Living at Home Agreement Template (Adult Child)

A living at home agreement is a short written plan, signed by parents and an adult child, that spells out who does what while the adult child lives at home. It covers chores, how the adult child contributes, work or school expectations, guests, the car, shared costs, a timeline with review dates, and what happens if the agreement is not kept.

Print this page or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.

Use this template when a young adult moves back after college, stays home after high school, or is between jobs. Fill in the blanks together. An agreement you write as a team works far better than one handed down.

Important: this is a family agreement, not a legal lease. If you charge formal rent, rules for landlords and tenants can apply, so check your local rules or talk to a qualified professional before treating it as a rental.

How to use this template

Each person reads the blank template alone first and jots down what they want in each section.
Meet at a calm time, not right after an argument. Plan for about an hour.
Fill in each section together. Keep each line specific enough that anyone could tell whether it was done.
Agree on the first review date before you sign.
Everyone signs and keeps a copy. Post the chore section somewhere visible.

For the conversation itself, see how to write an independence agreement with an adult child.

The agreement

This agreement is between ______ (parent or parents) and ______ (adult child), starting on ______.

1. Household responsibilities

Daily tasks I will handle: ______
Weekly tasks I will handle: ______
My own laundry, dishes and room: ______ (how often)
Shared spaces I will help keep clean: ______
Meals I will cook or help with each week: ______

2. Contribution

Contribution can be money, work around the house, savings toward moving out, or a mix. Write the method here, not just an amount.

Type of contribution (rent, share of bills, savings, extra household work, other): ______
How it is paid or tracked: ______
When it is due each month: ______
If it goes into savings for my move, where it is held: ______
When the contribution will be reviewed or increased: ______

Unsure whether to charge anything? Read should an adult child pay rent.

3. Work or school expectations

Current plan (working, in school, job searching, training): ______
Hours per week of work or class: ______
If job searching, applications or steps per week: ______
How I will share progress, and how often: ______
Next milestone and target date: ______

4. Guests and quiet hours

Quiet hours on weeknights: ______ and weekends: ______
Notice needed before having guests over: ______
Overnight guests allowed (yes, no, with notice): ______
Letting the household know if I will be out late or away overnight: ______

5. Car

Whose car and when I can use it: ______
Who pays for gas, maintenance and insurance, and how: ______
Rules for asking to borrow it: ______
What happens after a ticket or accident: ______

6. Phone and shared costs

Phone plan (who pays and how): ______
Streaming and subscriptions: ______
Groceries I buy for myself: ______
Other shared costs: ______

7. Timeline and review dates

This agreement runs until: ______
First review date: ______
Review every: ______ (for example, each month or each quarter)
Target move-out date or condition: ______
Steps toward moving out (savings goal, job, housing search): ______

8. If the agreement is not kept

First step (a calm conversation within ______ days): ______
Second step if it continues: ______
Consequence we agree is fair: ______
How either side can ask to change the agreement: ______

9. Signatures

Adult child: ______ Date: ______
Parent: ______ Date: ______
Parent: ______ Date: ______

Tips that make it stick

Keep consequences small, specific and tied to the agreement, not to past arguments.
Hold the review meeting even when things are going well. That is when it is easiest to adjust.
Treat it as a plan with an end date, not a permanent arrangement.
Write down any change and initial it, so nobody has to rely on memory.

If things are already tense, enabling vs. helping an adult child and moving back home after college may help.

Where a mentor helps

Parents often find that they become the only enforcer, and every check-in turns into a fight. A mentor gives the young adult a separate person to set goals with, such as a job search, a savings target or a move-out plan, and meets weekly with text or phone contact between sessions. With permission, the mentor shares progress with the family, so parents can step back from daily reminders. See mentoring for families and an alternative to a failure to launch program.

Common questions

Is a living at home agreement legally binding?

This template is a family agreement, not a lease. If you charge formal rent, landlord and tenant rules may apply, so check your local rules or ask a qualified professional.

How much should an adult child contribute?

There is no standard amount. Many families tie the contribution to income or to a savings goal for moving out; what matters most is that it is clear and reviewed.

What if my adult child will not sign it?

Ask what they would change. An agreement they helped write is far more likely to hold than one they signed under pressure.

How often should we review the agreement?

Monthly at first, then every few months once it is working. Set the first review date before anyone signs.

Get started

Want an outside person to help your adult child follow through? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.

Living at Home Agreement Template for Adult Children