'You are extremely out of touch and tone deaf': 18-year-old landlord hides wealth from her roommates, arguments ensue when they open her mail

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Sep 23, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Growing up is realizing that everyone has their own arrangement. Sure, you might be jealous of that girl with the fabulous apartment and clothes and wonder what she's doing better than you. Odds are… nothing. She probably just has rich parents. But some people are weird about their wealth. They try to be humble about it, or not attract too much attention. So you might have a rich friend and not even know it. 

But what if you found out your roommate was not only insanely wealthy, but actually your landlord? What a bamboozle that would be! You might start rethinking that moment when she asked you to Venmo her for that half bag of shredded cheese you used. Wild as it sounds, that's what happened to a pair of roommates who found out their teenage roommate actually held the keys to their place. Read on to the story for the details.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10408032000
    via Unsplash+ (Wesley Tingey)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story

  • 02
    AITA for not telling my friends I am technically our landlord?
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 03
    So I (18f) am very lucky in that I have. two very hardworking parents that are successful and love me. We aren't mega-wealthy but we are very comfortable as my parents are extremely smart financially. We own multiple houses as part of our real estate portfolio that we rent out for extra income. I recently started college and as a present for working hard and
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 04
    getting into my dream school my parents gifted me one of our houses that is near my college. I was going to inherit them all anyway but I really appreciated their gesture. Where I live real estate law is a little tricky and we would have to pay significant taxes to officially transfer the house to me so we decided to have my parents own it legally for now.
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 05
    The house is pretty big with 4 floors (including a fully furnished basement) and a roomy attic and since. it is near my school I decided to look for roommates so I could start earning money early. So far I have two roommates, who we'll call Sasha (18f) and Bea(19f) who also go to my school. We have been living together for a couple months now (they moved in around August) and we are all pretty
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 06
    good friends, and very compatible roommates. This is where I might be the . I didn't want to tell them that I own the house as I thought it might create a weird dynamic between us, and I didn't want them to view me any differently. We split the bills and rent, with me technically paying
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 07
    nothing. Since my father legally owns the house and we have different surnames (I took my mothers last name) they have no idea I own the house or that my dad just sends the money back to me.
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 08
    Sasha recently found the money my dad sent back while I was at class and told Bea, and they cornered me about it a few days ago. I told them everything and they're mad at me for hiding this from them and think I'm not only in the wrong for keeping it a secret but for making them pay rent in the first place. The house's mortgage has already been paid off so the rent goes entirely into my pocket. I
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 09
    responded by saying that they shouldn't have gone through my mail in the first place and that it was illegal, which I'll admit was kind of a low blow. We weren't friends when they moved in and the whole point of me wanting roommates was so that I could earn extra cash so I don't see why I should let them reside for free.
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 10
    Edit 1: people in the comments were asking, basically we have a system where whoever is home brings all the mail in and puts it on the kitchen island. Bea brought the mail in but Sasha opened my mail before I got home. My dad doesn't send me straight up cash lol, he mails two cheques, with the amount Sasha and Bea paid, and when Sasha saw the
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 11
    cheques from the landlord to me with the exact amount of her and Bea's rent she put two and two together and interrogated me when I came home. I don't know why she opened my mail in the first place, I've never noticed her snooping before but maybe she has and I just never saw.
    via u/OldOutlandishness252
  • 12
    • Striped B... • 8h ago ⚫ Edited 8h ago but for making them pay rent in the first place And so your point is proven immediately. NTA. But stop saying that you aren't mega-wealthy. You got given a 4- story house in a college city as a graduation gift, and enough income that you can afford to live
    via u/StripedBadger
  • 13
    in a house like that with only two roommates; you family is absolutely wealthy and your attempts at trying to be humble make the teeth itch. I'm saying this because recognising you are wealthy is an important part of you looking to change you're viewing these sorts of interactions.
    via u/StripedBadger
  • 14
    ParkerBench 7h ago NTA. They do not have a leg to stand on. Just because you are extremely privileged does not mean they should get to live rent free. But I agree with the poster above: You are extremely out of touch and tone deaf. Only megarich people use terms like "our real estate portfolio." Only very wealthy people own multiple homes mortgage free. And
    via u/ParkerBench
  • 15
    renting out a house your parents gave you is not exactly "earning money" even if it is going in your pocket, as you say. I'd also stop using terms like "we own" and "our real estate portfolio that we rent out." Your parents own all of this property, except maybe the house they gave you.
    via u/ParkerBench
  • 16
    AntisepticOlive .7h ago FYI it doesn't matter how many times you say your parents are hard working, that wealth directly comes at the expense of the working person through an innately exploitative system.
    via u/AntisepticOlive
  • 17
    Patient_Chemist_1312 • 8h ago NTA. Do they think they can live rent free in the future in someone else's house? Now why would they even begin to think they wouldn't have to pay rent to live somewhere they don't own? In the future just tell your roommates, it will save you so much grief.
    via u/Patient_Chemist_1312
  • 18
    And yes your family is wealthy. I know it's different where I live, but we are people who get along nicely. We paid our mortgage and own our house, and we make enough money to never needing to worry if something breaks. And can even afford renovations done by professionals if we save a little extra. Owning several places is considered wealthy propably anywhere.
    via u/Patient_Chemist_1312
  • 19
    scarbunkle · 6h ago • ESH. They shouldn't expect free rent, but there's a reason I refuse to rent a room w my landlord-I have a LOT fewer protections as a tenant, and I don't like the power dynamic.
    via u/scarbunkle
  • 20
    • Unfair_Fi... 5h ago · Edited 5h ago Why are you using the royal "we" to talk about your parent's money? YOU are not well-off. THEY are. You sound insufferable, and your parents are tax evaders. YTA.
    via u/Unfair_Finger5531
  • 21
    Personal-Listen-4941 7h ago ESH You and your family are clearly extremely rich yet are dodging taxes rather than paying your fair share Your flatmates should not be opening your mail nor does it concern them how their rent money is then redistributed
    via u/Personal-Listen-4941
  • 22
    aaaak4 5h ago . plenty of people work hard and dont get what your parents get. you get free income from doing nothing, while your roommates have to find some way to make the money. you are priviligied and thats ok but dont think you are that because someone worked hard, in fact with you inheriting it all you will probably work less than most people and still earn more. YTA
    via u/aaaak4

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Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous family drama landlord aita university teenager teenagers bad roommates landlords psycho roommate wealth wealthy family rich people reddit thread Reddit roommates college
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