Internet Backs Woman Who Refuses to Give Boyfriend Copy of Apartment Key

The internet has come to the defense of a woman who said in a now-viral post that she recently refused to give her boyfriend of six months a copy of her apartment key.

Writing in Reddit's "Am I The A**hole" forum on Thursday under the username u/Squared-Zone1976, the woman said that her refusal caused her boyfriend to feel angry and "embarrassed." So far, the post has received more than 10,000 upvotes and over 2,400 comments from Redditors who said the woman was right to deny her boyfriend a house key, arguing that he cannot be trusted.

And according to experts, a person should only give their house key to a partner whom they trust "implicitly."

In her post, the woman explained that her boyfriend requested that she make a copy of her key one night while they were out with friends. Apparently, he wanted a key so that he could "stop by alone or with friends" whenever she's out.

"I told him that I don't feel comfortable having anyone at my apartment unless I'm there and that he gets to have a copy of the key only if he lives there and that's it," the woman wrote.

But this upset her boyfriend, who sent her a "long wall of text" later that night.

"We had an argument and he insisted that I have no trust in him and that I embarrassed him in front of his friends by declining to let him have a copy of the key," she claimed.

She tried calling him, but "one of his friends picked up and got involved saying my boyfriend is rightfully upset with me for not treating him as my partner and showing him the respect he deserves," she said.

Some experts have said that a person's decision to give their partner a key to their home is a "big deal," said Elite Daily. According to dating expert Susan Winter, this is because "a key to your home or apartment allows them full access to your life. They are now in the center of your inner circle."

Speaking to the online publication, dating coach Erika Ettin agreed, saying, "Giving [them a key] implies implicit trust, so they must go hand-in-hand."

Life coach Pricilla Martinez added: "If your partner doesn't recognize the weight of you allowing them to come and go out of your home, then maybe it isn't the right time to give them a key."

Many Redditors felt that u/Squared-Zone1976's boyfriend didn't deserve to receive a copy of his girlfriend's house key because he didn't, as Martinez described it, "understand the weight" of the decision.

"It seems like that was a really good decision to say no seeing how he reacted. That's your place. The fact that he said he may drop by with friends when you're at work...Wtf...Why would he do that...he doesn't live there why do he and his friends need to hang out there??" asked u/toomuchformybrain.

Redditor u/photosbeersandteach added: "Why would he need to stop by, alone or WITH FRIENDS, if you weren't there? Sounds like he wants to use your place as his backup hangout spot since he has a bunch of roommates."