Woman Defended for Not Splitting $400 Rent with Boyfriend: 'Suck It Up'

Internet commenters were quick to side with one 23-year-old woman who refuses to continue splitting rent with her longtime boyfriend.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/Formal_Date_4926 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said the couple has lived together since college but revealed how a new housing opportunity has driven a wedge between the two.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for refusing to split rent with my boyfriend?" the post has received nearly 14,000 upvotes and over 4,000 comments in the last several hours.

"In our last year of undergrad, we decided to rent an apartment together," OP began. "We split everything 50/50, including utilities, groceries and rent."

Continuing to explain that both she and her boyfriend recently landed jobs in Chicago, OP said her father owns a property in the city and generously offered to let her stay there rent-free.

However, OP also said that her boyfriend will still be responsible for paying rent—albeit discounted—much to his chagrin.

"[My dad] said that my boyfriend would have to pay him $400 a month for rent," OP wrote. "He wants to be sure that my boyfriend is with me for me, and not because he will have a free place to live.

"If my dad was renting this apartment out to tenants, he would charge $2,100 a month for rent," OP continued. "[But] my boyfriend is mad at me because he asked me for my half of the $400...and I explained to him that I will not be paying rent.

"Our rent in our college town was $1,200, so we were both paying $600 a month. Our apartment in Chicago is significantly nicer and he is paying $200 less [per] month," OP added. "Is the idea that my DAD doesn't charge me for rent, but charges my boyfriend so crazy? Should I suck it up and pay half[?]"

Though astronomical prices have prevented many would-be homeowners from purchasing houses over the last two years, those renting apartments and other residences have faced similar hardships.

On September 15, data published by Rent.com revealed that the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,721, marking a 27.13 percent increase from 2021.

For two bedrooms, rent jumps to $2,054 per month—a 23.43 percent increase from last year.

Much like other major cities, Chicago has also seen significant rent increases, with the average monthly cost for a one-bedroom apartment sitting at $2,451, according to Rent.com, making $400 per month pale in comparison.

So while splitting rent between cohabiting couples is often necessary and issues of principle remain, commenters responding to the viral Reddit post were astounded by OP's boyfriend objecting to paying the heavily-discounted rate proposed by her father.

"[Not the a**hole]," Redditor u/zadidoll wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 20,000 upvotes. "Rent isn't $400, it's $2,100. Point out that if he wants to split rent then do so by having your dad charge the full amount."

"This is exactly what I was thinking," Redditor u/Traditional-Tune-302 commented, receiving more than 7,000 upvotes. "The [boyfriend] thinks he is entitled to OP's perks...he is not immediate family and the dad is giving him a very good deal already."

Redditor u/stacity, whose comment has received nearly 10,000 upvotes, offered a similar response.

"What more does your [boyfriend] want?" they questioned. "Clearly he's not seeing the bigger picture.

"He's getting a lot of perks because of you and he only has to pay a fraction of the rent," they added. "Plus he's failing miserable with your dad's 'test.'"

"[Not the a**hole]," Redditor u/SlinkyMalinky20 chimed in, receiving more than 8,500 upvotes. "But I think your dad might see something in your boyfriend that he's hoping you will soon see."

Newsweek reached out to u/Formal_Date_4926 for comment.