April 23, 2026 at 12:35 am

His Neighbor Was Also His Landlord And His Boss, So When He Got Hurt At Work, Things Got Awkward Real Quick

by Michael Levanduski

Landlord and sad tenant

Shutterstock, Reddit

In general, it is a good idea to be friendly to your neighbors since you have to live near them and they can really influence your life.

What would you do if your neighbor was also your landlord and your boss, but you didn’t like them because they were a terrible boss?

That is the situation that the guy in this story is in, and he is locked in his lease for now and doesn’t want to be friendly toward him.

AITA for not being friendly to my neighbors/landlords?

I’m in a unique position where my job and where I live are connected, so my landlord and my boss is my neighbor.

This is a very difficult situation for sure.

Yes, lots of room for things to go wrong.

I fell and broke my ankle at the job and everything has completely changed for me, I will forever have the ramifications of this injury, it sucks!

I wonder what they did to cause the injury.

I truly blame the bad place of work and the worst boss I’ve ever had.

Now I still have 6 months of living here but have left the job (lease and job contract were separate) and I don’t want to be nice and wave to them or be a good neighbor.

This person really isn’t giving enough information to see whether he is reasonable or not.

I’m still very angry about everything that happened but they are making me feel like I’m an awful person for not being friendly towards them.

I’m not being outwardly mean at all just not being nice, but as a people pleaser I’m starting to feel like the jerk.

AITA?

It is hard to judge the situation, but you generally aren’t obligated to be friendly to your neighbors, though it is usually a good idea.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about this story.

This commenter thinks he should be nice.

Comment 1 65 His Neighbor Was Also His Landlord And His Boss, So When He Got Hurt At Work, Things Got Awkward Real Quick

He is not obligated, but it might be in his best interests.

Comment 2 65 His Neighbor Was Also His Landlord And His Boss, So When He Got Hurt At Work, Things Got Awkward Real Quick

I think this commenter is spot on.

Comment 3 65 His Neighbor Was Also His Landlord And His Boss, So When He Got Hurt At Work, Things Got Awkward Real Quick

This is definitely true.

Comment 4 65 His Neighbor Was Also His Landlord And His Boss, So When He Got Hurt At Work, Things Got Awkward Real Quick

Maybe this is why he should be nice to them.

Comment 5 61 His Neighbor Was Also His Landlord And His Boss, So When He Got Hurt At Work, Things Got Awkward Real Quick

You don’t have to be nice to your neighbors, but it can certainly help make your life better.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.