Identify the room-rental arrangement
Renting a private room in an owner-occupied home, subletting a room from a tenant, and sharing a home with co-tenants are different arrangements. The agreement should name the actual parties and describe who rents the room from whom. A roommate agreement between co-tenants may cover household costs and rules, while a room lease or sublease sets terms with the person providing the room. The rights and requirements depend on the arrangement and location.
Use the room-rental form as a starting point
Rentari has a Room Rental Agreement form in the Forms Library. It is a general template, not a decision that its terms fit every state, city, building, or shared-home arrangement. Compare the form with the actual room and local requirements before using it; ask a local attorney about terms you cannot verify.
Describe the space and terms
- Identify the private room, keys or locks, included furnishings, and every shared space the renter may use.
- Write down the term, rent, due date, payment method, any first-period proration, and any deposit or fee allowed by current rules.
- Explain how utilities and shared services are measured or divided, when payments are due, and how changes are handled.
- Set clear expectations for guests, quiet hours, cleaning, storage, parking, pets, smoking, repairs, and maintenance requests.
- Describe access to the rented room and shared areas using the applicable law and actual agreement; do not assume one notice period applies everywhere.
Check permission and local requirements
Before advertising, check any existing lease or sublet-approval term, property or association rules, insurance conditions, and local occupancy, registration, or safety requirements. Rules for a room or owner-occupied home can differ from those for an entire rental unit. Do not assume an exemption applies just because the owner lives in the home.
Apply consistent screening and keep records
Use written, relevant criteria consistently and avoid preferences based on protected characteristics. Check federal, state, and local fair-housing rules for the exact arrangement. If you use a consumer report, follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements, including applicable permission and adverse-action notices. Keep signed terms, move-in condition notes, disclosures, and utility calculations with the rental record.
Read the state table with its limits
The table below summarizes selected state deposit and entry rules with statutory links. It does not cover every local rule or determine which rule applies to a particular room rental. Confirm current state and local requirements for the actual property before setting terms.
Deposit and entry rules by state
| State | Deposit limit | Entry notice |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 month's rent except for pets, changes to the premises or added liability risks Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(a) |
2 days except emergencies and the other listed cases Ala. Code § 35-9A-303(c) |
| Alaska | 2 months' rent prepaid rent and deposit together; no limit when rent is over $2,000 a month AS 34.03.070(a) |
24 hours except in an emergency or where impracticable AS 34.03.140(c) |
| Arizona | 1.5 months' rent including prepaid rent A.R.S. § 33-1321(A) |
2 days except in an emergency or where impracticable A.R.S. § 33-1343(D) |
| Arkansas | See guidance two months in the Attorney General overview; Code coverage not verified Arkansas Attorney General: deposit guidance Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-501 |
None set the landlord-tenant act sets no period, so the lease should Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-602 |
| California | 1 month's rent on top of the first month's rent; 2 months for a qualifying small landlord, never from a service member Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1), (c)(5) |
24 hours reasonable written notice; 24 hours is presumed reasonable Cal. Civ. Code § 1954(d)(1) |
| Colorado | 2 months' rent two monthly rent payments C.R.S. § 38-12-102.5(1) |
None set except 24 hours for repairs and 48 for bed bugs C.R.S. § 38-12-503(6) C.R.S. § 38-12-1004(1) |
| Connecticut | 2 months' rent 1 month for a tenant 62 or older Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b) |
Reasonable written or oral; no hour count in the statute Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-16(c) |
| Delaware | 1 month's rent for a lease of a year or more; furnished units exempt 25 Del. C. § 5514(a) |
48 hours entry only 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. 25 Del. C. § 5509(b) |
| Florida | No limit Florida sets no maximum Fla. Stat. ch. 83, part II Fla. Stat. § 83.49 |
24 hours entry between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Fla. Stat. § 83.53(2) |
| Georgia | 2 months' rent pet deposits count toward it O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30.1 |
