When you’re sharing a space, it can get tricky to decide what decorations work best. Some people have different tastes, aesthetics, and preferences. So, what do you do?

This story is from a woman who has two roommates who both want her to move her bookshelf, but she find this unreasonable.

So, let’s find out who’s in the right…

AITA for having a bookshelf in my apartment?

I’ve been living in my apartment for over a year, and I have a tall, tree-style bookshelf tucked neatly into a corner near the entrance.

It’s pressed up against two walls, doesn’t stick out into the walkway, and has never been an issue with previous roommates.

Since it’s loaded with books, it will tilt unless it’s pressed against two walls.

This is a tiny 300-square-foot apartment, and that corner has always been the safest spot for it.

When new roommates moved in, one of them, Lizzy, decided my bookshelf is suddenly a “safety hazard.”

She claims she often stumbles greatly in the wide entrance because of low blood sugar (she’s diabetic), the shelf “shakes” when she stumbles into it, and it could fall on her. She wants a coat rack in the same corner.

I tested it myself, and even when I’m really pushing on it and did a fake stumble, it reacts like any piece of furniture would when stumbled into.

This is where it gets sticky…

I explained that the bookshelf is safest where it is, but she’s welcome to move it if she finds a safe spot.

There aren’t any corners left since she took them up with her furniture, so moving it elsewhere would be less safe.

She started belittling me again, then asked to talk it out in person.

Conversations with Lizzy are rarely discussions. She makes demands and expects compliance, often belittling me and dismissing boundaries in favor of her preferences.

Due to this, I said I wasn’t comfortable because previous interactions had been one-sided and overly demanding.

She argued about “discussing shared responsibilities without being labeled difficult,” and I stopped responding.

The next day, another roommate, Carol, suggested using the corner for a coat rack in the group chat.

I declined, again pointing out that the bookshelf is in the safest spot, and offered if they could find a safe corner elsewhere, they could move it.

The spots they suggested were in open spaces, so I again reiterated the safety issue. They started belittling me and demanded a meeting.

She doesn’t want to meet in person…

When I said I preferred messaging, they cited “majority rules,” to which I responded that majority rules don’t override personal boundaries.

Lizzy reported me to the apartment’s general manager, claiming I’m refusing to move the bookshelf and questioning my ability to make sound decisions because of my mental health history.

She claims I’m “unstable” and “overly stressed due to my job” (teaching), so I should be monitored.

She even said she would have called my emergency contacts if she had access, despite me never having a panic attack or exhibiting unsafe behavior.

The manager saw photos of the bookshelf and my messages and agreed it’s tucked in a corner, not a safety hazard, and that I offered them the chance to move it.

He even entered the apartment to look at it in-person. Still, he wants to have a house meeting with him present.

So Reddit, AITA for keeping a perfectly safe bookshelf in a corner, despite my new roommates insisting it’s a “hazard” and reporting me because of my mental health?

Let’s get into the comments…

This person thinks they’re ganging up on her,

Another commenter had context to being diabetic.

However, another person had a different perspective.

Overall, most commenters said she’s not in the wrong!

Roommate arguments can get sticky. It’s best to find the quickest and easiest solution to move forward!

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.