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A family member rental agreement is a written lease with a relative. This page offers a free template to fill out online or download as a PDF. A written agreement is advised when a parent, adult child or sibling rents a room.
The agreement puts the rent, the rooms, the house rules and the length of the stay in one place, so both of you sign the same terms. It is a family version of a standard lease agreement.
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To write a rental agreement for a family member, agree on the rent, the space and the house rules first, then put those terms on a written form that both of you sign and keep. The template on this page walks you through each term in order.
Tip: Talk through each section with your family member before anyone fills it in. A house rule that both sides understand is easier to follow later.
A family lease agreement should name both people, the address, the rooms rented, the rent and its due day, utilities, the deposit, the length of the stay and the house rules. These are the terms relatives most often disagree on later.
The FormsPal template has a section for each item, and you initial only the options that fit your home.
A rental agreement between family members turns spoken promises into terms you both signed, which prevents most arguments about rent and rules. The tradeoff is that a written lease can feel formal to a relative and only works if you follow it.
Pros:
Cons:
Rules for a lease with a relative differ by location, and the tables below list a selection of the rules our checked sources hold, each with its citation. They are not a full list: other places set their own writing and security deposit rules, so read your own local code before you sign.
| Place | Rule | When it applies | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | The lease is void unless it, or a note of it expressing the consideration, is in writing and signed by the party making the lease. | Only a lease for longer than one year | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-10-108 |
| Colorado | The landlord gives the tenant a copy signed by both no later than the seventh day after the tenant signs. | If there is a written rental agreement | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-801 |
| Illinois | No action may be brought on the lease unless it, or a memorandum or note of it, is in writing. | Only a lease for a longer term than one year | 740 ILCS 80/2 |
| Oregon | The agreement is void unless it, or a note of it expressing the consideration, is in writing and signed by the party to be charged or an authorized agent. | Only a lease for longer than one year | Or. Rev. Stat. § 41.580 |
| South Dakota | The lease is not valid unless it, or a note of it, is in writing and signed by the lessor or an agent authorized in writing. | Only a lease for longer than one year | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-5 |
| Massachusetts | An interest in land created without a writing signed by the grantor has the force of an estate at will only. | Any interest in land created without a signed writing | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 183, § 3 |
| Maryland | The landlord may not rent a residential dwelling unit without a written lease. | Only a landlord who offers 5 or more dwelling units for rent in Maryland | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208 |
| Nevada | A written agreement must be signed by the landlord and the tenant or their agents, and the landlord gives the tenant one free copy when it is signed. | Any written agreement for the use of a dwelling | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.200 |
| New Mexico | The owner provides a written rental agreement to each resident before occupancy begins. | Every resident | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-20 |
| Texas | The landlord gives at least one complete copy of the lease to at least one tenant not later than the third business day after each party signs. | Every signed lease | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.024 |
| Place | Rule | When it applies | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | A dwelling includes one or more rooms rented for use as a permanent residence. | Rooms rented under a single lease to one or more tenants | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.001 |
| Virginia | The landlord and tenant may send notices in electronic form, and a tenant who asks may choose paper notices. | Only if the rental agreement provides for electronic notices | Va. Code § 55.1-1202 |
| New Jersey | The security deposit act does not apply. | Owner-occupied premises with not more than two rental units, unless the tenant gives 30 days written notice invoking the act | N.J.S.A. 46:8-26 |
| Arkansas | The security deposit subchapter does not apply. | Units owned by an individual who, with a spouse, minor children and their rental entities, owns five (5) or fewer dwelling units | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-303 |
| Federal | The lessor gives the lessee a lead hazard information pamphlet and discloses any known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. | Target housing: built before 1978, except housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities or a 0-bedroom dwelling, unless a child under 6 lives or is expected to live there | 42 U.S.C. § 4852d; 42 U.S.C. § 4851b |
If your relative sends notices by email, the template’s notice box lets you both agree to that in writing. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1202, the landlord and tenant may send notices in electronic form if the rental agreement so provides, and a tenant who asks may choose paper.
A family lease ends on its end date, or with notice under a month to month arrangement, and the agreement should say whether either of you may end it early. Settle this before signing, because ending a lease with a relative is harder once feelings are involved.
If you allow early termination, the template asks how much written notice either of you gives. If you do not, your options are narrower when you want the stay to end. A separate month-to-month rental agreement fits a stay with no fixed end.
The first step is serving a notice requesting that your family member move out if you want to evict them. Serve it in the way the rules where the home sits prescribe; email counts only where those rules and your signed agreement allow it, and under Va. Code § 55.1-1202 electronic notices are allowed only if the rental agreement so provides, and a tenant who asks may choose paper. Otherwise, you’ll need to start the process of working through an eviction court just like any other kind of landlord.
Some places set specific rules for a relative or lodger who rents a room in your home:
A notice to end the stay can be written on a separate eviction notice form.
