Learning how to split bills and finances is always a challenge for partners, and it is even more so when one partner has an advantage of any sort over the other — whether it is real or not. Redditor u/Formal_Date_4926 posted on the popular ‘AITA’ subreddit after she had a fight with her college boyfriend.
For a little backstory, she said, “I (F23) have been dating my boyfriend “Jake” (M23) since our freshmen year of college. In our last year of undergrad, we decided to rent an apartment together. We split everything 50/50, including utilities, groceries, and rent.”
Things changed when the couple moved to Chicago. “We continued living together in the same town as our college after graduation, but recently, we both got jobs in Chicago and we are currently living downtown.”
“My dad works in real estate, and he has multiple investment properties. My dad generously allowed me to live in one of his properties rent free, but he said that my boyfriend would have to pay him $400 a month for rent,” u/Formal_Date_4926 explained. “My dad is very protective, but he has been nothing but kind to my boyfriend. My dads reasoning for making my boyfriend pay rent is that he wants to be sure that my boyfriend is with me for me, and not because he will have a free place to live. (Keep in mind, if my dad was renting this apartment out to tenants, he would charge $2100 a month for rent. Very ritzy building in the middle of downtown Chicago).”
What was a nice gesture from OP’s father turned into a fight between the couple, after Jake decided it was unfair of her to not pay half of his rent.
“My boyfriend is mad at me because he asked me for my half of the $400 for rent, and I explained to him that I will not be paying rent. My dad is only charging him. He says that we have been splitting rent for the past 2 years so why would we stop now?” she said.
“Our rent in our college town was $1200, so we were both paying $600 a month. Our apartment in Chicago is significantly nicer and he is paying $200 less a month than what he was in college.”
u/Formal_Date_4926 asked the people of Reddit, “Is the idea that my DAD doesn’t charge me for rent, but charges my boyfriend so crazy? Should I suck it up and pay half because I can afford it?”
She edited the post to add, “Jake and I still split utilities and groceries 50/50, and when we go out on date nights, we switch off who pays for it. If he pays one week, i’ll pay the next.”
Redditors had OP’s back, telling her that she was in no way TA, and that Jake was likely taking advantage of her and her father’s generosity.
