What is a Community Room Rental Agreement?

A community room rental agreement is a legally binding contract between the owner of a community room and the rental applicant.  Community rooms can be found in many different locations.  Cities, neighborhood associations and even apartment complexes can own community rooms for private rental.  The agreement can be a very useful tool to protect the interests of both the facility owner and the renting party.

There will be slight variances based on the parties involved and the specific contract that the property owner uses.  However, there are a few basic things that every community room rental agreement will cover.  These include:

• The applicant's information.  The agreement will include the name of the person or organization who is applying to rent the community room.  In the case of a group applicant, it will include the main contact person's name, phone number, address and email. 


• Date and time of rental.  The rental agreement will clearly state the date of the rental and the agreed-upon time frame that the room will be available to the rental party.  The agreement will list details about how much time will be available for set up before a party or event, as well as how much time will be available after an event for equipment breakdown and clean up.


• Room use.  The agreement will detail the agreed-upon use of the community room.  Also stated in the agreement will be a list of the equipment included in the rental, such as tables, chairs, music equipment or lighting.  In some cases, a community room will have a kitchen available for use.  If the kitchen is required, it's use will be included in the agreement.


• Rules and guidelines.  The agreement will clearly outline any and all rules and regulations surrounding the rental of the community room.  It will state what activities are approved and appropriate and what activities are not allowed in the rental.  The agreement should also describe the state that the room should be in after the event has ended, and provide a clause allowing the owner to withhold the renter's deposit in case of damage or destruction of the room.


• Fees and deposits.  A community room rental agreement will list any and all fees that are charged by the property owner.  Fees may be charged on an hourly or per-event basis.  The contract will likely include a refundable deposit fee, which the renter will be required to make to the owner.  The deposit will be returned to the renter pending inspection of the room after the event has ended.