Yes—you can rent an LA townhouse together; have all 4–5 approved occupants named on the written lease, then use a separate signed roommate agreement to divide the rooms, rent, utilities, deposit, and exit costs.
“I'm a prospective international student considering studying in LA. How do I go about finding 3-4 roommates to rent a townhouse with, and how do we organize a joint lease and split rent?”
Resumen
You do not need a Social Security number just to offer proof of identity: California’s 2026 tenant guide says an applicant may use a passport or foreign driver license when a U.S. SSN or driver license is unavailable. A landlord may still verify finances and credit, but cannot ask about your immigration or citizenship status. (Cal. Civ. Code §1940.3; DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 11–21.)
You have two workable lease structures, while an informal one-signer arrangement creates avoidable risk.
Have the landlord approve and name every person on one lease; each signer becomes a . This fits your plan, but the shared promise is presumed , so choose roommates who could cover temporary shortfalls and sign an internal cost-sharing agreement. (DRE 2026 Guide, p. 121; Cal. Civ. Code §1659.)
If the owner offers it, each person can sign a written agreement identifying their room and rent obligation. Confirm the individual rent, term, utilities, deposit, shared-space rights, and replacement terms in each agreement rather than assuming a group arrangement. (DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 24–30.)
Do not put only one person on the lease and secretly move in the others. Even an owner-approved leaves the original tenant responsible for rent, and any lease prohibition requires landlord permission. (DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 50–51.)
Whichever structure you choose, the written agreement should authorize all 4–5 occupants; California’s DRE guide says the agreement should state the number of people allowed in the unit.
Leer la explicación completaOcultar la explicación completa
Watch out for
Próximos pasos
These steps take you from finding compatible roommates to a documented lease and payment system.
Before viewing homes
Post a neutral roommate brief
Use your school’s authenticated housing or admitted-student channel if one becomes available, and use the same neutral brief in public roommate groups. Describe the home, budget, dates, and habits—not preferred nationality, immigration status, religion, or “students only.” California permits only a narrow sex-preference exception for an ad involving shared living areas. (DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 20–22.)
Requisitos
Before paying anything
Interview candidates and verify each listing
Discuss schedules, overnight guests, cleaning, smoking, pets, room preferences, maximum budget, and what happens if someone leaves. For each townhouse, search the address with the owner or company name, confirm the listing through the company’s own contact details, and do not pay by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency. (FTC Rental Listing Scams Guidance.)
Requisitos
Before submitting applications
Choose the lease structure in writing
For your proposed joint lease, require all approved people to be named as tenants and read any “joint and several” clause. If the owner instead offers separate room agreements, each document should state that person’s room, rent, deposit, utilities, term, and shared-space rights. Do not rely on an informal one-signer arrangement. (Cal. Civ. Code §1659; DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 24–30, 50–51, 121.)
Requisitos
Once the group is stable
Submit one organized household application
Have every intended adult complete the landlord’s application and disclose the full 4–5-person household. If you lack a U.S. SSN or driver license, the DRE guide says a passport or foreign driver license may verify identity; the landlord may request documents needed to verify identity and financial qualifications but may not inquire into immigration or citizenship status. The 2026 screening-fee maximum is $68.96 per applicant; obtain the receipt, itemization, credit-report copy, and unused-fee refund. (Cal. Civ. Code §§1940.3(c)(2), 1950.6; DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 11–21.)
Requisitos
Before taking possession
Review and sign the complete lease
Do not sign with blank spaces. Confirm the lease states all names, all 4–5 allowed occupants, total rent, due date, utilities, deposit, and replacement rules. The ordinary deposit cap is one month’s rent plus the first month; only the qualifying small-landlord exception permits up to two months. Get the landlord-signed copy—the DRE guide states it must be supplied within 15 days after execution. (Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5(c); DRE 2026 Guide, pp. 24–30.)
Requisitos
The same day as the lease
Sign the roommate agreement and payment plan
For an equal split, set each share to total monthly rent divided by the number of tenants. For unequal rooms, assign a fixed dollar amount to every room so all room shares add exactly to the total rent; then state how utilities are divided. If one person sends the landlord’s single payment, require everyone else to transfer their share several business days earlier and circulate the landlord’s receipt. Record that no one may replace themselves without written landlord approval and a written release or .
Requisitos
Within 10 days of moving
Report the new address
F-1/M-1 case: report the address to your in the manner prescribed by the school within 10 days; this satisfies the DHS notice rule, and the DSO must enter it in SEVIS within 21 days. Other-status case: USCIS says most noncitizens must update USCIS within 10 days using the online Enterprise Change of Address tool; A/G visa holders and Visa Waiver visitors are exempt, and program-specific procedures may also apply. (8 CFR 214.2(f)(17), (m)(18); USCIS Address Change Guidance.)
Requisitos
Fuentes legales
The rules come from the California Legislature, California Department of Real Estate, Berkeley Rent Board, Federal Trade Commission, USCIS, and the current eCFR.
