Get an individual lease for each roommate, instead of a joint lease covering all of the roommates. Under individual lease programs you are assigned roommates, which gives you no control over who you live with.Unlike betterknown joint leases, individual leases allow two or more people to live in the same apartment but pay separate rents. The biggest difference between lease agreements and rental agreements lies in the length of the contract. If saving money is a priority, a joint lease is cheaper for sure. If you have a place and your landlord approves of an additional occupant, your partner can sign your original lease and become a cotenant. An individual lease is a type of rental agreement where each tenant is only responsible for their portion of the rent. Your residential lease agreement in Dallas, Texas should outline the exact dates the tenant can live in the property. For reasons I state in the next FAQ, you should NEVER use one of these leases if you are not a member of the organization. Each individual that is 18 years of age and older must complete a separate rental application and pay an application fee.