Renting out a room
Letting a room is not one thing. Which kind you are doing decides the agreement you need.
A spare room in the home you still live in, and a room let separately inside a property you do not, often sit under different rules, sometimes very different ones. Work out which one you are actually doing before you draft anything.
Nothing is switched on until you say so.
Do you still live in the property?
YesLodger agreement
- Often a lighter regime, with fewer formalities
- Often easier to end if it does not work out
NoRoom tenancy
- Usually a full residential tenancy
- Notice periods, protections, and in some places a licence
The distinction that decides everything else
A lodger, or a tenant: which one are you letting to?
Both involve someone paying to occupy a room. In many places, what decides which rules apply is whether you still live in the property.
- Room 1YouRoom 2LodgerBathroomSharedKitchenSharedLiving roomShared
You live here, and share the kitchen and bathroom A lodger
A room in a home you still live in yourself. In many places, this carries a lighter regime than an ordinary tenancy: fewer formalities, and often an easier way to end the arrangement if it does not work out.
- Paperwork
- Lighter, but still in writing
- Ending it
- Often easier
- Licensing
- Rarely needed
- Room 1Tenant ARoom 2Tenant BRoom 3Tenant CKitchenSharedBathroomShared
You live elsewhere, and each room is its own letting A room let separately
A room in a property you do not live in, let as one of several separate lettings. This is usually a full residential tenancy in its own right, with the notice periods and protections that come with one, and in some places its own licensing on top.
- Paperwork
- A full residential lease
- Ending it
- Notice periods and protections
- Licensing
- Needed in some places
Whichever one it is
What the agreement itself should cover
This is not a legal requirement everywhere. It is what a clear agreement covers regardless of which regime it falls under, so nothing is left to memory.
- 1
Full names, and the address of the property
- 2
Which room is being let, and which parts of the property (kitchen, bathroom, living room) are shared
- 3
The rent: how much, when it is due, and how it is paid
- 4
The deposit, if any: how much, and how it is protected and returned
- 5
Notice: how much either side has to give before ending it
Template
Room rental agreement
- 1
Who and where
- Owner
- Occupant
- Address
- 2
The room, and what is shared
- Room let
- Room 2, the front bedroom
- Shared
- Kitchen, bathroom, living room
- 3
Rent
- Amount per month
- Due
- On the 1st of each month
- Paid by
- Bank transfer
- 4
Deposit
- Amount
- Held and returned how
- 5
Notice
- From the owner
- From the occupant
Owner's signature and date
Occupant's signature and date
By country
Where the lodger-tenant line actually falls
Whether the law treats a lodger differently from a tenant at all, where the line falls, and what each side is owed, is set locally.
Elsewhere
General guidance- Many countries treat a lodger in the owner’s home differently from a tenant, but not all of them do.
- Exactly where the line falls, and what protections come with each side of it, is set by local law.
We have not researched this jurisdiction. Check local law before drafting anything, particularly if you plan to ask the occupant to leave.
Where Dardaris fits
The right agreement for the letting you're actually doing
Dardaris knows which regime your address sits under and drafts accordingly, then keeps the record straight after signature.
The right kind of agreement
Drafted for a lodger or a full room tenancy, whichever your situation and address actually call for.
Rent and deposit, tracked
Matched against your bank feed as it arrives, so a missed payment is flagged the day it is due, not the month after.
What your address requires
Surfaced from your building's own jurisdiction pack, including any licensing your local law asks for.
New agreement
Room 2, the front bedroom
Kortrijksesteenweg 88, 2A
What I checked
You live at this addressLodger agreement
- Who and where
- The room, and what is shared
- Rent
- Deposit
- Notice
Questions people ask about renting out a room
What is the difference between a lodger and a tenant?
A lodger rents a room in a home the owner still lives in, and usually shares the kitchen or bathroom with them. A tenant rents a room in a property the owner does not live in. In many places, a lodger sits under a lighter regime, with fewer formalities and an easier way to end the arrangement, while a room let separately is usually a full residential tenancy. Some places draw no such line, so check the panel above.
Do I need a formal lease for a lodger?
Not everywhere, and even where you do not strictly need one, it is worth having something in writing anyway: what is being let, the rent, and how either side ends the arrangement. In many places a lodger carries a lighter regime than a tenant, but lighter is not the same as no agreement at all.
What has to be in a room-rental agreement?
At minimum: who is party to it, which room and which shared spaces are covered, the rent and when it is due, the deposit if there is one, and the notice either side needs to give. Beyond that, what's actually required depends on whether the arrangement counts as a lodging or a full tenancy where you are.
Can I ask for a deposit?
Generally yes, though how much you can ask for, and how it has to be held, depends on the jurisdiction and, in some places, on whether the occupant is a lodger or a tenant. Some places cap the deposit or require it to be held in a protected account or scheme, so check the panel above for where your property stands.
How do I end a room rental agreement?
The way the agreement and local law say. In some places, ending an arrangement with a lodger in the home you share is simpler than ending a tenancy, but it is rarely instant, and most places still expect reasonable notice. A room let separately is usually a full tenancy, with the notice periods and protections that come with one. Check the panel above before asking anyone to leave.
Do I need a licence to rent out rooms?
In most places, not for a lodger in your own home. A property let room by room to several people you do not live with can need a licence in some places. Check your local rules, and the panel above, before you let the second room.
See which agreement your own letting needs.
One building, free to start: Dardaris drafts the agreement your address actually calls for.
Nothing to move first · Nothing switched on until you say so