Has the time come for you to fly the nest? Worried about how you’re going to inform your roommates that you’re moving out? There’s no doubt that this is going to be a difficult breakup. Whether you’ve built a close bromance or you simply share the space, you want to do the right thing. Then there’s also honoring the roommate agreement you must be sharing with your roommate. You might just want to help them find a roommate replacement too! So, check your contract to find out what’s what, and let’s walk through the roommate break-up process.

Check your roommate agreement, as well as your rental agreement.

Before you make any hasty moves, you need to check that everything you’re about to do is legal. As well as rightful towards the person you’ve been living with.

Did you miss something important in your roommate agreement?

A roommate agreement is basically an understanding you share with your roommate, on paper or verbal. This agreement allows you to ensure that the people sharing a house together are able to respect each other’s space, time, and boundaries. If you have a roommate agreement, make sure your moving out doesn’t interfere with our roommate’s daily life. Just ensure you’re not doing so at a time when they have an important test or interview scheduled. Also, try your best to inform them about your move well before time.

Check and re-check your lease and rental agreements.

Both your lease and rental agreement, if broken, can land you into real trouble. Most rental agreements last for one year, although this varies between properties. You’ll need to know what kind of lease you signed up for. And, if you’re leaving before the end of your agreed-upon tenancy, you’ll need to find out what the process is.

When checking your lease and/or rental agreement, do not miss out on the following:

1. The end-of-lease date
2. Any clauses about breaking a lease early
3. The costs associated with transferring a name on a lease
4. The length of notice you need to give if you wish to vacate the property

If you’re not sure about moving out, don’t.

Before telling your roommates that you’re ready to go, it’s time to have some internal conversations to make sure it’s really what you want to do. If there are any issues that could be resolved, consider staying put and working them out instead. Moving out is all fine and dandy until people realize that they were never ready to in the first place.

Moving out can be pretty stressful – especially if you’re trying to leave before the end of your tenancy agreement. There can be costs involved with name transfers, hiring moving companies, and you can often expect some cleaning costs to be deducted from your deposit (unless you guys have been super careful.)

If you’ve made up your mind and you just can’t wait to move in with your partner and a cockapoo puppy, then you’re ready for the conversation. You already have your reasons for wanting to leave, so at this point, you probably won’t succumb to your roommate(s) potential persuasions that might come your way.

Honor your roommate agreement and give them fair notice.

Parting on good terms starts with giving your roomis plenty of notice before you leave. It makes the whole process a little lighter on everyone and affords enough time for you to find a replacement. If you have a roommate agreement, you must honour it for the sake of the time you spent living with your roommate.

Try giving at least four weeks notice, and then you can work together to get the room filled and lessen the financial strain on everyone involved.

Moving out with an “It’s not you, it’s me.”

Telling your roommates you’re leaving is similar to a break-up – really. It’s a tough conversation and it’s natural to feel anxious beforehand. You already know what you’re going to say, so stick to the script.

Tell them exactly why you’re leaving, and leave anything negative out of it. Explain that you’ve made great memories in this apartment but it’s time for you to move on because of x reason. Whatever you do, keep the conversation light-hearted, because you don’t want your next four weeks to be awkward.

Have the conversation in your home where you both feel comfortable, and keep it as short and painless as possible.

Help ease the strain by finding them a roommate replacement!

Your lease agreement may or may not require that you find a roommate replacement should you wish to move out. But either way, we recommend helping your soon-to-be-ex-roommates fill your room.

You can try posting advertisements on Facebook groups or you can use a roommate finding tool like Roomi, which uses a verified community of people looking for homes or housemates. Either way, share the responsibility with your roommates and make sure when you leave, you clean out all of your stuff, so they’re not left with any junk.

D’you know what else Roomi does outside of helping its readers find the best way to inform their roommates about them moving out? With our ever-increasing lists of rooms and roommates across the world, we help you find your perfect match! Download the app here and hop on the easiest ride home, ever!