Update: 27-year-old daughter charges her live-in stepdad $400 rent and gives him 8:30 PM curfew after he tries to control her and her household: ‘It was final’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Mar 8, 2025 5:00 PM EST

Check out part one at this link before reading this update, as it holds a lot of context for the story below.

Last time I checked, living under someone else's roof, rent-free, means you play by their household rules. You can't just make up your own list of rules for everyone else to abide by, even if you're their legal family. That's a level on entitlement that will surely get you kicked out of the house, but luckily, the daughter in this story starts charging her live-in step dad rent and gives him a curfew among other household duties to pay for his stay.

Why is she doing this? Well, hopefully you've read part one of the tale. Her stepdad has been trying to dictate what she wears, when her boyfriend is allowed over, and generally makes sour remarks in her home despite having lived there rent-free. Everything has since changed, and karma has a funny way of doing it's thing… really well.

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  • The stepdad in this story, from what the daughter described, was a bit insufferable and entitled. The audacity he had to tell a grown woman what she can wear and who she could have in the home she pays for and graciously allows him to live in is beyond me. Now that she's charging him rent and making him do chores, he's been as quiet as a mouse. Thank you karma!

  • "There had to be some punishment for his actions."
    via Adam Wilson for Unsplash

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Update: AITA for putting my foot down and charging rent when my stepdad started trying to tell me what to do in my own house?"

    So, I talked to a lawyer friend shortly after making that post. Apparently, my state does indeed have laws giving tenancy after staying for a bit. They are legal tenants as it stands unfortunately.
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  • So I decided on a month to month agreement where stepdad pays $400 a month. On top of that, I felt a few punitive measures were fair at least temporarily. I placed an
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  • 8:30 pm curfew on him for anything not work related. I also disallowed him from staying in the common area anytime I have anyone over period.
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  • I also placed the majority of the chores in the house as his responsibility as well. For instance, for as long as he stays, he is responsible for cleaning the
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  • place entirely. Absolutely every room in the house no exceptions. Living room, any bedrooms, bathrooms including shower, toilets and sinks, dishes you get the picture.
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    via Karolina Grabowska For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Of course, I can't force him to do anything but he won't stay in my house for long if he doesn't. I know it's a bit mean for sure but I felt there had to be some punishment for his actions.
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  • Mainly, I'd say that any further comments, nonpayment of rent, or violating his punitive rules or chore requirements would result in me not renewing the month to month lease and an eviction as fast as I possibly can.
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  • For now, we've been living with this arrangement for a few days and he's paid his first month. He hasn't made any off putting comments or anything like that. If anything, he doesn't talk to me basically at all.
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  • My mom is still talking to me though. She agreed that she should intervene if and when he says something again, but ofc hopefully nothing happens again.
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  • She did tell me that stepdad told her that the $400 a month was a lot given his current income from his part time job and that he finds doing all the chores tiring, but I told her it was final there and no
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  • Also, my bf has been able to come over when he wants too without me being troubled for it.
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  • He already never bothered my bf directly but now he kind of just cold shoulders him and I both. My bf doesn't care and finds it amusing though so it's fine.
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  • IMAWNIT Win-win
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  • avid-learner-bot NTA. I can't believe how things turned out! It's like setting boundaries just flips the script on family dynamics. I mean, who would've thought that making someone responsible for chores could actually lead to peace? It's
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  • funny how a little structure and clear rules change everything so quickly. Maybe it's the idea of having some space or being reminded of daily tasks that makes all the difference. It really shows how important communication is - once everyone knows where they stand, things can settle down in unexpected ways
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  • Early-Possibility367 I'd have to imagine stepdad isn't the happiest. He was living rent free before. Now, he's paying a massive chunk of his paycheck in rent to you. And he's doing what seems like every chore in the house which I'd have to imagine is exhausting. And he gets a curfew as if all that didn't stress him out enough. Like, imagine being in your 50s with a curfew, ouch Imao.
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  • But ultimately he did this to himself. Until he gets a better job, you have full power over whether there's a roof over his head. He needs to act like it. He chose to tell you what to wear and who you can bring home thinking you
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  • wouldn't do anything. He probably expected you just to take the comments and was shocked when you made the conditions for staying that much stricter. It's a good lesson for him and he'll learn not to bite the hand that feeds him.
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  • Medium-Fudge459 Your mom is a real winner stepping in when her daughter is being degraded after that daughter takes in her and her loser husband.
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  • Vivid-Kitchen1917 "Your current income does not affect market rate of rent, it only makes you ineligible to qualify for it."
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entitled parents entitlement house reddit story family feud parenting entitled people karma rent chores family stepdad reddit thread Reddit money Parenting Fail parents
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