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A woman attempting to bully her roommate out of their shared apartment so she could move her fiancé in is being dragged online.
Posting to Reddit's Am I the A******? (AITA) forum on January 1, user u/throwawayaptroommate said she'd lived in her apartment for four years. Her current roommate, a 32-year-old woman called "V," has also lived there for the past two years.
Until recently, the pair had got along great. However, V got engaged over the Christmas period, and now wants the Redditor to move out to make room for her fiancé.
"They both approached me and asked me to let her fiancé take over my lease and for me to find a new place as soon as possible," she wrote.
"I have a few problems with this. I feel like they should find a new place together because I've lived here longer."
Since refusing to move out, V's friends and fiancé have been "harassing" throwawayaptroommate. However, Reddit users agreed that V is in the wrong, with the post receiving over 24,000 upvotes and more than 2,000 comments.
What to Do If You Hate Your Roommate?
Whether it's religious differences, dirty dishes, or partners overstaying their welcome, sharing a space with others isn't always easy.
Chase Cassine, a behavioral health specialist at DePaul Community Health Centers, said it's common for roommates to disagree. Nevertheless, there are strategies for ensuring a peaceful home life.
"It does not matter how petty, trivial or big the conflict may appear, both parties will need to come together and sort things out to keep the living situation manageable," he told Newsweek.
If you're clashing with your roommate, Cassine recommends addressing the issue in-person, as things can be "misconstrued" via text messages.
"A face-to-face conversation will decrease confusion around the tone, delivery and other nonverbal cues necessary for healthy communication," he said.
Cassine also suggests giving yourself time to cool off before confronting your roommate to prevent arguments from escalating. He also recommends not "keeping score" or resorting to passive-aggressive behavior.
"Listen to each other to try and understand both points of view to better reach a mutual agreement," he said.
'The Audacity'
In her post, throwawayaptroommate said she'd originally moved into the apartment four years ago. As the lease ends in four months, she recently approached the landlord to let him know that she'll be living alone soon, as she can now afford to rent the apartment by herself.
Her roommate initially agreed to this deal, and started looking for apartments with her boyfriend. But since getting engaged over the holidays, she has changed her mind, and now wants the apartment for herself and her fiancé.
"She said that when they started looking for a new place that everything else was too expensive and it made for sense for me to move out and not her," throwawayaptroommate wrote.
The poster suggested V ask the landlord if there are other units available in the building. However, V started "cussing her out," and has convinced her friends and fiancé to start harassing throwawayaptroommate.
"I'm just going to ignore them, but when I spoke to my mom about it she thinks I should let them have the apartment since they need to start saving for their wedding," she said.
Redditors were shocked by the roommate's behavior. In the poll attached to the post, users agreed that throwawayaptroommate was "not the a******" (AITA) in the situation.
"The audacity," said NuclearSky.
"She, her fiancee, and their friends sound like nightmares," commented Hour-Performance-951.
"They were OK with moving out as bf/gf but not now that they are engaged??" asked Innit2winnit23.
"She's acting very entitled to an apartment that isn't 'hers'," wrote rbrancher2.
Budhapirate777 warned throwawayaptroommate to "start documenting everything you can," while pepperann007 suggested asking her landlord if she can sign the lease ahead of time.
"I'd still reiterate with the landlord the original deal," added AitMaca.
"[I] have a sneaky suspicion they'll go to the landlord with a completely different story at some point."
Many users were also unimpressed with throwawayaptroommate's mom for refusing to support her daughter.
"What gets me is her own mother encouraging her own daughter to screw herself!" said Savings_Wedding_4233.
"If she doesn't have your back now, she never will," agreed marigoldilocks.
"Mom should let them move in with them rent free if she cares about them saving up money for their wedding," wrote bumchester.
While aneggonstilts commented: "The Mum part is arguably the worst part of it all, and her lack of support for her child reveals why OP would even consider themselves to be an [a******] in the first place."
Newsweek reached out to u/throwawayaptroommate for comment. We couldn't verify the details of the case.
Do you have a dispute with your neighbor? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more