Deciding Not to Renew Lease: AITA for Increasing Friends Rent?

Some friendships come with shared bills, shared space, and a shared “we’ll figure it out” vibe. This one came with something else too: OP feeling like she’s living with a roommate who treats her stuff like it’s community property.

OP, 18F, moved in with her 20F roommate, a close friend, four months ago. She found the apartment, handled the landlord contact and paperwork, got accepted on her credit, bought the furniture, and covered utilities and insurance. Meanwhile, the roommate takes OP’s fan and air mattress without asking, never puts things back, has people over almost every night without telling OP, and leaves dirty dishes and mess in the common areas, then texts that OP does not need to clean because she’ll do it later. Even after “improvements,” OP is done and plans not to renew the lease.

Now the roommate thinks OP is the bad guy, and OP is preparing to take her furniture and remove her name from the lease.

Original Post

I18F moved in with my 20F roommate about four months ago. She’s one of my closest friends.She’s genuinely one of the sweetest people I know which is why this situation is so hard.I have no interest in renewing our lease at the end of June.

Here’s why. She uses my things without my permission.

Example: She’ll go into my room and take my fan and or my air mattress from my closet when I’m not home this wouldn’t be a problem if she would just asked me first.(she also never puts things back).Our ideas of clean are very different. Example: she’ll have people over multiple nights in a row leave dirty dishes and mess everywhere, then leave for the weekend and text, “Don’t feel like you need to clean anything, I’ll do it when I get back.” I’m only ever home on weekends also out first ever “rule” was to keep common areas clean.

She has people over almost every night. Example: some night she’ll have three or more people over without even letting me know first.

I feel used. We got this apartment because of me.

I found it, contacted the landlord, handled the paperwork and got accepted because of my credit. I also bought all the furniture and handled the utilities and insurance.

I gave her chances to take on some of these responsibilities but she wouldn’t contact her insurance or handle things on time so I had to do it myself. We have talked about these things and some things have improved!

So this is where I might be the a*****e even with improvements, I have zero intention of renewing the lease with her. She thinks I am.

I agreed to move in with her while we were still in high school (her parents were supposed to move out of province) I promised I’d move in to help her and I kept this promise even after meeting my wonderful bf (I would never change a promise for a man) Her parents actually never ended up moving. When I leave I’ll be taking all my furniture and removing my name from the lease she can’t afford the full rent (I pay more than half to help her out she’s still in Cégep)or to replace the furniture I know that sounds mean but it’s the truth.

As much as I wish I could stay I know if I do this situation could definitely ruin our friendship so in my opinion I believe it’s better we go our own ways. I just feel bad that I’ll be leaving her in a tough spot and my brain can’t stop thinking about all the logistics of this, she doesn’t even have a credit card to her name or savings.

I know it’s not my problem but what should I do? Am I the a*****e for wanting to leave?

Comment from u/starbaby87

Comment from u/Kairenne

Comment from u/starry_nite99

Comment from u/Independent_Glass142

Comment from u/InnerChildGoneWild

Comment from u/Justjk67

Comment from u/parodytx

Comment from u/Chen932000

This feels like the niece-and-nephew inheritance fight, where someone asks if they’re TA for keeping it.

Comment from u/_gadget_girl

Comment from u/North81Girl

Comment from u/Sufficient-Produce85

Comment from u/AuntNicoliosis

Comment from u/Warbird979

Comment from u/T-Wrox

Comment from u/ThisWillAgeWell

Comment from u/Small-Professor-7015

Comment from u/Idobeleiveinkarma

That’s the part that makes it sting, OP did not just move in, she basically built the whole living situation, then got treated like a free storage unit for her fan and air mattress.

When the roommate has multiple guests over for several nights, leaves the mess, and then disappears for the weekend, OP is stuck cleaning only when she’s home.

The lease drama gets real because OP isn’t just mad about dirty dishes, she’s done covering insurance and time-sensitive responsibilities that the roommate wouldn’t handle.

And since OP pays more than half the rent, not renewing the lease means the roommate loses the financial cushion OP has been carrying.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Share your perspective in the comments below.

OP might not be renewing the lease, but she is absolutely not going to keep funding a friendship that keeps taking.

After already tipping at Domino’s, see the Redditor who got asked for more anyway.