California DRE 2026 Landlord-Tenant Guide
Everyone identified as a tenant on the same agreement is a co-tenant.
page 121
If the rental agreement identifies more than one person as the tenant, then all of the identified people are co-tenants and together they have the right to the exclusive use and possession of the rental unit vis a vis the landlord and other third parties during the rental period but non-exclusive use and possession of the rental unit with respect to each other.
California DRE 2026 Landlord-Tenant Guide
The written rental agreement controls the lease term, rent, payment timing, and deposit.
page 24
The rental agreement includes the terms and conditions that will govern the tenancy, including the length of the tenancy, the amount of the rent, the timing of when rent payments are due, and the amount of the security deposit.
Cal. Civ. Code §1659
California presumes a mutually beneficial shared contractual promise to be joint and several.
§1659
Where all the parties who unite in a promise receive some benefit from the consideration, whether past or present, their promise is presumed to be joint and several.
California DRE 2026 Landlord-Tenant Guide
A sublease does not end the original tenant’s responsibility to the landlord.
page 50
With a sublease, the rental agreement between the original tenant and the landlord remains in full force and effect. The original tenant is still responsible for paying the rent to the landlord and functions as a landlord to the subtenant.
California DRE 2026 Landlord-Tenant Guide
Releasing a departing tenant requires the landlord, old tenant, and new tenant to agree in writing.
page 51
In order for the original tenant to be relieved of his/her obligations under the original rental agreement, the landlord, the original tenant, and the new tenant all must agree that the new tenant will be solely responsible to the landlord under the assignment. This agreement is called a novation and must be in writing.
Cal. Civ. Code §1940.3
A landlord cannot inquire into immigration status but may verify identity and financial qualifications.
(b)(1), (c)(2)
(b)(1) Make any inquiry regarding or based on the immigration or citizenship status of a tenant, prospective tenant, occupant, or prospective occupant of residential rental property. (c)(2) Requesting information or documentation necessary to determine or verify the financial qualifications of a prospective tenant, or to determine or verify the identity of a prospective tenant or prospective occupant.
California DRE 2026 Landlord-Tenant Guide
California housing protections include national origin, citizenship, and immigration status.
pages 19–21
In California, protected groups or “characteristics”, include: • Ancestry, national origin, citizenship • Immigration status
Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5
Most deposits are capped at one month, with a narrowly defined two-month small-landlord exception.
(c)(1), (c)(5)
(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), (3), or (5), a landlord shall not demand or receive security, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of an amount equal to one month’s rent, in addition to any rent for the first month paid on or before initial occupancy. (5) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a landlord shall not demand or receive security, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of an amount equal to two months’ rent, in addition to any rent for the first month paid on or before initial occupancy if the landlord meets both of the following requirements: (i) The landlord is a natural person or a limited liability company in which all members are natural persons. (ii) The landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties that collectively include no more than four dwelling units offered for rent. (B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply if the prospective tenant is a service member.
Cal. Civ. Code §1950.6 — 2026 Fee Notice
The official 2026 statewide screening-fee maximum is $68.96, with receipt and refund protections.
2026 screening-fee notice
The maximum tenant screening fee for 2026 is $68.96 Prospective tenants should expect to receive a copy of their credit report within 7 days of receipt by the landlord, a receipt for the fee paid and an itemized list of any out-of-pocket expenses and time spent by the landlord on the screening, and a refund of any unused portion of the fee.
California DRE 2026 Landlord-Tenant Guide
The narrow shared-home advertising exception does not authorize student, religious, or similar preferences.
pages 21–22
A person in a single-family dwelling who advertises for a roommate or a boarder may express a preference on the basis of sex, if living areas (such as the kitchen, living room, or bathroom) will be shared by the roommate. This provision of the law does not permit a person to advertise for a roommate regarding other preferences such as their religion, whether they are in college, or whether they have children.
FTC Rental Listing Scams Guidance
The FTC recommends verifying and viewing the rental and treats restricted irreversible payment demands as a scam.
How to avoid rental listing scams
Search online for the rental location’s address along with the name of the property owner or rental company. Go to the rental company’s own website to see if the property is listed there, too. If you can, look at the property before you sign or pay. If anyone insists you can only pay with wire transfers through Western Union or MoneyGram, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, it’s a scam.
8 CFR 214.2(f)(17), (m)(18)
F-1 and M-1 students must report address changes through their DSO within 10 days.
(f)(17); identical rule at (m)(18)
( 17 ) Current name and address. A student must inform DHS and the DSO of any legal changes to the student's name or of any change of address, within 10 days of the change, in a manner prescribed by the school. A student can satisfy the requirement in 8 CFR 265.1 of notifying DHS by providing a notice of a change of address within 10 days to the DSO, and the DSO in turn must enter the information in SEVIS within 21 days of notification by the student.
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates; laws, fees, and agency procedures can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
Respuestas relacionadas
Suscríbete al boletín de SettleKit
Investigamos las partes difíciles de establecerse en Estados Unidos y escribimos artículos que no vas a encontrar en otro lado. Suscríbete para recibir cada artículo nuevo por correo.