Helping friends in a bind is one thing, but letting them overstay their welcome is another.

So, what would you do if a couple hinted they were about to be homeless, and you wanted to help, but you also know they’re terrible at planning?

Would you let them move in indefinitely? Or would you lay down clear boundaries from the get-go?

In today’s story, one man finds himself in this exact situation and is willing to help… on his terms.

Here’s what’s going on.

AITA for not letting my friends stay in my house for more than 1 month

I’ve been living in an EU country for 4 years. Two of my friends who are a couple came here from our home country a year ago for their master’s.

In their first year, they managed to get a 1-year dorm contract and lived there together, even though it was a single-person room, so only one of them could be officially registered.

Their dorm contract is ending soon, and they’ve been struggling to find a new place.

About 10 days before their move-out date, they told me they would have nowhere to go. I offered that they could stay with me, but only for one month.

My apartment has only one bedroom and a living room, so it’s way too small for three people. I work full time, run a startup on the side, and value my home as my quiet space.

They didn’t like it when he tried to be clear upfront.

The funny thing is that every time we met outside, they told me, ”We have X weeks left to find a place.” The next week, we met, and we had the same conversation again.

They never asked me directly to stay at my place, so they kind of manipulated me into offering it myself.

When I told them about the one-month limit, they seemed a bit resentful.

They said there was no need for me to write this in detail upfront and that they were already planning to stay just a few weeks.

When I told him, “I just wanted to be clear upfront,” he never replied, lol. They had never communicated this beforehand, and in the past, I’ve seen them let things drag out.

The main issue is that he knows how they are.

A bit of back story: when they first came here they stayed at mine for 8 days and by day 3 I was stressed. They smoked **** daily, watched TV for hours, and generally weren’t productive while I was working remotely.

My male friend used to drink 3 cans of high alcohol beer every day for months.

He once avoided giving a school presentation by telling his professor he was back in his home country so he could do it online.

Recently, he had a technical job interview scheduled but postponed it by 2 weeks due to a panic attack.

There is a pattern of poor planning.

They came here without securing housing. The girlfriend couldn’t register her address, so she once asked to register at mine just on paper, which could have caused me legal trouble.

My friend briefly worked for a delivery app but chose to hang out in low-demand areas so he wouldn’t get orders. He still collected pay until he was fired.

He’s trying to help, but doesn’t want it to go on too long.

I feel like I’ve been clear and reasonable. I’m offering them shelter for one month and even told them they can store their belongings in my storage afterward if needed. They also have other friends in the city, so it’s not like they would be on the street.

Still, I have a feeling they might try to extend their stay, and I am not willing to compromise my mental health and home environment. I mean, they had a whole year to find housing, yet here we are.

They think I’m being too strict, but I see this as me setting healthy boundaries.

AITA?

Yikes! It was nice of him to even help for one month.

Let’s see what the readers over at Reddit have to say about his situation.

As this person points out, they can stay at a hostel.

For this reader, he should suggest they stay somewhere else.

Here’s someone who thinks they already plan to stay longer.

This reader can’t figure out why he even offered.

This is a bad idea!

He already knows how they are, so he should back out now!

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.