leaves the rest responsible for their absence make sure everyone is on the same page about move out procedures and develop a plan of action if one roommate plans to break the lease early moving to a new city can be an exciting but also difficult transition luckily there are tons of great resources to help you find a rental home or a roommate check out the links in the description down below for more information for more advice on a variety of other issues important to the rental industry subscribe to the bay property management group channel and don't forget to hit the notification bell so you never miss out on exclusive content also be sure to check out our blog via the link in the description below for tips on lease contracts along with everything from home maintenance to financing your first income property purchase if you liked this video please give it a thumbs up or leave a comment down below thanks for watching and we will see you in the next video