October 26, 2026 at 4:35 am

A Possible Mouse Problem Had Him Warning The Whole House In The Group Chat, Landlord Included

by Jayne Elliott

worried man looking at his phone in the kitchen

Shutterstock

What would you do if you were renting a room in a house and you thought it looked like there had been mice in the kitchen? Would you clean up the mess and go on with your day, or would you want the other people who live in the house to know what you saw?

In this story, one man is in this situation, and he takes some pictures that he shares via the group chat with everyone who lives in the house. He thought that was the best thing to do.

Now, he’s rethinking that decision because one of his housemates got really mad at him.

Did he do something wrong, or did she overreact?

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA for complaining/warning about kitchen cleanliness in a groupchat including the landlord?

I (24M) live in a small and quiet student home.

Today i noticed a very strong smell in most of the house.

Later i went to grab food from the kitchen, and i noticed that my bag of cheese in our shared fridge was damaged, like mice had tried to get in.

I also saw a plate of cooked meat in the fridge without a container and there were pans of food on the stove.

He thought the other housemates needed to know.

I wasn’t sure if the smell came from the food or from mice living in the house or something else entirely.

I didn’t know if the damage to the cheese bag came from mice living in the house or if it was already this way when i bought it and i didn’t realize before.

Either way, i felt like it was important to have a conversation about it with the whole house.

I’m not the cleanest person myself, but i draw the line at animals getting in the fridge.

So, now, everyone knows.

I sent some messages and pictures in the group chat for everyone who lives in the student home.

The landlord also lives here, so he is in the group chat as well.

We mostly use it for practical things. I have lived here for a few years. One other student has lived here for half a year, one for a few weeks and one for a few days.

It sounds like the landlord is taking this seriously.

The landlord says he will buy mouse traps soon, to see if that’s the problem.

His son, who also lives here sometimes, says that he will investigate tomorrow.

I thank them for taking the problem seriously.

I also took my cheese out of the fridge and put it in a more secure container in my own room.

But one housemate got pretty upset.

Then the student who lived here for half a year sends a voice message saying that there aren’t any mice in the house and she is mad at me for taking pictures of her food.

She then sent me a voicechat in our one on one chat saying that i should have texted her one on one. That i know that it’s her food because she’s the one who cooks, and she doesn’t like me taking pictures of her food and sending it in the group chat implying that her food is attracting the mice.

I told her that i didn’t know who’s food it was because two new people joined recently, that i didn’t draw any conclusions, and that the kitchen is a shared space, so i’m allowed to take pictures.

When she insisted that she didn’t like me taking pictures of her food i told her i wouldn’t do it again, just to be done with it.

He has several theories about why the housemate is upset.

I’m not sure why she got angry at me.

Maybe she got defensive because she felt like i had accused her.

Maybe she thought i was trying to frame her to get her evicted.

Or maybe she thought i was taking unneccesary risks getting the landlord involved.

He wasn’t trying to accuse anyone.

I saw it as the start of a conversation about how to live together without getting in each other’s way, and keeping the house clean, not as an accusation.

I know the landlord well, so i know he would never evict her over something small like this.

Still, she was clearly upset and might have thought she was in serious trouble.

I also haven’t apologized.

He assumed the problem had to do with mice. He wasn’t accusing anyone. I wonder why the housemate is so sure that there aren’t mice. What does she know?

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

This person has a theory about why the housemate is upset.

2026 10 23 at 2.44.33 PM A Possible Mouse Problem Had Him Warning The Whole House In The Group Chat, Landlord Included

Another person is on OP’s side.

2026 10 23 at 2.44.57 PM A Possible Mouse Problem Had Him Warning The Whole House In The Group Chat, Landlord Included

This person has another theory about why the housemate is upset.

2026 10 23 at 2.45.06 PM A Possible Mouse Problem Had Him Warning The Whole House In The Group Chat, Landlord Included

This person defends using a group chat.

2026 10 23 at 2.45.31 PM A Possible Mouse Problem Had Him Warning The Whole House In The Group Chat, Landlord Included

I can see why his housemate felt called out for being messy, but he really didn’t know the food was hers. He was just concerned.

If she’s embarrassed that she didn’t clean up the kitchen after cooking, that’s on her. He’s just worried about his cheese.

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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