Leasing to family vs separate roommates

[Kyle Neff]

Hello BP Community,

My fiance and I are planning to continue renting out our townhome as long as we don't need the money for other investments. It was our first home and is in a prime location for appreciation, great schools, and accessibility.

We have rented to and shown it solely to families up to this point, only because they have been the only applicants. Recently we had three unrelated friends apply to live together in the unit. 

My question - should we have them all sign one lease together at the advertised price, or should we have them sign three separate leases (since they are unrelated) and increase the rent on each individual? i.e. we would rent the whole place on one lease for $2500/month, or do 3 separate leases and charge each $900/month.

Are there rules or laws around this? Look forward to everyone's thoughts!