Woman sublets her room but insists on sleeping on shared couch 2x per week, doesn't run it by roommate: 'What does the landlord think of all this?'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Mar 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

We heard you liked sublets so we subleased your sublet. This is one of the realities of modern renting, especially in a big city with a competitive market. It's also especially popular with students, who might only need a room for a couple of months at a time. It can be a wonderful thing. If you're the original renter, you might get the chance to save some money while you're away. If you're the subletter, you get a place without all the hassle of officially being on a lease and buying a whole new set of furniture. A lot of these deals are done under the table, though, so you don't always have a lot of recourse if it goes wrong. 

Things also get tricky if you have roommates. You might be fine with a stranger staying in your room, but your roommate has to live with them, and they didn't necessarily choose it. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10485875712
    via Unsplash+ (Sandra Seitamaa)

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

  • A secret third thing went wrong in this situation with a subletter. The original renter decided that they still needed access to the apartment every now and again. But their original roommate immediately took issue with that. Read on for the story and decide who you think was in the wrong. 
     

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    WIBTA if I didn't let my roommate stay on the couch every weekend while she is subletting her room?

    I currently live in a share house with two other roommates. One of my roommates decided to work in another town for a few months for a university work placement, so she decided to sublet her room to save money while staying with her family. This arrangement was only intended to last until April, but my
    via u/user715394016
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    roommate has said she's now away until September as she decided to take on a full-time role following her placement. This wasn't a problem as the person subletting her room is happy to extend their stay, and they have been easy to live with. But now, my roommate has said she has a commitment back here every
    via u/user715394016
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    weekend and intends on staying on our couch in the lounge room every Friday and Saturday night. She didn't really ask if that would be okay, she just stated it to me as if she was assuming it would be fine.
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    I personally don't want to have a fourth roommate using a shared space as a bedroom for two nights a week. She would also be using the bathroom two of us already share. It just doesn't feel right for her to get the best of both worlds and be able to save her rent money while still using the space
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    when she needs it. The lounge room is also where the front door is, so it would feel like you're walking into and out of someone's bedroom every time you enter and leave the house. I'm not sure if I'm being unnecessarily pedantic about it and should just let her stay, or if this is valid and I should ask her to find somewhere else to stay. She has other friends here who might be more comfortable with this arrangement.
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    Commenters were quick to point out that this isn't how subleases tend to work.

    CallmeSlim11 13h ago • You roommate contributes the rent for ONE PERSON, whether it's herself or a "sublet" She doesn't get to rent out her room etc then stay there in another common room whenever it's convenient for her. You need to set boundaries, she stays or her subletter stays, not both.
    via u/CallmeSlim11
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    LooksieBee 13h ago • Ditto. If she's renting out her room, she's effectively given up her spot in the apartment. She can't rent her room and then move into the living room for two nights a week. A subletter is a substitute for her and doesn't change much of the rest of the logistics for everyone else. She and the subletter being there at the same time changes everything and
    via u/LooksieBee
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    nobody signed up for that. You're well within your right to not be comfortable with this, as it's inconvenient! She can't have everything set up to her comfort where she gets a subletter and to also use the place as a crash pad for free while the rest of you are inconvenienced. NTA.
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    Cheezburger Image 10485876992
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

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    SlappySlapsticker 14h ago • NTA. I would suggest she needs to pay 2/7th of the rent for having a room at the house two of seven days a week, plus an inconvenience tax for taking up the living. area.... let's call it 50% of the rent she used to pay? I bet she'll figure out another solution quick after that conversation.
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    Two-Theories 12h ago • NTA. OP doesn't want her there at all for the weekends so she should just say no. The girl can find other accommodation. Even if OP was open to money, the comparable charge is e.g. AirBnB rates.
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    LT_Dan78 • 13h ago What does the landlord think of all this?
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    user715394016 OP 13h ago Good question, I haven't been told directly but I don't think the landlord knows she is subletting the room, as she asked the subletter to be out of the house during our house inspection a few days ago.
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    GardenSafe8519 13h ago NTA. She can't sublet her room and still expect to stay any number of days. It's not her apartment anymore. Not until the specified date. Take her key away and tell her to get a hotel or Airbnb for those 2 nights a week. Or she needs to tell the subleter she's going to need her room back.
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    There are so many people who pay for 2 places when they are split on working days/places.
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    • eowynsheiress 14h ago NTA. I would be willing to bet that subleasing is in violation of your rental agreement. So I would hold her accountable. She needs to plan better.
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    . tatersprout ⚫ 13h ago NTA Technically, she does not live there. She doesn't get to stay there and inconvenience everyone. R de for her to not even ask permission.
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    LissaBryan 13h ago NTA. She surrendered her space. She needs to make other arrangements.
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    HunterGreenLeaves 13h ago . NTA - Your roommate has quite a few friends in town. She can rotate who she couch surfs with.
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    zoey-sun 13h ago NTA. She wants to sublet her room, save money, and still crash on the couch like she never left? That's not how rent works. She's basically getting a free weekend apartment while you guys deal with the extra person in a shared space. If she has other friends she can stay with, she should hit them up instead of turning the living room into her personal Airbnb.
    via u/zoey-sun
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    shontsu • 13h ago I would not go with that. She sub-let her room, she's not a housemate in the meantime. 6 months of her sleeping in the lounge every weekend? No. NTA.
    via u/shontsu
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    Youprobablyknow... 13h ago NTA. If she's subletting the room then she should be at the house zero. She's no longer a tenant
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    Healthy_Meal1485 13h ago At minimum, mathematically she owes about 7 percent of the total rent for her occupancy 2 nights a week. ((Rent per week/7)/4 occupants) * 2 nights. BUT, then there's the consideration that the rent you agreed to pay was for a space with a living room, so now your rent seems absurd, right? So realistically she should be paying a little more.
    via u/Healthy_Meal1485
  • 25
    Money aside, NTA and this is super weird. It's not her apartment in any form. Shes demanding to sleep in someone else's apartment because she once lived there?
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    DangerLime113 13h ago NTA, she's subletting and has no right to stay there. She made her decision, she needs to find somewhere else.
    via u/DangerLime113
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    Possible_Day_6343 • 13h ago NTA. it's an insane plan and really rode of her to just expect to be able to do this.
    via u/Possible_Day_6343
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    lord_buff74 • 13h ago NTA, so basically because she is staying there you can't host anyone on the weekend? That's ridiculous. Tell her she has a room and to figure it out, either that or stop caring so much about disturbing her and use the living room as normal
    via u/lord_buff74

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