Moving in with new roommates can feel like a mix of excitement and risk, but sometimes the risk part hits fast.

One renter knew they would only be staying at the apartment short-term, so when one of their other roommates decided to furnish the entire place without any discussion, it left them caught off guard about who owed what.

Read on for the full story.

WIBTA for not wanting to split furniture costs with my roommates?

I (23) am moving in with two roommates this September into an apartment that came unfurnished.

I am a sublet for 4 months, while Max (23) will be a tenant for longer.

They tried to be upfront from the start about what they were looking to spend.

During the viewing, I offered to pitch in by bringing some of my own furniture or buying certain items that were needed, but was told by Max that that would not be needed as she would be furnishing the apartment with her own furniture.

We did not communicate further on the matter since then, as I had assumed she meant furniture she already owned.

But it soon became clear that some of this was lost in translation.

Now, in the new apartment group chat, Max has stated that she has furnished the apartment by buying furniture totaling $400 (a couch, a coffee table, TV stand, dinner set) and that she’d want us to help her cover the costs.

They don’t feel like it’s fair for them to split the cost for Max’s extravagance.

I do not want to split the cost for furniture I would not be keeping, especially since she did not consult me (or presumably the other roommate, I don’t know) before buying them.

I already had a couch and a coffee table I could have used to furnish the place for free.

But they wonder how to stand their ground while still saving face.

How do I approach this respectfully? I still want to be her friend and make this a harmonious time living together, but I cannot and do not want to pay for furniture that does not belong to me, especially since my lease is only for 4 months.

WIBTA for not paying “my” share?

No one wants to feel like they’re footing the bill for someone else’s extravagance.

What did Reddit think?

This user offers a potential script they could share with Max.

Maybe a compromise would be only paying for a very small percentage?

If it were this commenter, they would say this.

This user seems to think this roommate way overstepped.

They both wanted the place to feel like home, but no one planned for a disagreement like this.

Regardless, the point still stands: If she wanted to buy more, then she should have to pay for it.

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.