New York law (RPL 235-f) allows a tenant of any private residential apartment to share their apartment with their immediate family members, one additional occupant and any dependent children of that occupant so long as the apartment is the tenant's primary residence, so long as there is only one tenant on the lease.
When only one tenant is named on a lease, the tenant has the right to take in a roommate and the roommate's dependent children. When two or more tenants are named on the lease, the number of tenants and roommates cannot exceed the number of tenants named in the lease.
A roommate arrangement is when multiple adults occupy a single unit together. In most cases, the renters are not related, but siblings and cousins can be roommates as well. With a traditional roommate arrangement, all roommates share a single lease.
Do Not Use Each Other's Things Without Asking. Not using each other's things without asking is one of the more obvious roommate rules. While some people are more casual about sharing, others are not. You have to learn what kind of person your roommate is and then act ingly.
A Roommate Agreement is a written contract between roommates that outlines their rights and obligations while living together. This agreement includes house rules, maintenance duties, restricted behaviors, and more. For a Roommate Agreement to be useful, everyone sharing the household must agree to it.
New York State law protects the right of tenants in privately-owned buildings to have a roommate under certain conditions. If those conditions are met, tenants do not need the permission of the landlord to have an additional occupant, and are legally allowed to have a roommate even if their lease prohibits it.
A Roommate Agreement is a written contract between roommates that outlines their rights and obligations while living together. This agreement includes house rules, maintenance duties, restricted behaviors, and more. For a Roommate Agreement to be useful, everyone sharing the household must agree to it.