28-year-old gets promoted, roommate finds out and demands that she pay 80% of the rent: 'she saw my bank account and [...] confronted me immediately'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
May 29, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

This roommate fiasco is not going to end well. When you're in your early twenties and you move in with a friend, you may not necessarily know what you're in for at the start. After all, you might not be making much money yet, and you might be in a desperate situation to find an affordable but decent place to live. 

Most roommates establish boundaries from the get-go as both parties figure out the logistics of their situations, primarily with the hopes that everything is equal. This could mean anything from how the apartment is decorated to the financial breakdown of the bills to pay. Today, we're going to be talking about the latter. 

Of course, ideally, in an equitable partnership between roommates, there is a 50/50 split when it comes to rent, utilities, groceries, etc. Sometimes, roommates will divide these bills differently if one person makes a considerably greater salary than the other, but that is absolutely not guaranteed unless it's agreed upon by both parties. Check out this tale of roommate tension when one tenant discovered just how much the other tenant's promotion was…

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    Cheezburger Image 10510678784
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This roommate was not only entitled to assume that the author would pay a greater percentage of the rent because of her promotion, but the roommate should also be held accountable for snooping around. She fully looked at the author's bank account on her computer without permission and used that information as leverage to pay less when it came to their monthly expenses. Here's how the author responded to this unfortunate confrontation… 

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    I (28F) had a huge promotion at work recently. I was excited about my promotion but chose to keep it to myself because I tend to be private about money.
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    I've been living with my roommate (29F) for over three years. We pay 50/50 for our apartment,
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    but she earns far less than I do at her nonprofit job. Last week, | accidentally left my laptop open and she saw my bank account, and my
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    new balance. She confronted me immediately.
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    She was upset that I did not tell her about my promotion, and now wants me to pay 80% of the rent because I earn so much more than her. I
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    told her that I do not. We agreed on a 50/50 split when we started living together, and I do not think my salary of the 50/50 agreement. I also
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    have student loan payments that she does not.
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    She brought it up again yesterday saying it is the right thing to do, and I am being selfish. I reminded
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    her that I also buy the vast majority of groceries. and also pay most of our utility bills without problems.
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    Cheezburger Image 10510679040
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    I don't think my financial success now obligates me to subsidize her housing. She chose her career path with the understanding of the salary limitations.
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    AITA for not wanting to pay more rent now that I got a raise in my career?
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    • Responsib... 5h ago NTA You are roommates not spouses.
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    If she gets use of 50% of the apartment then she should pay 50% of the costs for being in that apartment.
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    If she can't afford the rent there then that is her problem to fix not her roommates.
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    She sounds emotionally immature expecting other people to make up for her deficiencies and give her a more comfortable life.
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    If the roles were reversed what would your expectations be for her and her money? Reversing the roles can help you be fair to both yourself and her.
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    Also, caving in to toxic immaturity does not help. It enables people to be more immature and delays their healthy natural growth.
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    If she refuses to grow up you might need to find a new roommate or new living situation. Good luck!
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    Dolwant To... 5h ago • INFO: WHY don't you pay 100% and she can just move out? You're not her ATM and she isn't entitled to your money.
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    If she wants to share an apartment with you, than she's obliged to pay her share of the rent: 50%
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    What you make is NONE OF HER BUSINESS. ALSO: CALL HER OUT ON SNOOPING IN YOUR COMPUTER!!! NTA
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friendship aita drama bad roommates friends entitled people karma roommates money entitled people apartment
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