A Brief Introduction About the Room Rental Agreement
A room rental agreement or contract is referred to as the legally binding official document that is usually signed between a tenant and a landlord or property owner. The tenant might want to sublease or rent the room or apartment of the landlord and, therefore, needs to sign a rental agreement for renting a room.
The contract helps in specifying the respective obligations and expectations of both parties. Upon signing the contract, the parties of the contract are imposed upon the respective duties & obligations that they are expected to abide by during the entire tenure of the agreement. The room rental contract also goes by the term “sublease agreement.” This is because it is known to incorporate the necessary elements or terms of the first rental or lease agreement. It, therefore, serves as the detailed & comprehensive guide for specifying the respective rights and responsibilities of the tenants.
Instead of the role played by the oral agreements, the written form of the rental agreement is mostly given honor by the concerned law while carrying more weight when needed to be enforced upon the tenants for dictating the respective rights & responsibilities. A room rental contract is considered vital for protecting the rights of the tenants while entering into the given situation in which the principal tenant might sublease the property or the room to some secondary tenants.
Who Takes the Room Rental Agreement?
Once you know what is room rental agreement, it is important to know about the parties involved in the given contract. The room rental agreement template is signed between a primary tenant (the property owner or the landlord) and the secondary tenant (the one applying for the rent). A lease or rental contract is an official, legal document that is known to specify the arrangement that is signed between the owner of the property or real estate (referred to as the lessor) and the other party who is willing to pay the rent while living in the given property or room (referred to as the ‘tenant’ or the ‘lessee’).
Purpose of the Room Rental Agreement
The main purpose of room rental agreement form is to specify a legal document that is utilized by the tenants for occupying a given space or room as awarded by the property owner or the lessor. The document is signed to be active for the given period of the rent in exchange for a monthly rent. Therefore, this contract is also referred to as the ‘month to month room rental agreement.’ The terms and conditions of the contract tend to be negotiable between the landlord and the tenant. Once the contract has been signed, the form is regarded as legally binding, as well as mutually binding.
The room rental contract can be utilized when you are the landlord or the property owner and wish to lease some private room or the portion of your property to some secondary tenants. The room rental contracts are typically used to clarify expectations, responsibilities, and obligations of both the parties involved while promoting a peaceful living environment. The commercial or residential room rental agreement is known to serve as a great tool that helps in curbing the potential issues before escalating while allowing the parties to open valid communication channels. When the parties are entering into the room rental contract, the parties mostly tend to overlook the simple & obvious points of the dealings & future contention.
Contents of the Room Rental Agreement
At first glance, the roommate agreement and the room rental contract are often confused with one another. However, there are notable points of differences between the two that you should know when you wish to know how to write a rental agreement for a room. While preparing the simple room rental contract, it is important to include the essential contents of the agreement at the same time. Some of the important terms of the contract that you should know about are:
- Date of the Contract –specifying the given dates of the contract –right from its beginning to its end
- Information about the tenants –the contract should list down the contact information of the tenants for identifying the personal details of the respective tenants being a part of the contract. The tenant who is leasing the premises or the property is commonly known as the ‘principal tenant.’
- Premises or Property –the address or location of the premise being leased or given on rent.
- Rent –the rent amount as well as a security deposit to be paid by the tenant
- Duties & Obligations –the basic duties, responsibilities, and chores of each party under the contract
- Amenities –the division of the utilities in the given contract. The section specifies the name as well as the contact information of the tenant having names on the utility bills, and how they aim to pay the same.
- Damages –the responsibility of each tenant for the damage caused by them and how the overall costs of the damages will be shared.
- Renter’s Insurance –whether or not the tenant will be buying the renter’s insurance
How to Draft the Room Rental Agreement?
If you would like to rent a room or an apartment or give away the property as rent to some tenant, you are expected to draft the room rental contract with much care. You should know how to write a rental agreement for a room by specifying the given terms & conditions of the contract while indicating the individual rights & obligations of each party. While drafting the key terms of room rental agreement, keep in mind the interests of both the involved parties for making the contract appear just to everyone.
While writing down the clauses of the room rental contract take the reference from any generic room rental agreement. Here are some important aspects of basic room rental agreement to keep in mind:
- Specific Terms & Conditions: The room rental contract or document is sent to the respective tenants who are occupying a given room or property of the landlord. The contract document should specify the major terms & conditions that will be contained in the lease.
- Addressing Important Information: As a landlord or lessor, when you wish to extend the room rental contract to the tenants, you must aim at including all vital information at the same time. Some are:
- Number of tenants allowed at a time
- Address & contact information of the tenants
- Duration of the lease
- Whether the room include furniture & utilities or not
- Whether or not the pets are allowed
- The mode of making payments
- The amount of security deposit to be made by the tenants
Negotiation Strategy
Whether you wish to negotiate with the landlord over the rent period, amount, or your pets, it is important to know what you are putting at stake while how hard it is to insist the landlord at the same time. Here are some negotiation tips:
- Contact the landlord in advance to get an idea of the rental prerequisites well in advance
- Try approaching the landlord during the end of the month with your room rental contract negotiation
- If you are not able to come up with terms on a given condition, you can also consider presenting alternatives to the given problem
- Try being a model tenant in your landlord’s eye to negotiate easily
Benefits & Drawbacks of the Room Rental Agreement
Some of the potential benefits of drafting a proper room rental contract are:
- It can help in creating discussions with the involved parties upfront
- It helps in laying down ground rules for further proceedings
- The contract serves as the referee to remind the parties that they are in some form of agreement
- When you sign a proper rental contract, it helps in improving your overall living conditions
There are some demerits of the contract, as well. Some common points are:
- You are bound by a legal contract for the entire duration of the lease
- As a tenant, you are expected to abide by the rules & regulations of the landlord
What Happens in Case of a Violation?
Upon specific grounds, the terms & conditions of the room rental contract could be violated. Some of the conditions are(1):
- Tenants not paying the rent on time
- Tenants not living up to the cleaning standards of the property
- Landlords being unjust to the tenants’ privacy
- Not fulfilling specific clauses of the contract
Upon the violation of the room rental contract, the parties are at the disposition of terminating the contract at the same time.
Download a room rental agreement sample drafted by an expert attorney, and customize the room rental agreement pdf as per your need. Whether you are a tenant or a landlord, while signing the different types of room rental agreements, it is important to go through the specific terms and conditions. Only then you should sign the same for the given period.