When entering a living situation with a roommate, there are often stipulations and conditions that need to be met and addressed before they can move in.
As roommates often become friends, these conditions are sometimes forgotten with the passage of time.
In certain cases, however, these conditions and stipulations are non-negotiable, and breaking them can and will result in the termination of the living situation.
Even between friends.
After coming into a lucky piece of property, Redditor Nearby_Flan7905 decided to rent out some of the rooms.
The original poster (OP) felt lucky that he was able to rent out one of his rooms to a good friend.
However, a change in the friend’s situation eventually made his living there untenable, eventually leading the OP to force this friend to move out.
Wondering if he was being unreasonable, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA Refuse to live with a Service Dog?”
The OP explained why he had to force his roommate to move out:
“I (26 M[ale]) own my own home.”
“Its 5 bedrooms and way more space than I need.”
“I came into the house due to a death in the family, and I’ve had it for about 2 years.”
“I use 3 bedrooms, my room, my office, my video game room.”
“The other 2 rooms I rent out.”
“One roommate, I don’t know very well, and keeps to himself.”
“The other roommate is a friend from college.”
“The friend from college is a diabetic.”
“He has a CGM and that’s how he manages it.”
“I honestly don’t know much more about his condition and don’t pry as its not my business.”
“He recently informed me that he is getting a service dog that alerts for his diabetes.”
“He’s supposed to get the dog next week.”
“I do not want to live with a dog, I don’t like them.”
“I told him he can break his lease for a new place but he can’t have the dog in my house.”
“Until this, it has been overall smooth sailing as roommates.”
“He’s angry with me and supposedly looking into ways to make me accept the dog.”
“He had a good situation at my house.”
“He’s told me I’m an asshole for basically kicking him out because he is disabled.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
The Reddit community was in agreement that the OP was not the a**hole for refusing to allow the OP to bring a service dog into his home.
Some could sympathize with both the OP and his friend, feeling that the service dog was not a pet, but a necessary aid, but agreed that the OP had the right to refuse to allow a dog in his home:
“The number of people who don’t understand that FHA doesn’t apply here because you live in the unit is honestly crazy to me.”
“The only way FHA applies here is if you own five or more units.”
“Otherwise, no, you do not need to accommodate the service dog, because the unit is owner-occupied.”
“NAH.”
“This is just kind of an unfortunate scenario for you and your roommate.”
“Ideally, you would be ok with living with the service dog but what if you had allergies, or some other condition preventing you from living with a dog?”
“Anyway, I’d make sure to give him a reasonable amount of time to move out if it comes to that.”
“It also wouldn’t hurt to consult with a lawyer before doing anything.”
“People need to brush up on FHA laws before immediately jumping on the bandwagon.”- Miserable-Ad561
Others thought that as it was the OP’s house, he had every right to refuse to allow a dog, pointing out that he was not kicking his roommate out because he was disabled, but simply because he was breaking the living agreement:
“Every single person saying it’s illegal and just medical equipment are glossing over THIS IS OP’S HOME.”
“They just happen to rent out individual rooms, the ‘laws’ ya’ll keep referencing don’t apply.”
“OP has every right to not want ANY animal in their home, whether technically medical equipment or not; it is still a dog, and most are actively trained by owners. They don’t just come perfectly well-behaved, and even those that are trained prior still shed and have accidents; they’re not robots. Animals, ANY type, when being brought into a communal situation, need to be approved by everyone living in said communal situation.”
“NTA.”- Opposite-Exam-7435
“You’re living there.”
“You’re not just a landlord, you’re a roommate, who would have to deal with exposure to allergens.”
“There’s no way you would never see the dog.”
“The comments seem to be glossing over the fact that this is where you live.”
“NTA.”
“If he signed a lease or not is not clear from your post, but you’ll obviously have to deal with fallout from this in one way or another, I’m sorry.”- sunlightanddoghair
“I love how people act like a dog being a ‘service animal’ suddenly makes them no longer a dog.”
“They’re still an animal living in your house with all the cons that brings.”
“NTA but cover your bases legally.”- ObjectivePepper6064
“If live in the same house and rent out only a room or two — in that case, the Fair Housing Act may not apply.”
“Owner-occupied housing with four or fewer units is often exempt from the FHA.”
“That means if you’re renting out a room in your own primary residence, you might legally have more discretion.”
“NTA.”- spin01
“As a dog owner myself, I’d say NTA.”
“You don’t want your house being filled with fur and what else dogs bring in – that’s fair.”
“I don’t think you can get your hand on a service animal just like * that * so I’d say your friend is a soft ah.”
“He should’ve asked and planned beforehand.”
“He did, however, not plan, and told you this, so I’d draft up a ‘time to move out within 3 months’ eviction.”
“Which should be alright cus I guess you have mutual sign-up release, right?”- NoHeccinClue
“I have a service dog— you’re well within your rights to not allow a service dog in your own home if it’s not something you’re comfortable with.”
“It’s a little bit of an a**hole move to kick the friend out so last minute if he needs to be out before he gets the dog and the dog is coming next week, but it’s also an a**hole move on his part to not make you and the other roommate aware of his plan to get a service dog, as it DOES affect other people you live with and is absolutely something they should know.”
“He really didn’t give you much of any warning, so it’s not like you could’ve told him any further in advance that he needs to figure out a different living situation if he’s getting a dog, service dog or not.”
“Also, getting a service dog is NOT a short process or something you do on impulse.”
“If he’s getting this dog already trained from a program, that often takes YEARS. There’s no way he hasn’t been aware of this for months, AT LEAST.”
“He should’ve brought it up to you before finalizing things, and any reputable service dog organization would make sure that the client’s living situation is suitable and everyone in the home is in agreement before placing a dog.”
“There’s no way that happened here, which in combination with the quick timeline makes me think that either the dog he’s getting isn’t actually trained yet and will essentially be a pet until training is actually done, or might be from a less than reputable/scam program.”
“Either way, I’d be concerned.”
“Anyway, NTA.”
“You’re allowed to not want to live with a dog in your own home when you’re also living there, and since the FHA doesn’t apply in this situation you’re legally allowed to enforce that.”- picnicprince
“NTA, because he should have talked to you before going ahead and getting the service dog – that isn’t a quick process and often involves a wait list (because of the training involved, and the washout rate), so if he really is getting a service dog, he’s known about it for at least weeks, if not months or years.”
“You’re not an AH for not wanting to live with a dog.”
“I highly doubt that your friendship will survive this, though… Good luck to you.”
“You may want to talk to a lawyer specializing in housing/rental contracts about how best to handle evicting him if needed, what to do if he doesn’t listen and brings the dog in anyway, etc.”- Low-Bank-4898
It does seem unfair that the OP’s friend might need to find a new home owing to a necessary change in his life.
That being said, as this is the OP’s property, he has every right to create rules for living there.
Hopefully, however, the OP will put up with living with a service dog until his friend finds a new home.