Roommate Chore Chart Template (Free, Fair and Simple)
A good roommate chore chart template lists every shared job, splits them into daily and weekly tasks, and rotates who does what each week so nobody gets stuck with the bathroom forever. Below you get a free, copyable chart for 2, 3 and 4 people, plus one rotation rule that keeps it fair. Paste it into Google Sheets, Notes or a printable doc and you're done in five minutes.
If your shared space looks messy no matter whose week it is, RoomMaxx scores the room out of 100 and shows exactly which part is dragging it down: Scan my room.
What goes on a roommate chore chart
Most chore charts fail because they're vague. "Clean kitchen" means a full deep clean to one person and "wiped one crumb" to another. So every job on your roommate chore list needs to be specific enough that anyone could check it.
Here's the master list most apartments, dorms and shared houses need:
- Kitchen: wipe counters, clear sink, run or empty dishwasher, wipe stovetop
- Trash and recycling: take out bins, rinse recycling, replace bags
- Bathroom: toilet, sink, mirror, shower, restock toilet paper
- Floors: vacuum or sweep shared areas, mop kitchen and bathroom
- Living room: clear the couch and coffee table, fold blankets
- Fridge: toss expired food once a week (more on that in our guide to a roommate eating your food)
- Supplies: check dish soap, sponges, paper towels
Your bedroom is not on the shared chart. That's yours. But if half your stuff migrates into the living room, it kind of is.
The 2-person weekly chart
With two of you, the simplest fair chore chart is an A/B split that swaps every Monday.
| Job | Week 1 | Week 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen (counters, sink, stove) | Alex | Sam |
| Bathroom (full clean) | Sam | Alex |
| Trash + recycling | Alex | Sam |
| Floors (vacuum + mop) | Sam | Alex |
| Fridge check (Sunday) | Alex | Sam |
| Restock supplies | Sam | Alex |
Copy that into a Google Sheet, freeze the top row, and add a checkbox column for each week. The checkbox matters. It turns "I think I did it" into "it's ticked or it isn't."
Roommate chore chart template for Google Sheets
If you want this as a roommate chore chart template in Google Sheets:
- Column A: job name.
- Columns B onward: one column per week.
- Use
Insert > Checkboxin each cell under a name. - Add conditional formatting so an unticked box turns light red after Sunday.
- Share the link in your group chat and pin it.
That's the whole "app." No sign-up, no subscription, and it works for a dorm, an apartment or a flatmate cleaning rota in a UK house share.
The 3- and 4-person rotation
Three roommates is where things get messy, because jobs don't split evenly. The fix: group jobs into zones that are roughly equal effort, then rotate the zones.
3 roommate chore chart template
- Zone 1: kitchen + fridge check
- Zone 2: bathroom + supplies
- Zone 3: floors + trash
| Week | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan | Priya | Ty |
| 2 | Ty | Jordan | Priya |
| 3 | Priya | Ty | Jordan |
Week 4 goes back to week 1. Everyone does every zone once every three weeks.
4 roommate chore chart
Add a fourth zone called "reset." That person handles the living room, wipes door handles and light switches, and does a ten-minute sweep of anything left in shared spaces (shoes, mugs, mail). It's lighter, so think of it as the "rest week" that makes the rotation feel fair.
The rotation rule
Here's the one rule that keeps a chore rotation chart from falling apart: everyone moves one zone to the right every Monday, no swaps without a trade. If you want to skip bathroom week, you have to trade with someone and both of you write it in the group chat. No silent swaps.
Daily 5-minute jobs vs weekly jobs
A roommate cleaning schedule needs two speeds. Weekly jobs are on the chart. Daily jobs are on everyone, every day.
Daily (everyone, under 5 minutes):
- Wash your own dishes the same day. Not "soaking." Washed.
- Wipe the counter after you cook.
- Take your stuff back to your room before bed.
- Hang up your wet towel.
Weekly (on the rotation):
- Full bathroom clean
- Floors
- Bins out on collection day
- Fridge clear-out
Think of it like a group project at school. Everyone's responsible for their own section (daily jobs), and the bigger pieces get assigned (weekly jobs). Mixing them up is how one person ends up washing everyone's mugs.
How to make it feel fair
Fairness isn't just math. It's how the chore chart for roommates feels to live with. A few things that help:
- Make it together. Do a 15-minute house meeting (or a voice note thread) where everyone ranks the jobs they hate most. Spread the most-hated jobs across different zones.
- Agree what "done" means. Write it down. "Bathroom = toilet, sink, mirror, shower, floor." Screenshot-able standards avoid arguments.
- Match schedules. If one roommate works weekend shifts, don't give them the Saturday bin run.
- Share costs for supplies. Put cleaning stuff on a shared tab or a split app so nobody is quietly paying for all the sponges.
- Keep it visible. Pin it in the group chat or stick a printable roommate chore chart on the fridge.
The hardest part of a fair chart is agreeing what "clean enough" looks like, because everyone's eye is different. RoomMaxx takes the guessing out: snap a photo and you get a Room Score out of 100 across tidy, light and vibe, the same yardstick for everyone. Scan my room
What to do when someone skips
It will happen. Midterms, a breakup, a double shift. One skipped week isn't a crisis. A pattern is.
First skip: send a low-key message. "Hey, bathroom's still on your week, can you get to it by tomorrow night?" Short, specific, no sarcasm in the group chat.
Second skip: talk in person, one-on-one. Ask if the zone or the day isn't working for them. Maybe they need a different slot.
Third skip: bring it back to the whole group and agree a consequence you all signed up to at the start, like covering the next zone too, or buying the next round of supplies.
What not to do:
- Don't do their job and then rage about it. That teaches everyone the job gets done anyway.
- Don't vague-post about it on TikTok or Instagram. They'll see it.
- Don't let resentment build for a whole semester (or term, if you're in the UK).
If you're living in a suite and splitting a bathroom with people outside your room, the rules shift a bit. See roommate vs suitemate for how to set suite bathroom rules.
Make your roommate chore chart template actually stick
A roommate chore chart template only works if the place looks noticeably better once it's running. RoomMaxx gives your room a Room Score out of 100 for tidy, light and vibe, then hands you one small fix a day aimed at your lowest score, so you can watch the number climb when you rescan. The photo is scored and never saved.
FAQ
Is there a free roommate chore chart template I can print?
Yes. Copy the 2-, 3- or 4-person tables above into any doc or spreadsheet and print them. Add a checkbox column per week and stick it on the fridge so nobody can claim they didn't see it.
How do you make a chore chart for roommates fair?
Group jobs into zones of roughly equal effort, rotate zones every Monday, and require trades instead of silent swaps. Agree what "done" means for each job in writing so nobody argues about standards later.
What's the best roommate cleaning schedule for 3 people?
Use three zones: kitchen plus fridge, bathroom plus supplies, and floors plus trash. Everyone moves one zone over each week, so each person does every zone once every three weeks.
Is a flatmate cleaning rota the same as a roommate chore chart?
Basically, yes. "Cleaning rota" is the UK and Irish name for the same thing, and "housemate chore chart" is common in Canada and Australia. The template works for any of them.
Should I use a roommate chore app or a spreadsheet?
A shared Google Sheet with checkboxes covers most homes and costs nothing. Try an app only if your group already lives in it every day; otherwise reminders just get muted.