Family protests when woman refuses to rent apartment to cousin at half of market rate: 'I could easily rent it out for $1800'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 31, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

Does family always need to help family with a place to live?

Renting in many places is not a pleasant experience for anyone on a low to average salary. Every year, it seems like worse and worse apartments go on the market for higher and higher prices. It leaves anyone searching for a home of their own with the feeling that things shouldn't be like this.

As a result, it is not uncommon for people to lean on family members when they want to try to take the pressure off finding a place to live. They see it as an easy way to keep costs down, even if it does sometimes come with the downside of having to deal with difficult relatives. In a lot of ways, it is important for our relatives to support us in times of need.

That being said, that doesn't mean that it is always a good idea to give away a room or a house to somebody simply because they're family. There are levels to it, and if it is something that somebody is being pressured into, it probably won't turn out to be the best idea. It isn't always going to be an automatic yes.

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  • A representation of a man sitting opposite a bed to tie his shoelace
    via Andrew Neel

    A representation of a man sitting opposite a bed to tie his shoelace

  • A woman working in tech had recently moved from her one bedroom apartment to a larger, more convenient home, but she had kept her original place with the intention of renting it out and using the money towards her mortgage. She had been preparing to do some minor renovations for the rental market.

    When her aunt heard about this, she demanded that she let the apartment to her cousin. He had just started an entry-level job and was struggling to find a place he could afford. The issue was that she wanted her to rent it at half the price it would go for on the rental market, and she wasn't comfortable with that.

  • Would I be wrong for refusing to rent my vacant apartment to my cousin at a fifty percent discount?

    I am currently facing a massive wave of guilt tripping from my extended family, and I need an objective reality check. I own a small, one bedroom apartment that I lived in for about four years before saving up enough to move into a slightly larger place closer to my current tech job. Instead of selling the
    via Mandalor_X
  • old property, I decided to keep it as an investment to help offset my current mortgage. It is located in a highly desirable area downtown, and according to the current local market, I could easily rent it out for about eighteen hundred a month. The plan
    via Mandalor_X
  • was to do some basic cosmetic repairs this month and list it on the open market by June.
    via Mandalor_x
  • A week ago, my aunt found out that the place was sitting vacant. She immediately called me and started aggressively pitching my cousin as the perfect tenant. My cousin just graduated from college and is starting an entry level job in the city, but his
    via Mandalor_X
  • A representation of a woman in loungewear walking into a room with a couch in it
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A representation of a woman in loungewear walking into a room with a couch in it

  • budget is completely non existent. My aunt flat out asked if I would let him move in for nine hundred a month, which is exactly half of the actual market value. When I hesitated, she started going on about how family needs to stick together, how I am doing
    via Mandalor_X
  • well financially so I can afford to be generous, and how this would give my cousin a massive head start in his career.
    via Mandalor_X
  • I told her that I would need to think about it, but after running the math, I realized this would be a total financial disaster for me. I am still paying off my own mortgage, and losing nine hundred dollars of potential income every single month means I would
    via Mandalor_X
  • basically be subsidizing my cousin's lifestyle out of my own pocket. On top of that, everyone knows that renting to family is an absolute nightmare when it comes to boundaries. If he damages the floors or falls behind on his utility bills, I cannot exactly send a formal
    via Mandalor_X
  • eviction notice without completely destroying the family dynamic at Thanksgiving.
    via Mandalor_X
  • When I finally called my aunt back to politely decline and explain that I need. to rent it at market rate to cover my own expenses, she lost her temper. She accused me of being a selfish, corporate minded snob who values money over bl d. Now my mom is
    via Mandalor_X
  • getting involved, saying that even though she understands my position, it might be worth taking the financial hit just to keep the peace within the family. I feel like I am being backed into a corner for simply wanting to treat my real estate investment like a business instead of a charity organization.
    via Mandalor_X

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