Renter Refusing to Let Girlfriend Break Lease Ripped Online: 'So Selfish'

The morals of one Reddit user have been called into question.

In a viral post published on the r/AmITheA****** forum, Redditor u/nsdi-982 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said they refuse to let their girlfriend break their apartment's lease, despite her needing to live with her ailing grandmother, leaving thousands of commenters sorely disappointed.

Titled, "[Am I the a******] for not letting my [girlfriend] be removed from the lease?" the post has received nearly 8,000 upvotes and more than 3,000 comments since November 8.

"My [girlfriend] and I lived together for 5 months and it's been going good," OP began. "But her grandma recently had a fall and requires care."

Continuing to explain that their girlfriend plans to move in with her grandmother, the original poster said she requested to be let out of the couple's lease before she leaves.

The original poster also said they cannot afford to live alone, and swiftly denied the request and their girlfriend's suggestion they find another roommate to help cover costs in the meantime.

"I don't want to live with a roommate anymore and told her she should keep paying for the apartment...since living with her grandma is free," OP wrote. "But she's angry that I won't remove her from the lease and ... for not just finding someone else to live with.

"But how is it fair she goes to live with her grandma rent free while I'm stuck with a stranger[?]" OP questioned. "I've told the landlord I'm not taking her off the lease and she's threatened to break up with me because of it."

Like most contracts, property leases are not always easy to break. Multiple parties agreed to certain terms, and the expectation is that those terms are carried out.

But life doesn't always adhere to contractual obligations.

As soon as it becomes apparent that an individual renting an apartment, house or other residence must leave that residence sooner than expected, it's imperative that involved parties are completely aware of any signed agreements pertaining to premature departure.

"It's best to double check the lease for any language around early termination," Move.org senior writer Sarah Cimarusti told Newsweek. "It may sound self-explanatory, but often tenants don't know every single thing their lease entails."

In scenarios like the one described by the original poster, when one lessee plans to break a multi-person lease, the exiting party is made to pay a certain amount of money to cover rent and utilities for a period of time to which they initially agreed.

And according to Cimarusti, exiting parties may also be asked to help find their own replacement.

"Contract[s] may also request the renter who is leaving to provide assistance in locating a new roommate," Cimarusti told Newsweek.

"The landlord should be included in this transition to avoid breaches of the lease/eviction," Cimarusti added. "Some landlords will be more flexible than others."

However, the original poster made it clear they have no interest in living with a roommate at all, and that they informed their landlord they would not agree to their girlfriend's cost-free departure.

Throughout the viral post's comment section, many Redditors took issue with the original poster's refusal, calling out their morality—or suspected lack thereof—in the process.

"May the karma you put out be reflected back to you," Redditor u/whatsmypassword73 wrote in the post's top comment, which has received nearly 26,000 upvotes.

"She's literally going to help her grandma, she's going to be working to keep her safe and you call that rent free?" they questioned. "Seriously?"

Redditor u/Stan_Of_Cleeves, whose comment has received nearly 9,000 upvotes, offered a similar response.

"It would be reasonable to expect her to cover her half of the rent until you found a roommate," they wrote. "But pay for half for the rest of the year for a place she doesn't live in? Just because you don't like roommates? All because her grandmother had an emergency and needs care? Yikes."

"The price for your [girlfriend] is a lot of mental and emotional load," Redditor u/ali_stardragon commented. "She does NOT need you being petty or trying to manipulate her into what you want."

"You have probably already altered her opinion of you by being so selfish," Redditor u/TentaclesAndCupcakes chimed in, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes. "This relationship isn't going to last much longer."

Newsweek has reached out to u/nsdi-982 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.