Roommates
What are reasonable guest rules for roommates?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
Reasonable guest rules usually include a heads-up before overnight guests, a limit on consecutive nights, quiet hours that guests follow too, and the host being responsible for their guests. Agree the numbers together, for example no more than three nights in a row without checking first.
Guest problems start when roommates assume they share the same idea of normal. Set actual numbers rather than "not too often." Rules that many households use:
- A text before anyone stays overnight, and a real conversation for stays longer than a weekend
- A cap on nights per week or per month for any one guest
- Guests follow quiet hours and house rules, and the host deals with it if they do not
- Guests do not get their own key or door code without everyone's agreement
- Parties or big gatherings get planned in advance, with a set end time
- The host pays for damage their guest causes
Keys and codes are a safety question, not only etiquette. Everyone living there has a right to know who can come and go.
Check the lease before you finalize anything. Many leases cap how long a guest can stay (commonly a couple of weeks in a row) before the landlord treats them as an occupant who needs approval. Your house rules should fit inside that limit.
Revisit the rules when something changes, such as a new relationship or someone starting to work from home, instead of letting resentment build.
Want the whole picture? Read How to Find a Roommate You Can Actually Live With.