One lease, several names on it, and rent that needs to add up to the full amount every month — shared housing creates a documentation problem that a single-tenant rental never has to deal with.
Decide the split method upfront, in writing
Equal split, split by room size, or split by income — whatever the group agrees to, write it down once so it's not re-negotiated every month from memory. A simple shared note or message thread is enough.
One person paying the landlord still needs individual records
If one roommate collects everyone's share and pays the landlord as a single transaction, that person should still track who paid their portion and when — a shared spreadsheet works fine, and it prevents "I already paid you" disputes among roommates.
Consider individual receipts even for a pooled payment
Even though the landlord only sees one combined payment, generating an internal receipt for each roommate's contribution gives everyone their own proof, which matters if any of them individually need it for tax or personal record purposes.
Handle a roommate leaving mid-lease clearly
When someone moves out, document the date clearly and how the remaining rent gets redistributed — an informal, undocumented shift in who pays what is a common source of roommate conflict later.
Keep deposit records separate per person if possible
If multiple people contributed to a single security deposit, note who paid what upfront — it matters if the group changes over time and someone needs their portion back independently of the others.