Mom secretly charges 31-year-old daughter-in-law rent money, DIL finds out her husband knew all along: “Imagine finding out you’re the tenant in your own marriage”

Author image for Briana Viser
Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
May 12, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

When you find out you were lied to by people who you put your trust in the most, it's as if the world around you completely falls apart. Like a dilapidated building on the brink of collapse, your world and everything you thought you knew suddenly feels so fragile and without stability. The rug has been pulled out from under you, and your feet can't even touch the ground. You're in a non-consensual freefall, bereft of wings or ground to keep you from the pain of your fall. 

There's no reason to lie to your partner, your lover, your spouse, and if you do, it only perpetuates more lies, more trust issues, to the point where neither of you can go on together. When one person lies, they don't only affect the person they're lying to, it often stimulates their paranoia and sense of trust in the other. Take cheating for example. Isn't it always the cheater who accuses their partner of cheating on them? Their own lack of integrity seeps into the relationship whether the other person knows it, and it can create trust issues, even though they're the ones who started it. 

In the story below, the protagonist is a woman whose husband has been lying to her about their living situation. She thinks she's paying rent to a landlord, meanwhile she's just paying rent to her mother-in-law. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01

    AITAH for finding out I’ve been unknowingly paying rent to my husband and his mom for TWO YEARS?

    FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE HB 39109172 R B2 "This is giving financial betrayal and mama's boy 100 energy" 48 D D DOLLA 10 田 MERICS L 82621250 C 100 ED DOLLAR
    via pixelshot / Canva

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

  • 02
    I (31F) have been married to Brian (33M) for two years. Right after the wedding, we moved into an apartment he said was a "great deal" from a family friend. We agreed to split rent and utilities 50/50 to keep things "equal" since
    via u/Hexylpuff

  • It's obviously uncouth to be lying to your wife, as well as charging her rent, but I'm a little confused about how it got to this point. When they signed the lease, she didn't ask to see it? She didn't ask to meet the landlord? How did she end up in a situation where she didn't even know who the landlord was?

  • 03
    we were starting fresh and wanted to avoid money fights. So I've been sending him $700/month just for the rent this whole time.
    via u/Hexylpuff
  • 04
    Three days ago, at a BBQ, I overheard his mom talking about how "it's nice getting rent from Brian's place" and how smart they were to keep it in the family.
    via u/Hexylpuff
  • 05
    Turns out his mom own the apartment, and Brian's on the deed too, I had no idea. He never told me. Just let me keep paying rent for two years like a clueless roommate.
    via u/Hexylpuff
  • 06
    Cheezburger Image 10503976960
    via ppnmm from Getty Images Pro / Canva

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

  • 07
    When I confronted him, he said I "never asked" and that I'm overreacting because we weren't overpaying. But I feel completely blindsided. It's not just the money it's the secrecy.
    via u/Hexylpuff
  • 08
    I told him I won't keep paying until we talk about a fair setup. Now he's acting like I'm the problem. AITAH?
    via u/Hexylpuff
  • 09
    deathraerae It's not even that you didn't ask. He said it was a family friend. It wasn't, it was him.
    via u/deathraerae
  • 10
    Fun_Ingenuity2060 NTA but girl, I'd be drafting divorce papers in a Lisa Frank notebook because this is giving financial betrayal and mama's boy energy. Like imagine being married, paying
    via u/Fun_Ingenuity2060
  • 11
    rent, and finding out you're the tenant in your own marriage. This man let you roommate his investment property without telling you? That's not just shady, that's premeditated. You didn't marry a husband, you married a landlord with benefits.
    via u/Fun_Ingenuity2060
  • 12
    NoCap5295 Oh wow, your husband does not understand what it is to be married. I'm sorry to say, but he does not trust, respect or love you. Really recommend seeing a counsellor at a minimum, and leaving him as the best option. I'm really sorry.
    via u/NoCap5295
  • 13
    Inevitable_Pie9541 NTA to be upset specifically because he lied. He said a family friend owned the apartment, and you're both paying that person rent. Not true, your MIL and your husband own it.
    via u/Inevitable_Pie9541
  • 14
    Him saying "you never asked" is so disingenuous because he told you who owned the apartment, a "friend". Why would you question him further?
    via u/Inevitable_Pie9541
  • 15
    $700 isn't a lot to kick in for apartment rent, but it's weird that your husband lied about who you were paying. I'd be wondering what else he'd told me that was a lie.
    via u/Inevitable_Pie9541
  • 16
    Salt-Finding9193 Wow he cheated you for two years. You paid his mother to live with him in his own home? How awful. What sort of marriage is this?
    via u/Salt-Finding9193
  • 17
    Same Task_1768 His mum was chatting about it with friends so it's no secret - except from you. It's disrespectful, deceitful behaviour.
    via u/Same Task_1768
  • 18
    RENT
    via formatoriginalphotos / Canva

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

  • 19
    How do you think the future will pan out here? What if you have children? Can you see a way forward?, to trusting him?
    via u/Same Task_1768
  • 20
    FatBloke4 Right after the wedding, we moved into an apartment he said was a "great deal" from a family friend. He lied from the start. Not only that, he is also on the deed. I don't think deceit at
    via u/FatBloke4
  • 21
    this level and for this duration is acceptable. It's time to leave and get a divorce. NTA
    via u/FatBloke4
  • 22
    changelingcd Your husband didn't mention he's on the deed and co- owner of the apartment you both live in, and that all the rent goes to him and his mommy? Yep, it's time for one fight. NTA big
    via u/changelingcd
  • 23
    SilentJoe1986 The f has been charging his wife rent on a property he owns?!
    via u/SilentJoe1986
  • 24
    NTA for being angry. You are literally paying your husband for the privilege of living with him. Holy sh.
    via u/SilentJoe1986

Tags

family drama drama family feud relationships lol couples mother in law love family reddit thread Reddit funny money dating
Scroll Down For The Next Article