Roommate moving out: deposit, last month's rent, bills and the final settle-up

Rules on notice, deposits and liability vary a lot by country, state and city. Before talking dates and money, find out three things:

• Who signed: one joint lease for everyone, or a separate lease (or room agreement) for each roommate. In the UK, this is the joint vs individual tenancy question for flatmates.
• Liability: whether the lease makes each tenant responsible for the full rent ("jointly and severally liable" is the common wording), or only for their own share.
• Notice and replacement: how much notice a tenant must give, and whether the landlord has to approve a new roommate.

If anything is unclear, ask the landlord or property manager in writing, or check with a local tenant rights organization. If you signed a roommate agreement between yourselves, read it too: it may already cover notice and the deposit.

The landlord expects the full rent every month, whoever lives there. Between roommates, the usual rule is simple: the leaving roommate pays their share until the date the lease or notice period lets them go, not the date they move their boxes out.

• Agree on an end date in writing: the last day they owe rent, and the last day they share utilities and groceries. The two can differ.
• Give the others time: a month or more of warning gives the remaining roommates a real chance to find a replacement.
• Leaving before notice runs out: they still owe their share for the notice period, unless a replacement starts paying sooner.

On a joint lease, moving out does not take your name off it. Until the landlord signs a release or a lease amendment, a roommate who has left can often still be held responsible for unpaid rent or damage, and so can anyone who co-signed or guaranteed the lease. How long that lasts depends on the lease and local law.

• For the roommate leaving: ask for a written release from the landlord, or a new lease or amendment that lists the replacement instead of you.
• For the roommates staying: get the replacement added to the lease, so the landlord has someone else to collect from and the new person is properly covered.

On a single shared lease, the deposit usually covers the whole lease, not each person. Many landlords return it only when the last tenant moves out, and are not required to refund one roommate's share mid-lease. So the leaving roommate's share is something you sort out between yourselves. Three common ways:

• The replacement buys in: the new roommate pays the leaving roommate their share, and gets it back the same way when they leave. This is the most common setup.
• The others buy out the share: with no replacement, the roommates who stay pay the leaver back and collect the full deposit at the end of the lease.
• Wait for the end of the lease: the leaver gets their share when the landlord returns the deposit. Simpler now, but you need to stay in touch, sometimes for years.

With separate leases, each roommate usually gets their own deposit back from the landlord after moving out, within the deadline set by local law.

When the leaving roommate's last day falls mid-month, split that month's rent by days. The replacement pays from the day they move in.

If nobody replaces them, their share falls on those who stay. With three roommates on $1,800, each goes from $600 to $900 a month while the room is empty. If rooms are different sizes, rework the shares with our rent split calculator.

An electricity, gas or internet account in the leaving roommate's name stays their responsibility until it is moved. On moving day:

• Take meter readings and photograph them with the date.
• Transfer or close each account in their name, and open a new one in a remaining roommate's name if needed.
• Split the final bill by days: the leaver pays up to their move-out date. If the bill is estimated, adjust once the actual reading comes in.
• Check renters insurance: if one policy covered everyone, update it.

For splitting bills day to day, see our guide on splitting bills with flatmates.

Alex, Riley and Jordan rent an apartment for $1,800 a month, $600 each. The $1,800 security deposit was paid equally: $600 each. They are all on one lease, and Alex pays the landlord every month. Jordan's last day is June 10. Sam moves in on June 11 and is added to the lease.

1. June rent, Jordan's share: 600 × 10 ÷ 30 = $200.
2. June rent, Sam's share: 600 × 20 ÷ 30 = $400. Together, that is the full $600 for the room.
3. Shared expenses: after the last utility bill and groceries, Jordan still owes the group $45, which Alex fronted.
4. Security deposit: Sam buys in and pays Jordan $600.

Jordan sends $245 to Alex and receives $600 from Sam. With Sam on the lease, Jordan should also ask the landlord for a written release.

1. Set the end dates: one for rent, one for utilities and shared groceries.
2. Add the last expenses: the final bill, the week's groceries, the move-out cleaning.
3. Settle the deposit: who pays the leaver back, how much and when.
4. Put it in writing, even a text thread: amounts, dates, and what they cover if damage shows up later.
5. Collect the keys and get the replacement added to the lease.
6. Settle everything at once, on or just before moving day. Chasing a former roommate for $40 three months later rarely works.

In SAVY, each roommate adds what they pay and the app keeps track of who owes whom, with a simplified list of repayments. Before the move-out, add the last expenses, check the list together, and each person marks their repayment with one tap. The new roommate installs the app and joins the household with an invite link valid for 7 days.

On the free plan, the app splits each expense equally between the members you pick, with up to 4 members per household. Recording June rent prorated by days ($200 for Jordan, $400 for Sam) needs exact amounts, which come with SAVY Plus. If the household already has 4 members, adding a fifth also needs SAVY Plus. CSV and PDF export, included in Plus, keeps a record of what was settled. SAVY Plus is paid by the household's owner, unlocked for everyone and can be canceled anytime. SAVY does not handle the deposit with your landlord, does not connect to your bank and never moves money.