College Graduate Pays Rent To Live At Home With Their Parents, But Refuses To Keep Paying After Learning Their Sibling Lives There For Free
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Family finances become explosive when equal rules suddenly prove unequal.
One graduate paid substantial rent for years without questioning the arrangement.
Then, a casual question exposed a very different deal.
The response made everything worse.
See how one household payment became a full family revolt.
AITA for demanding my sister pay rent for living-at-home with my parents and refusing to pay my rent until she does?
Background: I graduated from college 4 years ago live at home with my parents. My sister graduated 2 years ago and also lives with my parents.
We both got jobs pretty much straight out of college.
I pay my parents $800/month in rent since my first paycheck.
He wanted to help his parents out.
Last night my parents were talking loudly about their financial problems in the living room.
I overheard and I offered to help by paying more in rent (I was thinking $900-1000) since it covers utilities/phone/internet.
My parents were grateful.
Now, prior to this, I never asked my how much sister pays in rent. I always figured my parents charged us the same.
It seems like there’s an easy solution to the parents’ financial problem.
So absentmindedly I asked a follow-up question.
Me: How much is [my sister] paying [for rent]?
My Mom: Nothing.
A long ass pause.
Me: What do you mean she doesn’t pay rent?
My Dad (visibly angry): Your sister doesn’t pay a thing!
This doesn’t seem fair at all.
My dad explained how my sister recently bought a brand new car and hasn’t paid insurance on it so my dad had to pay for it. She doesn’t pay rent. She doesn’t pay utilities/phone/anything.
So for the past 2 years she’s been living rent free while I’ve been paying my parents.
So later that night we had a family sit down talk.
I can understand why his sister is upset after living rent free for so long, but really, she should pay up.
My sister didn’t want to pay rent, especially at how much I was paying. She offered $100.
My parents suggested she pay $300, I pay $800 which my sister and I both rejected.
The conversation ended with this:
Sister: FORGET YOU. I’M TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE. [These were her exact words which ticked me the heck off to holy hell)
Literally everyone is upset.
So my sister storms off to her room and it’s now me, my parents in the living room.
I’m extremely upset at this because it’s massively unfair.
My mom is upset that everyone’s angry at each other.
And my dad’s angry my sister won’t pay rent and she won’t move out and both my parents don’t want to police involved.
He wants to make it fair.
So I say my part before leaving.
Me: I’m not going to pay any more rent until she does. (It’s only fair right?) And if I do pay rent, I pay whatever she’s being.
My mom: What if she pays $300 and you pay $800-
Me: No.
He’s insisting on it being fair.
My mom: But [me], we really need the money…
Me: That’s too bad.
I get up and go off to my room.
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So this morning my dad comes in tells me that I’M A JERK FOR NOT PAYING RENT. That I should pay rent because it’s the right thing to do and all this nonsense. I’m like, “what the hell? make [my sister] pay rent!”
They’re really complaining to the wrong person.
My mom, who’s listening in.
“You’ve seen her! She won’t listen to us!”
Me: WELL THAT’S TOO BAD.
My mom (really angry): WELL WE WOULDN’T HAVE THIS PROBLEM IF YOU DIDN’T TRY TO MAKE YOUR SISTER PAY RENT.
He wasn’t going to listen to it anymore.
That was the last straw that blew it for me. I slammed the door on my parents.
As I’m typing this my parents are in the living room discussing how both their children are rotten and stuff was better back in the home country/back in their day when kids listened to their parents. Like what?
The parents need to give the kids (especially their daughter) an ultimatum. Pay rent or move out.
Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.
It’s really not cool that the parents are treating their kids differently.
Moving out might be the best option.
Here’s another vote for moving out.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an adult child who feels like their family is asking them to donate to a fundraiser beyond their means.
It seems like the consensus is that he should move out.
After learning his employed sister lived rent-free while he paid $800 monthly, this young man refused to keep paying under unequal terms.
His parents blamed him because his sister would not cooperate, confirming they had placed the burden on the easier child.
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