# Renting a New Apartment With a Roommate: How It Works > How two applicants qualify at a new apartment: combined income multiples, guarantors, and splitting fees and utilities fairly. Steps in order. URL: https://newapartmentsfortworth.com/guide/renting-a-new-apartment-with-a-roommate/ Last-Modified: 2026-10-26 Guide # Renting a New Apartment With a Roommate How two applicants qualify at a new apartment: combined income multiples, guarantors, and splitting required fees and utilities fairly. The steps in order. Written by New Fort Worth Apartment Team [/about/#new-fort-worth-apartment-team →](/about/#new-fort-worth-apartment-team) · Updated October 26, 2026 ![Two-bedroom new apartment hallway with two open bedroom doors](/images/featured/two-bedroom-new-apartment-hallway-with-two-open-be.webp) ## How do two people qualify for one lease? If you’re splitting one of the new apartments in Fort Worth [/ →](/) with a roommate, approval usually comes down to income, credit, and rental history for both of you. The most common test is an income multiple. Many communities want gross monthly income of about 3 times the monthly rent. The key question is how the community applies that multiple to two people. Some combine both incomes against the full rent. Others ask each applicant to meet the multiple on their share. A few want each person to qualify for the whole rent alone. We confirm the rule for each building before either of you pays an application fee. ## What does a combined income check look like? Here’s a simple example at a 3x multiple. Say the rent is $1,800 a month. Combined, the community wants about $5,400 a month in gross income. If you earn $3,000 and your roommate earns $2,600, together you clear it. If the community requires each person to qualify on half, each of you needs about $2,700, and one of you falls short. | Rule the community uses | What it means at $1,800 rent | | --- | --- | | Combined income at 3x | $5,400 a month together | | Each on their share at 3x | About $2,700 a month each | | Each on full rent at 3x | $5,400 a month each | ## How do guarantors and co-signers work? If one of you falls short, a guarantor can help. A guarantor signs a separate agreement promising to pay if the lease isn’t paid. Communities often want the guarantor to earn a higher multiple, sometimes 4 or 5 times the rent, and some require a Texas address. Rules vary, so we ask before you apply. ## How do you split fees and utilities? ![Split-cost table graphic for rent, fees, and utilities between two roommates](/images/content/simple-split-cost-table-graphic-showing-rent-fees-.webp) Rent is only part of the monthly cost. Required fees, like bulk internet, valet trash, and pest service, apply to the unit and are usually shared. On our board, required fees ran $36 to $199 a month at 12 buildings on Oct 25, 2026. Our guide on required fees [/guide/what-required-monthly-fees-add-to-rent/ →](/guide/what-required-monthly-fees-add-to-rent/) lists the common ones. Utilities are split the same way. Electric is in one name at most addresses, so agree on how the other person pays their share. Property-billed water may be divided by occupants, which matters when two people live in a unit. > **Put the split in writing** > > A joint lease lets the community collect the full amount from either of you. A short written agreement between roommates keeps the split clear. ## What should the roommate agreement cover? A joint lease makes both of you responsible to the community. A short written agreement between the two of you covers what the lease doesn’t. Here’s what we’d include: - **Rent split.** Even or by bedroom size, and who pays the community. - **Fees and utilities.** Who holds the electric account, and how the other person pays their share. - **Deposit.** How it’s split now, and how any deductions are split at move-out. - **Move-out.** What happens if one person leaves early, and how much notice they owe the other. - **Guests and pets.** Any limits you both agree to, within the lease rules. Here’s a simple split example with labeled, made-up numbers: | Line | Total | Roommate A | Roommate B | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Rent (true monthly) | $1,900 | $1,000 | $900 | | Required fees | $110 | $55 | $55 | | Electric estimate | $120 | $60 | $60 | | Monthly each | | $1,115 | $1,015 | The larger bedroom pays a bit more in this example. Any split works if it’s written down. ## Which floor plans fit two people? Floor plans with two primary bedrooms, sometimes called dual-primary or roommate plans, give each person a bedroom with its own bathroom. Some new buildings offer them. We list them as building facts on the New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) , along with the whole price. Send us both budgets and your move date. We’ll text you within minutes during our hours, then send a same-day shortlist with the income rule for each building. ## Learn more about new apartments in Fort Worth We'll text you within minutes during our hours, then send a same-day shortlist. See the page [/ →](/) ## Questions renters ask about this ### Do both roommates need to meet the income requirement? It depends on the community. Many combine both incomes against the rent. Some require each applicant to qualify on their own share. We check the rule before either of you pays a fee. ### Can a guarantor cover one roommate? Often yes. Rules vary by community, including the guarantor's income multiple and whether they must live in Texas. ### Who pays the required fees? The lease is usually joint, so fees are shared, and the community can collect from either of you. Agree on the split in writing before you sign. ### What happens if one roommate moves out? On a joint lease, the one who stays is usually still responsible for the full rent. Ask how the community handles a roommate change before you sign. ### Do you guarantee the price or my approval? No. The community sets both, and we confirm them in writing before you sign. ## Related guides Guide ### What Required Monthly Fees Add to New-Apartment Rent At 12 new Fort Worth buildings, required fees ran $36 to $199 a month on Oct 25, 2026. Here's what they cover, how they change your true monthly, and how to get the fee sheet in writing. [What Required Monthly Fees Add to New-Apartment Rent →](/guide/what-required-monthly-fees-add-to-rent/) Guide ### How to Pick the Right Unit in a New Building Choose the floor, stack, and exposure with facts: 2021 IBC STC/IIC 50 sound ratings, Tarrant County's 101°F design temperature, and what sits next to the unit. [How to Pick the Right Unit in a New Building →](/guide/how-to-pick-the-right-unit-in-a-new-building/) Guide ### How to Spot a Fake Apartment Listing The warning signs of rental scams on new-build listings: requests to pay before a tour, off-platform deposits, and prices far below the market. Here's how to verify a listing first. [How to Spot a Fake Apartment Listing →](/guide/how-to-spot-a-fake-apartment-listing/) Guide ### Lease Red Flags to Check Before You Sign at a New Build A pre-signing checklist for new-build leases: concession repayment, RUBS, required fees, renewal terms, early exit, the separate military right, late fees, and the signed flood notice. [Lease Red Flags to Check Before You Sign at a New Build →](/guide/lease-red-flags-new-build/) ## Where to use this ![Aerial view of new apartment communities across the Fort Worth side](/images/content/aerial-view-of-new-apartment-communities-spread-ac.webp) Find ### New Build Board A map and cards for every new community in scope, with the whole price on each card. Open [New Build Board →](/new-construction-apartments/) ![Printed move-in special flyer beside a calculator and lease folder](/images/content/printed-apartment-move-in-special-flyer-beside-a-c.webp) Find ### Fort Worth Apartment Specials Confirmed move-in specials at new buildings, each with base and year two beside it. Open [Fort Worth Apartment Specials →](/fort-worth-apartment-specials/) ![New apartment community in lease-up with a few furnished balconies](/images/content/new-apartment-community-in-lease-up-with-a-few-fur.webp) Find ### Lease-Up Apartments Buildings in lease-up, with stage, fill curve, and what's actually finished. Open [Lease-Up Apartments →](/lease-up-apartments-fort-worth/) Free to you · Your rent is the same either way ## Get the whole price before you tour Tell us your move date, budget, and where you need to be. We'll make the calls, collect the fee sheets, and do the math for every building that fits. Get my shortlist [/contact/ →](/contact/) See the New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) What happens next: We'll text you within minutes during our hours, then send a same-day shortlist. We don't guarantee pricing or approval. The community sets both, and we confirm them before you sign.