What is a roommate change addendum?
In shared rentals people come and go long before the lease ends. If the swap is only agreed over a group chat, nobody is sure who owes what: the person who left may still be on the hook for rent, the newcomer may not be on the lease at all, and the deposit belongs to someone who no longer lives there.
This addendum brings the landlord, the tenants staying on, the departing tenant and the incoming tenant into one document. It sets the effective date, binds the newcomer to the existing lease, says whether the departing tenant is released for the future, records a condition check so the newcomer doesn't inherit old damage, and gives three ways to deal with the departing tenant's deposit share. Total rent is unchanged; the tenants can note their own split.
- Best for
- Replacing one tenant with another partway through a shared lease
- Signed by
- Landlord, remaining tenant(s), departing and incoming tenant
- Deposit
- Paid across between roommates, swapped via landlord, or left until the end
- Length
- 2 pages
When to use a roommate change addendum
- A student house where one tenant leaves after a semester
- A roommate relocating for work with a friend taking the room
- A couple splitting up where one partner stays with a new flatmate
- Formalising a newcomer who has already moved in informally
- Releasing a departing tenant so they can sign a lease elsewhere
What you fill in
14 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: landlord, remaining tenant, departing tenant, incoming tenant.
1 The lease
- Date of this addendum*
- Landlord or managing agent*
- Rented property*
- Date of the lease*
2 The change
- Tenant(s) staying on*
- Departing tenant*
- Incoming tenant*
- Effective date of the change*
3 Money
- Currency*
- Departing tenant's share of the deposit*
- How the deposit share is dealt with* The Incoming Tenant pays the Departing Tenant's share directly to the Departing Tenant on or before the effective date. The Landlord continues to hold the full deposit, which now stands in place of the Departing Tenant's share for the Incoming Tenant. · The Incoming Tenant pays a new deposit share to the Landlord, and the Landlord returns the Departing Tenant's share to the Departing Tenant within 30 days of the effective date, less any amount the Landlord is entitled to deduct under the Lease for the period before the effective date. · The deposit stays with the Landlord unchanged until the end of the whole tenancy. The Departing Tenant will settle their share privately with the remaining and incoming tenants.
- New rent split between tenants (optional)
4 Liability
- Release of the departing tenant* The Landlord releases the Departing Tenant from the Lease for anything arising after the effective date. The Departing Tenant remains responsible for rent, charges and damage arising before that date. · The Departing Tenant is not released. They stay responsible under the Lease, jointly with the other tenants, until its current term ends, even after moving out.
- Incoming tenant approved after (optional)
5 Who signs
- Landlord signature and date · The landlord or managing agent who approves the change.
- Remaining tenant signature and date · A tenant who stays on the lease. If more than one tenant stays, send a separate copy to each.
- Departing tenant signature and date · The tenant leaving the lease.
- Incoming tenant signature and date · The new roommate joining the lease.
What the roommate change addendum covers
- The change
- The Incoming Tenant
- The Departing Tenant
- Condition of the property
- Deposit
- Rent
- Everything else stays the same
Using the roommate change addendum, step by step
1 Identify the lease
Enter the landlord, the property and the date of the original lease.
2 Name who stays, leaves and joins
Add the remaining tenants, the departing and incoming tenant, and the effective date. Note how the newcomer was approved, if you like.
3 Settle the money
Enter the departing tenant's deposit share and choose how it's handled. Add the tenants' own rent split if they want it recorded.
4 Decide on release and sign
Choose whether the departing tenant is released, then send it to all four signers. With more than one remaining tenant, send each a copy.
Tips before you send it
- Do the condition check before the departing tenant hands back keys, and attach photos to the envelope.
- Collect a rental application from the incoming tenant before the swap, as you would for any new tenant.
- If the deposit is in a protection scheme, update the registration so it names the right people.
- Keep the signed addendum with the original lease in your vault; together they are the current tenancy.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Roommate change addendum: frequently asked questions
Is the departing tenant off the hook?
That's your choice. One option releases them for anything after the effective date; the other keeps them responsible jointly with the other tenants until the current term ends. Either way, they stay responsible for anything before the effective date.
Does the new roommate have to sign the whole lease again?
No. They confirm they've read the existing lease and agree to be bound by it from the effective date, as if named from the start.
What about just adding or removing someone, with no swap?
This addendum is built for a swap. For adding or removing a tenant on its own, the general lease addendum is a better starting point.
Can four people sign it online?
Yes. FileIt sends it to each signer, in order if you like, and the finished PDF carries every signature plus an audit trail and Certificate of Completion.