Living with roommates requires compromise.

In this story, a woman lives with a roommate and shares the living room and kitchen with them.

But when she uses the living room to watch TV or hang out alone, her roommate gets bothered.

She tried to offer compromises, but things became tense and awkward.

Check out the full details below…

AITA for refusing to change how I use a shared space after my roommate complained?

I (23F) live with my roommate Sophia (22F).

We’ve been sharing an apartment for about a year.

We split rent evenly and haven’t had any major issues until recently.

We mostly do our own thing, but share common spaces like the living room and kitchen.

This woman started spending more time in the living room to relax and unwind.

A few weeks ago, I started spending more time in the living room in the evenings to relax after work.

Usually, this means sitting on the couch, watching TV at a normal volume, or having a light on while I read or scroll on my phone.

This is typically between around 8 and 10 PM.

I don’t stay up late in the living room and I’m mindful of noise.

Apparently, her roommate gets bothered when she hangs out in the living room.

Sophia recently told me that this bothers her.

She said she prefers the living room to be quiet and dim in the evenings.

And that me being in there makes it harder for her to relax even when she’s in her bedroom.

She asked if I could stop using the living room during that time or keep it to very short periods.

She offered some compromises, but wouldn’t completely stop using the room.

I told her I didn’t think that was fair. The living room is a shared space.

I’m not being loud, and I’m using it at a reasonable hour.

I offered compromises like keeping the TV volume lower or using headphones.

But I said I wasn’t willing to completely avoid the living room or significantly change how I use it.

Now, things have become tense and awkward.

Sophia got upset and said I was being inconsiderate and only thinking about myself.

Since then, things have felt tense. She’s made a few comments about me taking over the apartment.

This wasn’t my intention at all. I feel bad that she’s stressed.

But I also don’t think it’s reasonable for one roommate to dictate how shared spaces are used when the behavior isn’t excessive.

AITA?

Let’s see how others reacted to this story.

She should probably live by herself, says this one.

This person makes a valid point.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

People are calling out the roommate.

Finally, short and funny. Lol.

Shared spaces are meant to be… well, shared.

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.