What would you do if a roommate threw out something that was important to you without even asking you or telling you?

Would you kick out the roommate, or would you find another way to get back at the roommate?

In this story, a homeowner is contemplating this question, and she isn’t sure what to do.

Let’s read all the details.

WIBTA if I started making my roommate pay half the bills even though it wasn’t what we initially agreed upon?

I have a roommate who pays me about 90% of half the rent—so if the total rent is $1,600, they contribute around $700.

I cover the rest, along with water, gas, internet, and electricity, because I earn more than they do.

When they first moved in, I felt sorry for them because they were leaving an abusive situation.

The roommate’s room has a lot of books stored in it.

It’s been a little over a year since they moved into my guest room, and overall, it hasn’t been too bad.

However, when they moved in, I had some of my belongings in the closet—primarily books.

The room is fully furnished with my furniture, including a large bed that takes up a lot of space, a heavy bookshelf, and around 500 books stored in 5–6 boxes and two large bags.

I always intended to go through them, pick out my favorites, and donate or sell the rest, but due to my ADHD and object impermanence, I kept pushing it off.

In the long run, I envisioned turning the room into a closet/library after they moved out since I prefer having my clothes visible rather than stored away.

The roommate tried to throw away the bookshelf.

Last year, I came home to find my bookshelf outside by the dumpsters.

I immediately told my roommate to put it back in the room because they had no right to throw away my belongings.

If they had asked, I would have found another place for it, but I was so frustrated that I insisted they return it to the room without offering an alternative solution.

The roommate threw away the home owner’s belongings.

Fast forward to now: I recently hired someone to help clean my apartment when work gets too busy.

They offered to organize my cabinets, which reminded me to finally sort through my books—only to be told that my roommate had thrown them all away months ago.

Over 500 books—hardcover, paperback, large, small, books I had kept since middle school—just gone.

They never asked, never mentioned feeling uncomfortable with them in the closet, never gave me a chance to move them.

They simply decided to discard decades of my history without my permission.

She has a better idea than kicking out the roommate.

I was so upset that I haven’t spoken to them in over a week.

It’s not just about the books—it’s about the complete lack of respect for my things.

My first instinct is to kick them out (yes, I understand the legal complexities of tenancy and eviction), but instead, I’ve decided that I no longer want to cover the bulk of the bills.

Here’s what she wants to do…

I’ve drafted a document that evenly splits all household expenses, which will increase their contribution by at least $500.

WIBTA if I taped it to their door?

This isn’t the arrangement we originally agreed upon when they moved in, but at this point, I feel that if they can blatantly disrespect my belongings, they no longer deserve my generosity.

I’d kick out the roommate. This is unacceptable behavior.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person would evict the roommate.

Here’s another vote for evicting the roommate.

It might be worthwhile to take the roommate to court.

It would’ve been a good idea to remove the books before the roommate moved in.

It’s kind of an eye for an eye situation.

The roommate has got to go.

As hard as that conversation will be.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.