None found no entry rule in the sections read; the full Code could not be read O.C.G.A. Title 44, Chapter 7, General Assembly site |
| Hawaii | 1 month's rent plus an agreed pet deposit of up to 1 more month HRS § 521-44(b) |
2 days except in an emergency or where impracticable; reasonable hours HRS § 521-53(b) |
| Idaho | No limit Idaho sets no maximum Idaho Code § 6-321 |
None set no Idaho statute sets one, so the lease should Idaho Code title 6, ch. 3 |
| Illinois | None for homes no statewide cap for apartments and houses; a mobile home park of 5 or more homes may take no more than one month's rent 765 ILCS 710 765 ILCS 715 765 ILCS 705 765 ILCS 745/12 |
No state rule no statewide statute sets one; Chicago has its own rule 765 ILCS 705 735 ILCS 5, Article IX |
| Indiana | No limit Indiana sets no maximum Ind. Code §§ 32-31-3-9 to 32-31-3-19 |
Reasonable notice written or oral, at reasonable times; no set hours Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(g) |
| Iowa | 2 months' rent security deposit; Rentari also counts a refundable pet deposit toward the limit Iowa Code § 562A.12(1) |
24 hours except in an emergency or where impracticable Iowa Code § 562A.19 |
| Kansas | 1 month unfurnished; 1 1/2 months furnished, plus up to 1/2 month where pets are permitted K.S.A. 58-2550(a) |
Reasonable notice at reasonable hours; the Act sets no number of hours K.S.A. 58-2557(a) |
| Kentucky | No limit set no section of KRS chapter 383 caps the amount KRS chapter 383 KRS 383.580 |
2 days notice of intent to enter, in a URLTA locality, except emergencies KRS 383.615 |
| Louisiana | No state limit Louisiana sets no maximum La. R.S. 9:3251 to 9:3254 |
None set no statute sets one, so the lease should La. Civ. Code art. 2682 |
| Maine | 2 months' rent deposit and any surety bond together 14 M.R.S. § 6032 14 M.R.S. § 6039(3) |
24 hours presumed reasonable, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable 14 M.R.S. § 6025(2) |
| Maryland | 1 month's rent per unit; up to 2 months in one utility assistance case Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b) |
24 hours written, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-221(b), (c) |
| Massachusetts | 1 month's rent and first and last month's rent, a key and lock, nothing else at move-in Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(b) |
None set chapter 186 limits the reasons, not the notice Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(a) |
| Michigan | 1.5 months of rent, including required prepaid rent MCL 554.602 |
None set the landlord-tenant statutes set none MCL 600.2918(3)(b) |
| Minnesota | No limit Minnesota sets no maximum Minn. Stat. § 504B.178, subd. 1 |
24 hours at least, with entry between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. unless agreed Minn. Stat. § 504B.211, subd. 2 |
| Mississippi | None in the Act the deposit section sets no maximum Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-21 (reprinted in 2024 HB 1580, not enacted) |
None in the Act the lease sets the notice period Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-9 to 89-8-19, 89-8-33, 89-8-37, 89-8-41 to 89-8-45 Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-3, 89-8-31, 89-8-35, 89-8-39 Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-3, 89-8-7 Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-29 Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-1, 89-8-5, 89-8-21 to 89-8-27 (reprinted in 2024 HB 1580, not enacted) |
| Missouri | 2 months' rent a pet deposit is not counted Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300.1 |
No state rule the lease sets the notice Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 441 Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 534 Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 535 |
| Montana | No limit Montana sets no maximum MCA 70-25-101 to 70-25-206 |
24 hours except in an emergency or where impracticable MCA 70-24-312(3) |
| Nebraska | 1 month's rent plus a pet deposit of up to one-fourth of a month's rent when appropriate; no added deposit for a service animal Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(1) Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-131.04 |
24 hours written, with the purpose and an entry period; none needed in an emergency Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1423(3) |
| Nevada | 3 months' rent deposit, surety bond and last month's rent combined NRS 118A.242(1) |
24 hours and during normal business hours, except emergencies NRS 118A.330(3) |
| New Hampshire | 1 month's rent or $100, whichever is greater RSA 540-A:6, I(a) |
Tenant's consent no set notice period; consent needed except emergency repairs RSA 540-A:3, IV |
| New Jersey | 1.5 months' rent yearly increases capped at 10 percent of the deposit N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2 |
Not verified no statute read sets one; state housing regulations not read N.J.S.A. 55:13A-7 |