The FormsPal Family Member Rental Agreement is a fillable PDF template for a homeowner who rents space to a relative, such as a parent or an adult child. It is also known as a parent child rental agreement or a rental agreement letter between family members.
| Document Name | Family Member Rental Agreement Form |
| Other Names | Parent Child Rental Agreement, Rental Agreement Letter between Family Members |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 20 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 144 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
The steps below follow the FormsPal Family Member Rental Agreement template you can download from this page. The template has 15 parts to complete, so work through them in order. Initial the options that fit your arrangement and leave the other boxes empty.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Family Member Rental Agreement template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Names, Contact Details and Property Address. Under 1. Landlord and Tenant Relationship on page 1, enter the Homeowner and Family Member names, each person’s cell phone and email, and the Property Address. Then initial the box for sending important notices in writing to those email addresses.
List everyone involved as specifically as possible, even in a parent child rental agreement.
Lease Term. Under 2. Lease Term on page 1, enter the Lease Start Date. Then initial the option that fits: a term in months or years, month to month, a vacate deadline, or early termination with a number of days’ written notice. The term is the length of the lease.
You can also specify whether the lease can be terminated early or not in this section.
Description of Leased Property: Bedrooms. On page 2, initial each bedroom being leased and describe which bedroom it is. For each one, initial Shared or Private Use and Furnished or Unfurnished.
Describe any damage already in the rooms, which areas are rented and whether each space is furnished. Naming the areas for each family member keeps the arrangement clear.
Description of Leased Property: More Bedrooms and Bathrooms. Describe a third bedroom and up to two bathrooms the same way. Initial Shared or Private Use for each.
Lock and Paint Options for a Private-Use Bedroom. On page 2, initial one option on locking the private-use bedroom and one on painting its walls.
Rooms With Shared Use. On page 3, initial each room the Family Member may share, such as the kitchen, laundry room or garage. Use the Other line for any room that is not listed.
Rent and Utilities. Under 4. Rent and Utilities on page 3, enter the rent amount, the period and the due day, then initial rent due in advance or in arrears. Choose whether utilities are included or paid as a separate amount, fill in who the rent is payable to, and choose a late fee or none.
Security Deposit. Initial Security Deposit and enter the amount, or initial the option for no deposit.
Pets, Food and Parking. On page 4, initial Pets allowed or not allowed and describe any pets. If you don’t want to limit pets or charge a pet deposit you can cross this section out.
Choose the food option and add any special food requirements. Say whether each person buys their own food, whether they get their own storage space and any other limits on food in the home.
Then enter the parking location and the maximum number of motor vehicles, along with any limits on its use.
Noise Hours. On page 4, initial each activity that has limits and enter the allowed hours for laundry, cooking and dish washing, and watching TV in a shared space. Use this part to set quiet hours that suit everyone in the home.
Noise Exceptions, Safety, Chores and Daytime Guests. On page 5, initial whether the quiet schedule can be waived and add any other noise requirements. Choose the firearms option, tick the chores and describe them, then initial the daytime visitor rule.
Safety items include keeping the house locked and respecting the people and property inside the home. Spell out who does which chores, how many visitors may come and when, and any common courtesy you expect.
Overnight Guests, Subleasing and Insurance. On page 6, initial one overnight guest option and one option on assignment and subletting. Then initial whether the Family Member’s personal property is covered by the Homeowner’s insurance. This section covers whether family members are allowed to sublease their space.
Default and End of Lease. On page 7, add any extra default terms. The defaulting section covers what will happen if any family member fails to pay their rent, utilities, or anything else. It also covers who will pay for any legal fees that result from non-payment or seeking legal assistance to enforce the terms of the agreement.
Then initial the move-out options: the removal period in days, which furniture may be taken, keys, and the lost key and opener fee amounts.
Additional Requirements, Terms and Provisions. On page 8, read the printed text and use the Other lines for any extra term you want to add. This last section lets homeowners and renters add any additional requirements to the terms of the lease agreement.
Dates and Signatures. On page 9, enter the DATED line. Then the Homeowner and the Family Member each sign and print their name in their own block.
Make sure all your family members agree before anyone signs. Have everyone who pays rent sign and date it, and give each person a signed copy. Under Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.200, a written agreement in Nevada must be signed by the landlord and the tenant or their agents.
It depends on where the home is: in Texas, a relative who rents a room can count as a tenant, since Tex. Prop. Code § 92.001 defines a dwelling as one or more rooms rented for use as a permanent residence under a single lease. In California, if a relative rents a room on a periodic basis as the only lodger in the owner’s home, either side may end the hiring by written notice under Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.5. Elsewhere, read your own local code.
Yes, a parent child rental agreement uses the same template: the parent signs as the Homeowner and the adult child signs as the Family Member. Each keeps a signed copy.
It depends on the place and the length of the lease: under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-10-108, a lease for a longer period than one year is void unless it, or a note of it expressing the consideration, is in writing and signed by the party making the lease. Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 183, § 3, an interest in land created without a signed writing has the force of an estate at will only. A written agreement also gives both of you the same terms to point to.
Yes. The template on this page is a free fillable PDF that you can print, or you can build the agreement online with Create My Document.
Yes. Select Create My Document to answer a few questions and build the agreement online, or download the PDF and fill it in with the FormsPal PDF editor.
The PDF takes about 20 minutes to complete, since each section has its own initial boxes and entry lines.
The main red flags are blank rent or due-day lines, no end date or notice terms, rooms that are not named, house rules nobody discussed, and a copy only one person signed. Each one leaves room for a later argument. A separate sublease agreement is the right form if your relative wants to rent their space to someone else.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
