Tuesday, November 8, 2022

'She said I'm leeching off of her': Unemployed live-in landlord changes terms, draws ire from roommate who is subsidizing his existence


The dynamic of a homeowner bringing in roommates is interesting: on the one hand, they're a roommate; on the other, the landlord. This can create delicate situations and result in either party harboring ill sentiments for the other. 

Many people are pouring a significant amount of money (>30% of their income) into their rent, which is the equivalent of setting a pile of money on fire every week — in that it does nothing to help you invest and advance your life. It's no secret that many (most) of these persons wish that they had the means to get a loan for a mortgage. But, surprise, surprise, paying that huge chunk of money to rent every week is the very thing that's keeping them from getting there. To add insult to injury: Often, banks won't approve would-be-first-home buyers for mortgages with monthly repayments that are less than they are currently paying — and have a track record of paying — in rent. 

This little tidbit can be exactly the thing that breeds malcontent, as the roommate watches their roommate/landlord collect a portion of their paycheck every week to pay off their investment. While, again, simultaneously being unable to make that investment themself because of the amount they're paying. 

So, when Reddit user u/Miserable-Hat-6390, the roommate/landlord in this scenario, quit their job, they decided to rent out the spare room in their home to make ends meet. The problem here is, in doing so, they altered the deal they had made with their existing roommate. In a normal rooming situation, you would probably seek the approval of all parties before bringing in another roommate, would you not? Doing so would normally decrease the costs for all parties involved, but not so here. u/Miserable-Hat-6390 got to pocket the extra cash and live off their roommates, while the existing roommate had to continue to pay the same rate for less space — and Reddit somehow voted that this guy wasn't an a**hole. Maybe it shouldn't be surprising; Reddit does love a wannabe property baron.

Now there's an additional person living in less space, and u/Miserable-Hat-6390 is probably home all the time, yet this roommate still has to pay their roommate/landlord the same rate while u/Miserable-Hat-6390 lives off their income. Total a-hole, right?

What's your take? Have I got it wrong here? Is the Reddit hive mind right?

For more, check out this roommate who tried to tell their female roommate that she had to leave so their dad could sleep in her bed. 

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