Roommate Agreement Ontario: How to Write One + Template

A roommate agreement in Ontario is a short, signed document between the people who share a home that sets out how rent and bills are split, how chores and guests work, and what happens when someone moves out. It's a private agreement between roommates, separate from the lease you have with the landlord, so it can't change what the landlord is owed, but it gives you clear rules and written evidence if a dispute ever comes up.

This guide explains what an Ontario roommate agreement can and can't do, how your setup (co-tenants, roommates not on the lease, or living with the owner) changes things, and gives you a template outline to adapt.

Key takeaways

• It's separate from the lease. The lease is between tenants and the landlord; the roommate agreement is only between roommates.
• Know your setup. Co-tenants, occupants not on the lease, and people sharing with a live-in owner have very different protections.
• Cover the big six: rent, utilities, chores, guests, quiet hours and moving out.
• Plan for exits. Most roommate disputes start when someone leaves early.
• Keep it simple and signed. Clear plain language beats legal jargon.

Lease vs. roommate agreement

Your roommate agreement can't override the lease or the Residential Tenancies Act. For example, if the lease says rent is due on the first, your agreement can say who transfers their share to whom by the 28th, but it can't change the landlord's due date.

Co-tenants vs. roommates not on the lease

Before writing anything, figure out which situation you're in, because it shapes what the agreement needs to cover.

Co-tenants (everyone is on the lease)

• Each co-tenant is generally responsible to the landlord for the full rent and the condition of the unit, not just their own share.
• If one person stops paying, the landlord can usually look to anyone on the lease.
• Your agreement should spell out how you'll cover a shortfall and how someone leaves.

Roommates who aren't on the lease

• One person (the tenant) holds the lease; others pay that tenant.
• A roommate who isn't on the lease is usually treated as an occupant, with few or no rights against the landlord under the Residential Tenancies Act, and generally can't bring a case to the LTB.
• If the tenant's tenancy ends, the occupants usually have to leave too.
• A written agreement is especially important here, since it may be the main record of what you agreed.

Living with the owner

If you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, or with the owner's spouse, child or parent who lives there, the Residential Tenancies Act generally doesn't apply. Your rights then come mostly from your agreement with the owner, so get it in writing.

What to include: template outline

Copy this outline and fill in the blanks. Plain language is fine.

1. Basics

• Address of the home
• Names of everyone signing
• Start date and end date (or "month to month")
• Whether each person is on the lease, and the lease date

2. Rent

• Total monthly rent and each person's share in dollars
• How shares were calculated (equal split, room size, private bathroom, parking)
• Who pays the landlord, how and by what date each person sends their share
• What happens if someone is late (for example, a reminder after two days, a conversation after five)

Not sure how to divide it? See how to split rent fairly for methods and a worked example.

3. Deposits

• Who contributed to the last month's rent deposit and any key deposit, and how much
• How each person gets their share back when they leave (for example, the incoming roommate reimburses the outgoing one)

4. Utilities, internet and subscriptions

• Which bills exist (hydro, gas, water, internet) and whose name each account is in
• How each is split and when it's settled
• Shared subscriptions, if any

5. Rooms and shared spaces

• Who has which bedroom
• Rules for the kitchen, fridge space, living room, storage and laundry
• Parking spots or bike storage

6. Chores and supplies

• A cleaning rota or task list
• How shared supplies (soap, toilet paper, garbage bags) are bought and split

7. Guests and partners

• Notice before having people over
• Maximum overnight stays per week or month
• What happens if a guest starts staying long-term (for example, they begin contributing to bills after a set number of nights)

8. Quiet hours and lifestyle

• Quiet hours on weekdays and weekends
• Smoking, vaping and cannabis rules
• Pets, and any allergies

9. Repairs and the landlord

• Who contacts the landlord about repairs
• How accidental damage caused by one roommate is handled

10. Moving out early

• How much notice a roommate must give the others (many groups use 60 days, which matches the notice a tenant usually gives to end a monthly tenancy)
• Whether the leaving roommate must help find a replacement, and who approves them
• That any sublet, assignment or new name on the lease needs the landlord's consent
• How the departing roommate's deposit share is settled

11. Resolving disagreements

• A first step (talk in person within a few days)
• A second step (a house meeting or a neutral friend)
• Agreement that money disputes may go to Small Claims Court as a last resort

12. Signatures and date

Everyone signs and dates it, and everyone keeps a copy. Update it when someone moves in or out.

Sample wording you can adapt

Plain, specific sentences work best. Here are a few examples to get you started. Change the names, numbers and dates to fit your home.

Rent:

The total rent is $2,700 per month. Alex pays $1,000 for the larger bedroom with an ensuite, and Jordan and Sam each pay $850. Each roommate sends their share to Alex by e-transfer by the 28th of the previous month, and Alex pays the landlord on the 1st.

Utilities:

Hydro and internet are in Jordan's name. Jordan posts the bills in the group chat within three days of receiving them, and each roommate pays one third within seven days.

Guests:

Overnight guests are welcome up to three nights a week per roommate. If a guest stays more than 10 nights in a month, we'll talk about whether they should contribute to utilities.

Moving out:

A roommate who wants to leave gives the others at least 60 days' written notice (a message in the group chat counts). They will help find a replacement, who must be approved by the remaining roommates and, where required, the landlord. They keep paying their share until a replacement starts paying or the tenancy ends.

The dollar figures above are only an illustration, not typical Toronto rents. Use your actual lease amount.

When to update the agreement

Revisit and re-sign the agreement whenever a roommate moves in or out, the rent changes (for example, after a lawful rent increase), a bill moves to a different person's name, or a rule clearly isn't working. A dated new version avoids arguments about which rules apply.

Moving out: be careful with the N9

The N9 is the form a tenant uses to give the landlord notice to end a tenancy. For a monthly tenancy, the termination date is generally at least 60 days after the notice is given. If you're co-tenants, one person serving an N9 can have consequences for everyone on the lease, so talk with your roommates and the landlord before anyone signs one. Our guide to ending a tenancy with an N9 explains the timing, and sublet and assignment in Ontario covers how a replacement roommate can take over properly.

Tips for an agreement people actually follow

• Write it together. Rules imposed by one person rarely last.
• Use numbers, not adjectives. "Bathroom cleaned weekly" beats "keep it clean."
• Keep payment records. E-transfers with notes like "Nov rent share" make disputes easy to settle.
• Review after a month. Adjust anything that isn't working.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic; the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights also offers free help to renters in Ontario.

Start with compatible roommates

The easiest agreement to write is with people whose habits already match yours. ColivEase uses AI matching on habits, budget and schedule, and lets teams of roommates apply together or rent a whole home room by room, applying for each room separately. Find your roommates on ColivEase.