People tend to be wary of landlords for different reasons. They worry about being scammed, being lied to about the place they’re renting, or being constantly pestered by weird requirements. All of these reasons seem tame compared to a landlord secretly bunking with their tenant.
Of course, it’s not as bad as it sounds (probably), but this rich teen did just that. She didn’t want to tell her roommates that she was their landlord to avoid creating a “weird dynamic,” but they found out, anyway, in the worst way possible!
More info: Reddit
Your landlord isn’t supposed to be your friend, and your friend really shouldn’t be your landlord
Image credits: Marcus Aurelius / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The 18-year-old poster explained that her wealthy parents own multiple homes that they rent out for extra income, and since she was starting college, they gifted her one of their houses
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
She rented out the place to two women, Sasha and Bea, but did not tell them she was their landlord because she didn’t want the dynamic to change with her friends
Image credits: Ron Lach / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One day, Sasha saw the poster’s mail and found out she wasn’t technically paying rent because it was her family’s property, so the poster was forced to tell the truth
Image credits: Chris Blonk / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The teen eventually conceded that she had been being selfish by keeping so much from her roommates and decided to make it up to them by waiving that month’s rent
Image credits: OldOutlandishness252
One of the roommates, Sasha, eventually moved out, so the poster and Bea decided to get another roommate and be honest with her about everything
Despite the teen's many denials, she’s obviously privileged enough to have her housing and everything else taken care of by her parents. She probably felt that her wealth and property ownership needed to be kept a secret, which is why she decided not to tell her roommates about it, even after they became her friends.
In this situation, it might be immoral for the poster to have hidden such a big detail from Sasha and Bea, who were technically her tenants. The problem is that telling such lies isn’t exactly a crime. Landlords who fib for their own personal gain at the tenant’s expense may be guilty of fraud, and only then can they be prosecuted.
In most tenancy agreements, the owner isn’t supposed to enter the rented-out home without previously informing the tenant about it. They are allowed to occupy shared spaces but always need to give notice if they want to go into private rooms. Apart from the lying, this is also probably why Sasha and Bea took such offense to the OP lying about being their landlord.
The teen had been keeping this secret for months and had also constructed an elaborate method of sending and receiving the rent money. Since her father’s name was still on the place, she made it seem like he was the landlord when she was actually the one getting the payments. That seems like way too much sneaking around!
Image credits: Curtis Adams / Pexels (not the actual photo)
If only the OP had decided to be honest from the start, she would have saved herself a lot of guilt and her friends a lot of shock. Lawyers state that there are only a few reasons why a landlord should reside on the property. One could be if they're a very close friend or relative of the renters, which the poster definitely wasn’t.
Another situation is if the owner and tenant both agree on such conditions right at the start and include them in the lease. Then, both parties will be on the same page, and it will eliminate any confusion the people may have.
At first, the poster was offended by the concerns netizens had about her lies. She retaliated by saying that she wasn’t an “evil landlord” price-gouging her roommates; they had opted for luxury. She also explained that the property was still in her father’s name so that the family could avoid paying hefty taxes.
Later, the OP realized that what she had done was wrong and decided to be honest about it all going forward. It’s great to see that she listened to people’s concerns and learned from her mistakes.
The only thing we still don’t agree with is how a mega-wealthy person like her can call themselves “middle class!”
Most people found the poster’s actions problematic and were annoyed at how she kept downplaying her wealth
