Ever heard horror stories about someone's roommate or one of your own? Let's hope you don't. You can allay some awkward situations and worst-case scenarios by having all roommates sign what's known as a Roommate Agreement. Ever heard of one? It's time you did.

The deal is that roommates make lots of informal agreements about splitting rent, sharing chores and choosing bedrooms. A Roommate Agreement spells out these understandings in writing. Verbal agreements can be easily forgotten or misinterpreted after the fact (usually at the most inconvenient times...like 10 minutes after your Australian girlfriend arrived to stay for the summer).

Some things to include in your agreement: rent amount for each roommate, who gets which bedroom, chore schedule, quiet hours, how much notice a roommate must give before moving out, how long Australian girlfriends are allowed to stay without paying rent, how disagreements will be handled (hello...rock, paper, scissors of course).

It's important to note Roommate Agreements do not concern your landlord. You will still be held liable for the entire amount of rent owed if your roommate fails to pay his or her share, as per your lease. But they can be amended whenever needed. As long as all parties agree to the changes. So no, you can't use your creative license and sharpie to "revenge amend" just because Stan keeps leaving the toilet seat up. If you're interested in creating your very own Roommate Agreement, there are lots of online resources and templates. God bless the Internet.