50-year-old resident fails to pay 26-year-old neighbor his share of WiFi bill, only to come knocking when resident changes the password: ‘You didn't honor the agreement’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Oct 5, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

Do you share passwords with other people?

Since we are living in a tech-driven world, our priorities are vastly different from what they were for people in the past. One thing, among many, that technology has changed is the way passwords have a strong hold on a lot of private information we don't want to share with anyone else. We have passwords protecting pretty much our entire lives: From banking information to government sites to our social media. These passwords are so important to us that sharing them with other people is considered an act of great intimacy, something we only do with the people closest to us who we fully and wholeheartedly trust.

Some passwords, however, are easier to share, at least for some people under the right circumstances. A WiFi password is one example of a password people might share with more ease. If you have a friend visiting, for example, giving them the password so they could use the WiFi for the few hours they are at your house doesn't sound like a big deal. After all, what can they possibly do with this information?

But there's a big difference between sharing the WiFi password for a few hours and doing so with a neighbor who is always right next door. If a neighbor asks to use your WiFi, just know that this is a long-term commitment, so you must consider the pros and cons of giving them this little piece of information. Even if they offer to pay for their share of WiFi usage, complications can still happen, just like they did for the residents below.

This young couple agreed to share their WiFi and split the bill with their 50-year-old neighbor because they thought it wouldn't be a big deal. However, after the neighbor failed to pay them back and the WiFi connection started having trouble, the couple decided that this commitment was not working out. However, as soon as they changed the password and basically removed the neighbor from the deal, he came knocking to try to convince them to change their minds.

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  • 01
    Neighbor knocking on the front door.
    via Samuel Peter

    Neighbor knocking on the front door.

    Model representation. 

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    AITA for changing the WiFi name and password so my neighbours can’t use it anymore?

    I, 26-year-old female living in a complex apartment with my 29-year-old fiancé. We've been living here for 3 years, and everything has been going great.
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    Unfortunately, our internet started constantly failing, so we had to upgrade our plan. After the upgrade, we had to get a new password because
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    it was required whenever you upgraded. That's when my 50- year-old male neighbour asked if we could start sharing the internet and split the cost.
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    I agreed because they were three people and there were two of us, so I thought it was fair. For the first and second month, they paid on time.
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    After that, they started paying on and off, but I didn't really mind because the internet wasn't that good anyway.
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    After about six months of having constant internet problems and basically improvement in the connection, I decided to
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    change providers to a better and more expensive one. As soon as the old internet was disconnected, I received a text from my neighbour's 20- year-old daughter:
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    "Hi there! I hope all is well. This is ..., your next-door neighbour! I just wanted to ask if everything is okay with the WiFi. I see that it has not
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    shown up or has been changed for quite some time now. Maybe my dad misunderstood you and there was a mishap with the
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    communication regarding the payment. I was wondering if we would be able to split the monthly payment again, as I am also
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    home alone and have no way of communicating with my parents or using my phone day to day (data is quite expensive if used daily). My
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    dad is not at home at the moment but can and will pay you as soon as he is home tomorrow, if that is alright. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful evening"
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    I replied: “Hi ..., I hope you're doing well. Yes, the old WiFi wasn't working well, so we got a new one from ...."
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    Since May of this year, they have only paid twice towards the new internet, It is now October. So, on October 1st, I decided to change the WiFi name and password, which automatically disconnected their phones and devices.
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    About two hours later, the 50- year-old man came to my door with his wallet in his hand, asking how much they owed and whether they could pay me right then because the internet wasn't working.
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    internet wasn't working for them. I simply replied, "Yeah, I know. We haven't paid it yet, so the provider shut it down. I'll let you know how much you owe."
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    It has now been two days, and I haven't gotten back to him. Honestly, I don't intend to. If they had been honest and said, "Look, we can't afford it right now, but we really need the internet," that would be one thing.
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    What me off is that we had a verbal/written agreement, and they simply didn't honour it. They continued using the internet knowing that they hadn't paid their share.
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    So now I'm wondering: AITA for changing the WiFi name and password and cutting them off?
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    JackTradesMasterNone NTA for that, but YTA for how you handled it. I'd at least have had a conversation when they missed the first payment, and then after that, then you could
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    have just said "Hey, sorry, it's not working out. If you want internet, you'll have to pay for it yourself." then changed the network.
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    RaxisPhasmatis Nta don't share wifi, your liable for any illegal activity they commit on your connection
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    DogsNCoffeeAddict Just saying it is possible that your second internet s ked because your neighbor connecting all his household's devices to your wifi slowed your devices down. Maybe
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    even your first since the neighbor approached you immediately after you changed passwords (probably locking him out).
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    Embarrassed_Glass_22 This was a terrible idea, just don't make that mistake again.
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    Connecting WiFi router.
    via Getty Images

    Connecting WiFi router.

    Picture does not depict real parties.

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neighbors sharing neighborhood wifi bills resident wifi password money entitled people
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