26-year-old forces former roommate to pay $9K in extra rent after accusing her of having stinky belongings: 'Starting April 1st, I’m no longer paying her rent.'

The roommate demanding the money refuses to compromise by finding someone else to fill her former roommate's room. 

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  • Two women sitting on a couch looking at a tablet
    via A. C. (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I the bad guy for refusing to pay $9,000 in rent for an apartment I moved out of after my roommate claimed my belongings “smelled”?

    I (26F) moved in with a close friend (26F) in November 2025. Mid December, she told me my belongings were causing an odor in the apartment.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I took it very seriously and tried everything I could to fix the issue. I had friends, family, and coworkers smell my belongings and no one noticed anything, but I still deep cleaned everything I owned and removed anything I couldn't clean.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I also switched almost completely from ciga ttes to vaping even though she specifically said the smell wasn't ciga ttes.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • She also smokes ciga ttes occasionally and other things daily. I removed all my stuff from the common areas and never spent more than 5 minutes out there.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I didn't cook or eat there, and mostly stayed in my room or left the apartment.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I even had the apartment complex inspect the unit and they said they could not smell anything.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • Young employee holds a tablet while taking notes next to a window
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Despite all of this, my roommate insisted the smell was still there and getting worse. The situation was extremely stressful and I started having daily anxiety attacks about going back to the apartment.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I ended up moving out in mid-January just to remove myself from the situation. Since then, I've been trying to work with her and the apartment complex to remove me from the lease.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • A woman moving boxes in a living room
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The apartment offered three options, lease buyout (30 days notice + one month rent), roommate transfer, apartment transfer after six months.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • However all of these options require both tenants to sign. My roommate has refused every option.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • She says the only way she will sign anything to remove me from the lease is if I pay her my share of the rent for the entire remaining lease, which is currently over $9,000.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • Since we haven't made any progress, I still paid my portion of rent and utilities for February and March while trying to resolve things.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • After months of trying to work it out, I spoke to a lawyer who is preparing a letter to her regarding the breach of good faith and fair dealing.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • He also advised me to stop paying rent. I haven't told her yet and honestly don't plan to, but starting April 1st, I'm no longer paying.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I don't want to put it in writing for her to use against me, so she won't know until rents due.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • I know this could potentially lead to eviction or small claims court, but I genuinely cannot afford to keep paying rent for an apartment I don't live in, especially when she refuses every available option to resolve the lease.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • AITA for refusing to keep paying rent?
    via u/PunkinRis
  • Cartier_Courvoiser NTA. She clearly has OCD or some other medical condition but I learn towards the former considering she made you buy an air purifier before even moving in (if I remembered your older posts correctly.) I also want to encourage you to be more assertive and not so accommodating to unreasonable requests and demands from people in the future. I struggle a lot with my assertiveness as well but seeing how much you bent over backwards to accommodate her preferences while you equally h
    via u/Cartier_Courvoiser
  • PunkinRis Original Poster's Reply Thank you! It is something I've always struggled with and while I have made progress, I could definitely grow more in that area. And yes that's correct, I do think it was a perceived smell from her OCD.
    via u/PunkinRis
  • nico_harrison yta for leaving stinky items after you moved out. it's common courtesy to take all your stuff with you when you move.
    via u/nico_harrison
  • PunkinRis Original Poster's Reply I removed everything when I officially moved out in January. Literally not a single thing of mine was left in the apartment. What part made you think I left stuff there??
    via u/PunkinRis
  • Expensive Excuse_597 NTA. I hate to break it to you, but your friend just went through an elaborate ruse with the intention of forcing you out of the apartment and subsequently forcing you to pay for her to live alone. Listen to your lawyer and do not pay this person any more money.
    via u/Expensive_Excuse_597
  • Dull-Assistance1910 You already have a lawyer. Just follow the legal advice. AH or NTA isn't relevant anymore.
    via u/Dull-Assistance1910
  • JosKarith She thinks she's found a cute cheat to get the whole apartment to herself for cheap. Don't play her game.
    via u/JosKarith
  • Educational-While202 NTA she had three choices given to her and refused all of them. She's had since mid-Jan to find another room-mate. Your lawyer is telling you what you need to do, so do it. Do you understand what "breach of good faith and fair dealing" is? She's in the wrong not you. Don't pay her a d in penny. Don't communicate with her. When she tries to talk to you, refer her to your lawyer.
    via u/Educational-While202
  • boohooluluu NTA You sought out a lawyer, which is the best thing you could've done. Listen to your lawyer, get clarity on what the overarching plan is and then stick to the legal advice. Sounds like the friends plan was to make you pay for her to live alone the whole time.
    via u/boohooluluu
  • schec1 NTA, follow the lawyer's instructions.
    via u/schec1

  • It can be really scary to refuse rent payments. One of my best friends didn't have heat in her apartment for nearly a month during the coldest winter, and she withheld her rent because of it. Depending on where you live, you have a lot of rights as a tenant, and your landlord cannot evict you after a single month of not paying rent, especially if you're withholding it for a clear reason that you've communicated to them. If there is no hot water in the building, you shouldn't just make do with showering at the gym every day. You should tell your landlord you're not paying until the water is hot enough to boil! But many non-confrontational people will shower at the gym until their lease is up.

    If you leave your apartment in the middle of your lease, you might still be liable to pay for your share, even when you're not living there anymore. The other tenants might not be able to find another roommate to fill your room. You might end up paying two rents for a period, which could be okay if you have some wiggle room in your savings. If not, leaving your apartment before the lease is up might not be an option. 

    If you can get legal advice to get out of a bad living situation, you should take it. Housing lawyers know better than you and I how to proceed in a bad housing situation in your particular state. It can be really stressful when moving out of an apartment with your ex, who won't compromise and try to make the situation as painless as possible, but if you have a good lawyer on your side, it can ease some of the pain.

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Tags

accusation lawyer friends smelly rent ocd roommates stinky apartment moving out
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