What is a teen house rules contract?
Most clashes with teenagers aren't about the rules themselves. They're about rules that were never said out loud, or that seem to change depending on the day. A house rules contract fixes that. You sit down together, agree what's expected, write it down and both sign it. When a curfew is missed, you point to the page instead of starting from scratch.
This template covers school-night and weekend curfews and what your teen tells you before going out, jobs around the house, schoolwork, friends visiting, parties, alcohol and vaping, phones and screens, the family car, the privileges that keeping the rules earns, and what happens when a rule is broken. It also includes a no-questions safety call: your teen can always phone home for a lift. Each section comes with sensible wording you can keep or rewrite, and a review date lets the rules relax as trust grows.
- Best for
- Families with a child aged roughly 13 to 18
- Signed by
- A parent or guardian and the teenager
- Covers
- Curfew, chores, school, friends, parties, phone, car, consequences
- Length
- About 2 pages
When to use a teen house rules contract
- Starting high school, when evenings out and sleepovers become a weekly question
- Resetting expectations after a missed curfew or a party that got out of hand
- Agreeing the rules before a teenager gets their first phone or starts using the family car
- Giving two parents in different homes the same set of rules to point to
- Rewarding a responsible teen with a later curfew in writing
What you fill in
15 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: parent, teen.
1 Who it's for
- Parent or guardian name(s)*
- Teen's first name*
- Starts on*
- Review date
2 Curfew and going out
- Home by, on school nights*
- Home by, on Friday and Saturday nights*
- Before going out*
3 Home and school
- My jobs around the house*
- Schoolwork*
4 Friends and parties
- Friends visiting*
- Parties*
5 Phone and car
- Phone and screens*
- Using the family car
6 Privileges and consequences
- What keeping the rules earns
- When a rule is broken*
7 Who signs
- Parent signature and date · A parent or guardian. Add a second parent as an extra signer in the editor if you like.
- Teen signature and date · Your teenager signs too. It is a family agreement, not a legal contract, and signing it is about taking it seriously.
What the teen house rules contract covers
- Curfew and going out
- Home and school
- Friends and parties
- Phone, screens and the car
- Privileges and consequences
- Our promises to each other
Using the teen house rules contract, step by step
1 Talk it through first
Fill the template in with your teenager, not for them. Go section by section and let them suggest wording. Rules they helped write are rules they're more likely to keep.
2 Set curfews and going-out rules
Enter a school-night and a weekend curfew, then adjust what your teen tells you before going out: where, who with, how they're getting home, and texting if they'll be late.
3 Agree the everyday rules
Edit the defaults for chores, schoolwork, friends visiting, parties and phones. Add car rules if they drive. For detailed driving terms, use the teen driving contract alongside this one.
4 Agree privileges and consequences, then sign
Write what keeping the rules earns and what happens when one is broken, so consequences fit the rule. Set a review date, tick "This is me" and add your teen as a signer. The signed copy is saved in your FileIt vault.
Tips before you send it
- Explain the reason behind each rule. The contract promises you will, if asked.
- Keep consequences short and related to the rule, like an earlier curfew after a late night, rather than open-ended groundings.
- Keep the safety call promise no matter what. A teen who knows they can call without trouble is a safer teen.
- Review the contract on a birthday or at the start of each school year, and give back freedom as it's earned.
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.
Teen house rules contract: frequently asked questions
Is a house rules contract legally binding?
No. It is a family agreement made in good faith, and it says so. Its value is that everyone agreed to it and signed it.
How is this different from the teen driving contract?
This contract covers life at home and going out, with car use as one short section. The teen driving contract goes into detail on passengers, night driving, phones at the wheel, costs, tickets and crashes. Many families use both.
Should both parents sign?
If you can, yes. Add the second parent as an extra signer in the editor so your teen sees you are on the same page, even if you live apart.
My teen doesn't have their own email. Can they still sign?
Yes. Use your own email for their signing link and let them sign on your phone or computer.
Is this template free?
Yes. It is free with the eSignature app in FileIt, and your teen doesn't need a FileIt account.