20-year-old tenant paying half the rent deals with controlling roommate who acts like it’s his house, she’s debating whether to confront him or move out: ‘You’re not turning MY air on’

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  • Modern shared living room interior in rental home with minimalist decor and natural light
  • my roommate and i rent a home together, not an apartment, and we pay 50/50 on everything.
  • however, it seems as though he has the authority over everything. what cycle im 'allowed' to wash the dishes on, when i can and cannot use the washer (even if its he is not using it), im also not allowed to use "his" bathroom which happens to be the MAIN bathroom in the house that most people use when we have company, and more importantly, i have no say over the thermostat.
  • its not a brand new house, so we get a lot of trapped heat upstairs if the air is not on.
  • today is why i decided to finally ask for some advice. its heating up fast in minnesota, and today its 80°.
  • he decided to open every. single. window. in the house and i didnt say anything because i assumed it would be for a little while.
  • fast forward 4 hours of heat, its burning up in the house and especially in my room upstairs.
  • i mentioned to him that i would be turning the air on shortly as he had closed the windows and im sweating excessively.
  • i have hormonal issues so i also am sensitive to high exposure to heat or humidity.
  • annoying i know! his response?- "youre not touching anything. you're not turning MY air on." i simply asked him why we could just run it until it got to a comfortable temp and his response was, "im not wasting electricity just because youre hot." i got veryyy annoyed by this response and explained to him that he is not the king of the thermostat and i also pay half of the bills so i do have some say in what goes on.
  • Roommates arguing face to face during heated conflict over shared living space
  • i typically always have a very open and respectful approach when discussing things but i feel like i needed to put my foot down.
  • now he is ignoring me and acting like im the bad guy. everytime it seems that i do something he doesnt agree with, his immediate response to me is, "you're me the f\\k off, this is my house." how do i move forward in having a conversation with someone who just gets extremely angry and cant communicate like an adult without being hostile?
  • its just more intimidating in general because he is a man, so im unsure if that plays a role in his boss complex around the house.
  • edit: both names on the lease, pay 50/50 for everything. his parents are essentially the "property managers", not officially but they know the landlord and live close so id prefer not to "tattle" on a grown man.
  • cant move out as i just moved in jan 2026!
  • Express_Adlu I'm sorry but you need to grow a back bone. Who cares if his family knows the owners, that doesn't have anything to do with the legalities of a lease. You need to talk to the property OWNER and share that you're not receiving equal treatment on the lease. You then need to brush up on understanding contract law unless your area allows roommates to have rights under the housing act, if they don't, you can find clauses to breaking your lease and let the landlord know that if your lease
  • kat5682 Hey if it's his house then you can stop paying rent and bills then. Not your house? Not your problem. He's being a dick.
  • SenpaiDearest You can tell him if he wants it to be his house so badly, he's more than free to pay your half of the rent. Otherwise, he's gotta be more flexible.
  • Couple arguing intensely during disagreement about boundaries in shared household
  • Aeoniuma There's no such thing as "unofficial managers", that's just a ploy to get his own way. Ignore him, let him sulk. Use the bathroom and the facilities whenever you want when he's not using them. He sounds very childish. I'm curious how you came to be sharing .. were you friends or was it an ad?
  • Irishwatcher You may be paying 50-50 on rent, but whose name is on the lease?
  • DragnorMatra Sounds like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. Is this real?
  • nicvaykay If you have your own bathroom, leave his alone. For everything else though, you don't need his permission. Be reasonable, eg: don't run the AC when no one is home, don't run the washer for a couple of pieces of clothing, and be respectful about the time of day you run the machine in case it's loud enough to wake someone up. If he doesn't like it, too bad. Let him pout. He'll get over it.
  • ladymorgahnna Please tell me you did not the power dynamic before you moved in? Because if you did know that his parents act as property manager for their friend, the property owner, then you were foolish to move in. You are going to have to grin and bear it. Your lesson, your life.
  • Cautious_Money_6471 By a portable air conditioner like the $200 Black & Decker I just got. Use it in your room and keep your door locked. I don't know why the power bill went up!
  • Quantity Kindly3153 It's your house too. Can you ask the landlord to talk to him? It's as much your home as his.

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