California Civil Code permits a landlord to lease a part of a residential property to individuals under shared housing using a California Room Rental Agreement. This contract typically has a term of one month and renews automatically every month unless any of the parties wants to terminate it. This legal contract is revocable upon service of thirty-day notice. Please remember that the lease is binding on all signing parties, although, notary attestation of signatures on the form is not necessary.
Checklist – Before You Proceed
- The landlord must hand over the Lead Based Paint Disclosure and Protect Your Family from Lead in your Home pamphlet for a property constructed on or before the year 1978.
- Landlord cannot serve less than seven-day termination notice to the tenant.
- Please review the clause pertaining to the Megan’s Law in the contract form.
- Please prepare Condition of Rental Property checklist. The landlord must hand over a copy of the same to the new tenant.
- Please review this three-page document carefully to understand the responsibilities and expectations from a landlord and a tenant.
Steps To Prepare California Room Rental Agreement For Shared Housing
The contract form is suitable for renting a room to an individual for shared housing. The landlord and the tenant must provide following information to enter into a legally binding agreement.
- Address of the premises
- Name of the landlord or the primary tenant
- Name of the subtenant
- Rent amount, due date for the payment, and name of the person accepting the rent
- Distribution of utility payments in terms of tenant’s share and amount payable
- Information and responsibility of household errands and rules
- Selection of the correct option among five for conflict resolution
- Particulars of payment of last month’s rent as well as security deposit
- Date and amount of any other refundable security deposit payment
- Duration of returning refundable deposit
- Other agreements and arrangements, if any
- Selection of option A or B to confirm the status of preparation of rental property checklist
- Tenant’s signatures in acknowledgement of receiving Lead Based Paint Disclosure and Protect Your Family from Lead in your Home pamphlet
- Date of execution of lease contract
- Print name and signature by the landlord
- Print name and signature by the tenant
