A tenancy agreement is between you and the landlord. A roommate agreement is between the people actually sharing the flat, and it covers the things the tenancy says nothing about: who pays what share, how bills are split, what happens when one of you moves out in March. It does not need a lawyer or a stamp — a page everyone has read and signed is enough to settle almost every argument a flatshare produces.
Why Bother Writing It Down?
Because memory is unreliable and money is specific. Six months in, nobody agrees on whether the deposit was ₦100,000 or ₦120,000, whether internet was meant to be split two ways or three, or how much notice was promised. A written agreement is also your evidence if a flatmate leaves owing money, and it protects the person whose name is on the tenancy — they are the one the landlord will chase.
What to Include
- Who and where — everyone's full name, the address, and who is named on the tenancy with the landlord.
- Rent — each person's monthly share, which room it buys, the due date and who it is paid to.
- Deposit — the amount, who holds it, and the conditions and timeline for getting it back.
- Bills — how electricity, water, waste, internet and generator fuel are split, and when each person pays.
- Rooms and shared space — who has exclusive use of which room, and how shared areas are cleaned.
- Guests — how many nights before a visitor needs everyone's agreement.
- House rules — only the ones you have actually discussed; a list nobody read is worth nothing.
- Notice — how much warning each side gives, and who covers a share if someone leaves early.
A Roommate Agreement Template You Can Copy
Copy this into your notes app, fill in the brackets together, and have everyone sign a copy. Keep it to one page — an agreement people will actually read beats a thorough one they will not.
Flatshare agreement — [address], dated [date].
1. The people. This agreement is between [names of everyone sharing]. [Name] is the tenant named on the tenancy with the landlord, which runs until [date].
2. Rooms. [Name] has exclusive use of the [which] room; [name] has the [which] room. The kitchen, living room and bathrooms are shared.
3. Rent. [Name] pays ₦[amount] per month, due on the [n]th, paid to [name / account]. This [does / does not] include bills.
4. Deposit. [Name] has paid a deposit of ₦[amount], held by [name], refundable within [n] days of moving out, less the cost of any damage beyond normal wear and any unpaid share of rent or bills.
5. Bills. Electricity, water, waste, internet and generator fuel are split [equally / in these shares: ...]. Whoever pays a bill shares the receipt in the house chat, and everyone settles their share within [n] days.
6. Cleaning. Each person keeps their own room. Shared areas are cleaned [rota / by a cleaner costing ₦[amount] a month, split equally].
7. Guests. Overnight guests are fine for up to [n] nights in a row. Anything longer needs everyone's agreement.
8. House rules. [Quiet after a set time, smoking, pets, shared food, anything else already discussed.]
9. Moving out. Either side gives [n] weeks' written notice. The person leaving pays rent and their share of bills to the end of the notice period and leaves their room clean and empty.
10. Leaving early. A person leaving before the end of the tenancy helps find a replacement everyone staying agrees to, and remains responsible for their share until the room is filled or the notice period ends, whichever comes first.
11. Changes. This agreement can be changed only if everyone agrees in writing.
Signed: [name, signature, date] — one copy each.
Where a Roommate Agreement Stops
It binds the flatmates to each other; it does not change the tenancy. If the landlord's agreement bans subletting or caps the number of occupants, no arrangement between flatmates overrides that — check the tenancy first, and see our guide to reading a Nigerian tenancy agreement. For large sums or a long lease it is worth having a lawyer look at both documents; for an ordinary room share, a signed page and honest bookkeeping are what actually matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a roommate agreement?
A written agreement between the people sharing a flat, covering each person's rent share, how bills are split, house rules, deposits and notice periods. It sits alongside the tenancy agreement with the landlord, which it does not replace.
Is a roommate agreement legally binding in Nigeria?
A clear written agreement that everyone has signed is strong evidence of what was agreed, and is far easier to rely on than a verbal arrangement. It cannot override the tenancy with the landlord, though — if that bans subletting, an agreement between flatmates does not change it. For large sums, have a lawyer review it.
Do flatmates need to sign anything if we're friends?
Especially if you are friends. The agreement is not about distrust; it is so that a disagreement about 20,000 naira of electricity six months from now is settled by a page you both signed rather than by whose memory is louder.
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