New lease question

[Brett Johnson]

Hi, I just purchased a single family home for my kids to live in while they are going to college.  There are additional bedrooms that I will be renting out to other students.  Any recommendations on best practices for writing up the lease (1 lease for the house or individual leases?).

[James Jones]

Good question, and smart thinking ahead on this.

In this situation, individual leases are almost always the better move, especially with students.

Here’s why:

1. Risk isolation

With one master lease, if one student stops paying, everyone is technically in default. Individual leases isolate the risk so one issue doesn’t take down the entire house.

2. Cleaner enforcement

If someone violates the lease, moves out, or causes problems, you can address that tenant specifically without impacting your kids or the other renters.

3. Turnover flexibility

Students move, graduate, transfer, or drop out. Individual leases let you replace one room at a time instead of waiting to re-lease the entire house.

4. Clear house rules matter

Spell out shared-space rules very clearly:

– Quiet hours

– Guests

– Parking

– Cleaning expectations

– Utilities and internet

– Damage responsibility in common areas

Ambiguity in shared housing causes more issues than rent.

5. Insurance + local code check

Before finalizing anything, confirm your insurance carrier is aware this is a room-rental setup and check local occupancy rules. Some municipalities treat this differently than a standard SFR lease.