| New Mexico | 1 month's rent on a rental agreement of less than one year; an annual agreement may take more, with yearly interest NMSA 1978 § 47-8-18(A) |
24 hours written, with purpose, date and time frame, unless agreed otherwise NMSA 1978 § 47-8-24(A)(1) |
| New York | 1 month's rent includes any advance, such as last month's rent N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a)(a) |
None set no state statute sets a fixed period, so the lease should N.Y. Real Prop. Law art. 7 |
| North Carolina | 2 months' rent for a term longer than month to month; 1.5 months month to month, 2 weeks week to week N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-51(b) |
No state rule chapter 42 sets no notice period for entry N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-38 to 42-46 |
| North Dakota | 1 month's rent two months for a felony conviction or a prior rental judgment N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.1(1) |
No set hours notice and the tenant's consent to a time certain N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.3 |
| Ohio | No limit chapter 5321 sets no maximum Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321 Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 |
24 hours presumed reasonable; the rule is reasonable notice, except in an emergency or where impracticable Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(8) |
| Oklahoma | No limit The Act sets no maximum 41 O.S. § 115 |
1 day Except in an emergency or where impracticable 41 O.S. § 128(C) |
| Oregon | No limit state law sets no maximum; Portland does ORS 90.300 |
24 hours actual notice, at reasonable times ORS 90.322(1)(f) |
| Pennsylvania | 2 months of rent in the first year; 1 month from the second year 68 P.S. § 250.511a(a), (b) |
No state rule the Landlord and Tenant Act sets none; set it in the lease Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 |
| Rhode Island | 1 month's rent a separate furniture deposit is allowed only for furniture worth $5,000 or more R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(a), (e) |
2 days except in an emergency or where impracticable R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26(c) |
| South Carolina | No limit South Carolina sets no maximum S.C. Code Ann. §§ 27-40-10 to 27-40-940 |
24 hours except emergencies and some service visits S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-530 (b), (c) |
| South Dakota | 1 month's rent more only by agreement where special conditions endanger the premises SDCL § 43-32-6.1 |
24 hours written notice presumed reasonable SDCL § 43-32-32 |
| Tennessee | Not verified the governing section is published only through LexisNexis; not read Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301 (not read) |
Not verified the governing section is published only through LexisNexis; not read Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403 (not read) |
| Texas | No limit Texas sets no maximum Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101 to 92.113 |
None set chapter 92 sets no entry notice, so the lease should Tex. Prop. Code ch. 92 |
| Utah | No limit Utah sets no maximum Utah Code ch. 57-17 |
24 hours unless the rental agreement says otherwise Utah Code § 57-22-4(2) |
| Vermont | No limit chapter 137 sets no maximum 9 V.S.A. § 4461 9 V.S.A. ch. 137 |
48 hours between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., for listed purposes 9 V.S.A. § 4460(b) |
| Virginia | 2 months' rent a pet deposit counts toward the cap Va. Code § 55.1-1226(A) Va. Code § 55.1-1208(A)(7) |
No fixed hours notice of intent at reasonable times; at least 72 hours for routine maintenance the tenant did not request Va. Code § 55.1-1229(A)(4) |
| Washington | No statewide limit some cities set their own RCW 59.18.260 RCW 59.18.610 |
2 days written; 1 day to show the unit RCW 59.18.150(6) |
| Washington, D.C. | 1 month of rent, all deposits together, under the housing regulations 14 DCMR 308 |
48 hours written, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., not on a Sunday or federal holiday D.C. Code § 42-3505.51(a) |
| West Virginia | No limit set neither the deposit article nor the landlord and tenant article caps it W. Va. Code chapter 37, article 6 W. Va. Code chapter 37, article 6A |
Neither article sets a notice period before you enter the home or limits when you may enter, so the lease sets those terms. W. Va. Code chapter 37, article 6 W. Va. Code chapter 37, article 6A |
| Wisconsin | No limit chapter 704 and the rental practices code set none Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06 Wis. Stat. § 704.28 |
12 hours unless the tenant agrees to less Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.09(2)(a) |
| Wyoming | No limit Wyoming sets no maximum W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211 |
None set the lease sets it W.S. 1-21-1205 W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211 |