Everyone wants and needs privacy.
In this woman’s case, she is having to fight for privacy in her own rental home.
Her landlords keep invading her privacy and even going into her space when she’s not there.
Now she’s wondering if she is perhaps making a bigger deal about it than it really is.
Let’s analyze the situation.
AITA for calling out my landlords due to invasion of privacy?
I (21-year-old female) have been renting out the basement of my friend’s parents’ house for 5 months now.
Let’s call them Jane and John, both in their 50s.
They live upstairs, I live downstairs.
The basement is a walkout and we have separate entrances.
I am a respectful tenant and the problem I’ve been facing is: I feel like my privacy is not being respected in the same way that I respect theirs.
This is not an ideal situation and she is growing tired of it.
Let me elaborate.
Jane and John invited me upstairs for Easter dinner.
They also invited some family, friends, and neighbors.
Some of which I know and some I haven’t met before.
I accepted the invite and was looking forward to it.
This could have been a normal gathering, but things were about to get awkward.
I worked a morning shift on Easter so I was planning to unwind downstairs and then head upstairs for dinner.
Well, when I got home the backdoor was already unlocked and being used by the guests to access the backyard, even though you can still access the backyard through the front door and around the side of the house.
When I walk inside there’s a ham in the oven and the fridge is full of their food for dinner.
Then, I make my way to the bathroom to shower and some random woman that I don’t know walks out of the bathroom.
She felt that her space was being violated and she was not going to accept that.
This made me instantly mad because they have a working oven, fridge and bathroom upstairs that they could’ve used.
Apparently, Jane and John didn’t inform their guests that a tenant was living downstairs or to respect the space and use the bathroom upstairs instead.
I was so mad, seething even.
I sent them a text about how disrespected and invaded I felt and left the house before dinner was even ready.
Things came to a boiling point, but this had been bothering her for a while.
Throughout the months there have been other small invasions that have been getting on my nerves such as furniture being rearranged while I’m at work.
They have also texted me to point out that I have a hard water build-up in my shower and asked me to get rid of it, which means they were snooping.
Yup!
And the night before Easter they took all of my cutlery, along with some plates and such, without asking me, and used them to set the table.
Wow.
For anyone wondering, yes, I did sign a lease and it specifically says that the landlords are not permitted to enter the tenant’s space without consent, and I did not give consent.
I wasn’t even aware that the basement would be used for entertainment upon signing the lease.
I just want me and my space to be respected the same way I respect theirs.
This is what every person wants and it should come without saying.
My personal belongings are down there and I was not expecting people to be in my area; my personal space was being used without my permission.
I had a talk with Jane and John about how uncomfortable I felt.
Long story short, they said they would still need to use some of the basement space for when they entertain guests. Specifically the kitchen, bathroom, and backdoor.
AITA?
They are definitely in the wrong.
Let’s see if Reddit has any insight into this situation.
A commenter shares their thoughts.
This person gives her some solid advice.
A commenter shares their suggestions.
This person keeps it short.
Another reader chimes in.
More solid advice.
Someone validates her feelings.
The landlords are definitely in the wrong, no matter how you look at it.
Hopefully, they can solve this amicably (without her having to call the cops).
If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.