Couple renting house from their sister-in-law discovers that mixing family and leases leads to nonstop drama and unexpected family fallout: ‘I get home and our kitchen is torn apart… the rest of our stuff had been put outside’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Jun 29, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

Mixing family and real estate is like signing up for a group project where everyone's grade depends on your patience and their ability to ignore boundaries. You move into your sister-in-law's spare house, determined to keep things civil, only to discover that every minor leak or misplaced chair is about to become a family drama. You do your best, reporting a mysterious wet spot with the hope that someone will handle it like an adult. Instead, you get silence until disaster strikes, followed by accusations that you didn't sound the alarm loud enough.


When it's time to move out, you try to be considerate and ask if it's okay to leave some furniture behind while you sell it. The answer is an ambivalent shrug, which later morphs into angry texts the moment it becomes inconvenient. 

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  • Am I wrong for standing up for myself against my sister in law’s husband?

    "I tried to open the door I usually go in, but there was a piece of wood blocking it closed."
    via SanneBerg

  • Attempt to coordinate a pickup, and suddenly you’re the villain for not being omnipresent, with locked doors and changed codes thrown in for good measure. Your brother-in-law appears out of nowhere, ready to scold you for not communicating, even though he’s been ignoring your messages all along.

    You take the high road, keep your cool, and avoid confrontation, only to find your remaining belongings dumped outside and your invitation to the family birthday party mysteriously lost in the mail.

  • I can't sleep because I'm so distraught over this whole situation. My husband and I are currently fighting with my sister in law and her husband. (I am 25f, My husband is 27m, sil is 39f, bil is 42m).
    via Skvky
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    via fizkes

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

  • This all started about 3 months ago. Context: My sil and her husband leased out a property for an auto shop. Connected to the shop was a house that they
    via Skvky
  • weren't going to use. Sil offered to rent it to us because it was closer to the town where I went to school, and my hubby worked. I was against this idea initially
    via Skvky
  • because I don't like the idea of mixing family and finances. I eventually agreed after my husband assured me that it
    via Skvky
  • Cheezburger Image 10522001408
    via fizkes

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

  • wouldn't be an issue. We moved in shortly after our wedding in September of 2023.
    via Skvky
  • Fast forward to 3 months ago. A mysterious wet spot showed up on our living room floor. I texted my sil's husband to tell him about
    via Skvky
  • it, and sent him a picture. He told me he would reach out to the landlord about it. A few more weeks went by and I sent several
    via Skvky
  • more texts and pictures of the growing wet spot on the floor. I couldn't see any leaks from the ceiling, dishwasher, fridge etc.
    via Skvky
  • One day I was out getting groceries (hubby was at work) and I got a desperate and angry sounding text from my sils. husband. He was talking about
    via Skvky
  • how the leak was way worse than he thought and he reprimanded me for not explaining the severity enough I guess. He then sent an
    via Skvky
  • ominous threat saying 'things are going to be changing around here'. I get home and our kitchen is torn apart.
    via Skvky
  • He threw everything under the sink all over the floor, and left the cabinet doors open. I. WAS. LIIIIIVID. I took a picture of the chaos and sent it to him saying 'don't worry we will be moving out. Thanks for this by the way'. I
    via Skvky
  • was trying to calm myself down. when he walked into the house and said 'you really want to f with me right now?'. I was already crying and shaking and he started|| yelling about how the leak could
    via Skvky
  • be thousands of dollars worth of damage. Then he started talking about everything wrong in his life, and he admitted that they weren't going to renew the lease so we were going to have to move out
    via Skvky
  • anyway, and he didn't want to have to tell me this way yadda yadda yadda. At the end he calmed down and apologized for being so intense and snapping at me. I forgave him thinking this
    via Skvky
  • was an out of character break down from a stressed out dude. My husband was also upset about the situation but chose not to press the subject anymore and just find a new place to live. I thought it was over after that but I was very wrong.
    via Skvky
  • Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. We found a place and decided to move everything ourselves with our friends. We didn't want to ask our in laws to help because the situation still felt tense. Sils husband had been acting a bit distant but still cordial. There were a few pieces of furniture we wanted to sell, and SIL had said we could leave it there while we
    via Skvky
  • sold it. I double checked with sils husband that it was ok we did that. He shrugged and said he couldn't see why it would be a problem. (Spoiler of course it was an effing problem).
    via Skvky
  • We sold one item, and hubby asked sil if the person could just go grab it, and she could Venmo us so we didn't have to go all the way back out to the old place. She said that was fine. (The house was empty besides stuff we didn't want anymore, and there was no access between the house and shop except a locked door at the
    via Skvky
  • way back of the house. In hindsight I know this is still risky but I'm from the Midwest and far to trusting). A few days later someone wanted another piece of furniture. I asked sils husband if he could unlock the door so the person could look at the furniture. He asked if I was going to let someone in without physically
    via Skvky
  • being there. I responded saying that was my plan but if he preferred, I could definitely go out there. He responded with an angry text saying 'I don't like being forced and volunteered to do things while I'm working' and 'I don't need people lurking around my business that I don't know'. My stomach dropped but I just responded 'ok I'm sorry I will go out there to meet him.'
    via Skvky
  • When I got out there I tried to open the door I usually go in, but there was a piece of wood blocking it closed. I went to the side door and used the code but it wouldn't open either. I texted sils husband to ask if he had changed the door code. He never responded. I tried the shop door and the code also didn't work. I knocked, but no answer. The
    via Skvky
  • buyer was there waiting while all of this was happening. I called my hubby to ask him to come down and try to figure it out. He tried the code on the back of the shop and a door finally opened. I went to the door that connected the 2 buildings to get into my old house while my husband went to meet me at the front door.
    via Skvky
  • Then my sils husband appeared. He had been in the shop the whole time. He started yelling at me that I should've communicated with him. I responded that I had texted, and he yelled that he was working and busy. He tried to keep yelling but I just got into the house to let my husband in. We just gave the buyer the desk since he had to wait so long. This time my
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  • husband defended me to his sister and said he wouldn't tolerate her husband yelling at me anymore. A fight ensued and I started a group chat for the 4 of us asking if we could all sit down and talk about this, because things were getting out of hand. Sil suggested we wait a few days for things to settle.
    via Skvky
  • Yesterday we went with my husbands parents to pack up the few pieces of furniture that were left. They said they would keep it until we sold it. When we got there the rest of our stuff had been put outside. I chose to take the high road and not say anything about that. I texted Sil to see what our nieces wanted for their birthday. She seemed fine and told me what the girls liked and wanted. I bought the presents, and
    via Skvky
  • wrapped them. I asked my husband when I got home from work today when we should drop off presents. He told me that he had called his mom earlier, and she was at the girls birthday party. Sil hadn't invited us or her other brother and nephews for any of it. I know my husband is hurting inside. He has been to every single one of their birthdays. He's trying to put on a brave face, but if I'm distraught over not
    via Skvky
  • seeing our nieces, then I can't even imagine how he is feeling. What do I do? I know standing up for myself was the right thing to do but I can't help but feel like I contributed to my husband and Sil's relationship crumbling. Please help.
    via Skvky

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family drama inheritance brother mother tradition siblings family feud favoritism wedding aunt in laws mother in law sister fiancé grandmother Father
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