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Shared spaces need boundaries.

But remote work can blur them.

So when one flatmate claims the living room, everyone else loses it.

Now the sofa feels like an office.

See why patience is running out.

AITA for asking my flatmate to work somewhere that isn’t our shared living space?

I live in London with two friends in an old pub convert, that has a large basement space and two upstairs bedrooms.

Jason (not real name) lives stays in one of the upstairs rooms, and I live in the other.

Isaac (not real name) lives in the basement, which is huge as it used to be a pub cellar, and is the size of the entire upstairs.

Each of the roommates has a different work situation.

I work from an office 3 days per week, and work 2 days either in my room or a cafe from my laptop.

Jason works in hospitality so isn’t here much.

Isaac used to be office based, but decided to quit his job about 6 months ago and go into consulting, which means he works from home constantly, but has basically set up an office in our front room, where our TV and sofas are – basically where we chill.

This has become a problem.

At the beginning this didn’t bother me much, but now he takes calls all the time, with his camera on which means I basically can’t use the room when he’s in there.

I’ve asked him to stop taking calls upstairs, and he flipped out saying he can’t be expected to work in a basement with no windows (despite this being what he pays for. We all pay the same rent btw, and I have the smallest room).

He now has a desk set up in our front room, and works from there till late into the night, with his back to us basically all day, only ever getting up to get take away or smoke.

OP really can’t stand this setup anymore.

I feel like I’m basically living in his office, and have asked him now repeatedly to find somewhere else to work, explaining it isn’t fair he’s co-opted a space we’re all paying for especially when he has so much private space available to him.

It’s now got to the stage where I’m considering asking him to move out (he isn’t on the lease) if he can’t work downstairs/anywhere else that isn’t a shared space.

AITA for considering this as an option?

Would Jason consider switching rooms? Maybe if he had an upstairs bedroom he could work from there since there would be windows, and OP could have the huge basement.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person suggests using the space normally.

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Or perhaps be extra annoying in that shared space.

If OP keeps using the space, the roommate might leave.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who refused to let her neighbor have access to his spot, telling him to drive over the curb instead.

This person is pretty sure the roommate will eventually start working somewhere else.

Isaac turned the shared living room into a full-time workspace, complete with calls, cameras, and late-night hours.

OP feels pushed out of a room everyone pays for and is considering asking him to leave if he refuses to work elsewhere.

Nothing says “shared living” like needing permission to sit on your own sofa.

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Author

Chris Allen