There are few milestones more exciting than your first time living alone.
Not having to share a kitchen or bathroom with family or roommates, and making your house or apartment exactly to your liking.
No matter how big or small your new home is, there is little more satisfying than knowing this is your home.
Redditor Virtual-Fly4632 was thrilled to finally live in an apartment of their own, which came with plenty of space for them and their two dogs.
But one of their neighbors felt the original poster (OP) might have had too much space, even going so far as to call them “inconsiderate” for living there.
Worried they might not have handled the situation as well as they could have, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I the A**hole” (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for telling my neighbors that I don’t care for their living situation?”
The OP explained their relief in moving into a bigger apartment which they had all to themself and their two dogs.
“I recently relocated to Orlando from Miami.”
“I moved to some apartments that most would consider really nice.”
“Not high end or anything but definitely nice.”
“Miami was just too expensive which is the reason for my move.”
“So because I work from home and I have 2 dogs I wanted to get a 2 bedroom apartment.”
“One that can be an office that I can work from and one for me to sleep.”
“After having my office in the same room I slept in in my last home, still lived with my mom. it felt suffocating like if I never got to escape work.”
“This has been much better for me mentally and I feel like I’m actually leaving work after I close my laptop.”
But when a new neighbor discovered the OP had a two bedroom apartment all to themselves, they were not afraid to express their disapproval in the matter.
“So I’ve been here about a month and recently saw a family moving in.”
“I’m very introverted so I didn’t introduce myself or anything.”
“The only time I really ever have contact with anyone is when someone is walking their dog at the same time I am and our pups want to say hello to each other.”
“Very quick small talk and then we’re on our way.”
“Today as I was going back inside after walking my dogs I saw the wife and I just gave a friendly smile.”
“Nothing more.”
“I decided I should throw the trash out before I clock in for the day just to get it out of the way.”
“As I was walking back to my apartment the wife stopped me to introduce herself.”
“I introduced myself as well.”
“She then asked if I lived with a girlfriend or anything.”
“I told her no, it’s just me and the pups.”
“She gave me a strange look that I can only describe as annoyed.”
“She asked if my apartment had 2 bedrooms.’
“I told her yes that there are 2 bedrooms.”
“She asked me why I wanted 2 bedrooms when I live alone and explained to her the office/sleeping thing I mentioned above.”
“Now this is the part where I may be the a**hole.”
“She said that it was really inconsiderate and rude to bigger families to take up a 2 bedroom apartment by myself.”
“That her family of 4, husband, wife, 2 kids, have to share a 1 bedroom because people like me decide to steal the 2 bedroom apartments.”
“I said that it sucks that you feel that way but there’s nothing I can do.”
“She said I should trade apartments with her.”
“I thought she was joking so I just started laughing.”
“Not a nervous laugh or anything I just genuinely found her suggestion hilarious.”
“I then said that her living situation doesn’t concern me and if she wanted a 2 bedroom apartment she should have looked harder.”
“She said she was going to report me the building and I said that she should include report me to Desantis, Florida governor, while she’s at it.”
“I went inside and left her there screaming like a crazy person.”
“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
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community was in agreement that the living situation of the OP’s neighbors was, indeed, none of their concern, and they were in no way the a**hole for saying so.
Pretty much everyone was confused by the logic of the OP’s neighbor, and agreed that the OP, and anyone, had the right to live in as big or small a place as they liked.
“I think laughter was the appropriate reaction.”
“Next time, just ignore her and her family completely.”
“Consider getting a doorbell camera because these people are clearly unhinged.”
“NTA.”- Apatheticforcredit
“I used to live in Orlando, and am looking to move back once my PR kicks in.”
“I frequently look at both rental and housing prices, because while I plan to buy, I don’t know if we are going to find something right away, so renting may be in the cards for us.”
“With that being said, there are loads, I mean tons of 2+ bedrooms available across the city.”
“This woman cornering and berating you is odd, but also considerably more odd when she can simply move elsewhere.”
“You’re NTA for living how you live and not caring about a literal strangers living situation.”-ndreaak88
“NTA.”
“You can live in a 4000 sq ft mansion if you could afford it.”
“It’s no one’s business.”
“You really might need to get a door bell camera.”
“Your neighbor sounds like she could escalate.”- ParticularReview4129
“Why are you having a second piece of toast?”
“I have 4 kids!”
“NTA.”- Lokimonoxide
“NTA.”
“I very much doubt there are no other two bed apartments in the place where you live.”
“She should rent one of those.”
“She’s being a mooch.”- Sloppypoopypoppy
“NTA.”
“Immediately report this as harassment to the building management.”
“You need to document this before she starts spewing lies.”
“I would also recommend getting a camera for inside your apartment that records both audio and video.”
“Because I would not be surprised if she starts complaining about your dogs ‘barking’. in an effort to get you evicted.”
“Cover your a** and start preparing for war.”- The__Riker__Maneuver
“NTA.”
“I snickered.”
“I completely side with you as a renter of a two-bedroom.”
“It’s just me and my spouse.”
“We have a two bedroom for exactly the same reason you do.”
“To separate his work from the rest of our space.”
“We moved from a one-bedroom because the space wasn’t conducive a healthy WFH/living balance.”
“As for your neighbor, that clearly isn’t a you problem, it’s a them problem.”- nikkesen
“NTA.”
“She sounds extremely entitled.”
“Good Luck.”- QuinGood
“NTA.”
“Why do so many parents expect strangers to care about their kids?”
“Except abuse, of course.”
“I take care of my kids, you take care of yours.”
“Not a difficult concept.”- Worldly_Instance_730
“Poor lady doesn’t know she needs to report you to the Better Business Bureau to get your apartment handed over to her!”
“NTA obviously.”- EvadingTheDayAway
“NTA.”
“Ok that’s hilarious.”
“I doubt this is the last you will see of her.”
“Do yourself a favor and set up some cameras outside your door in case she ever comes a-knocking.”- Puzzleheaded-Big1680
“NTA.”
“I bet if you had agreed to switch with her, very unrealistic.”
“She would have wanted to pay the lower rent for the 1 bed while having a 2 bed.”
“Because she has kids to support right?”
“Probably why she didn’t rent a 2 bed from the beginning.”- Snoo90169
“NTA.”
“Her insecurities are not you’re fault, she sounds entitled and jealous.”- lmwk4gcc
“NTA. I love the part where you laugh at her foolishness and just kept it moving.”- moew4974
“As a person who lives alone with no dogs in a 2bed, NTA.”
“Your living situation is none of her business and her lack of bedrooms for her children is no-ones ‘problem’ but her own.”- HelplessFoot
“Definitely NTA.”
“Where you choose to pay rent is none of her business and vice versa.”
“There are nastier ways you could have responded to her ludicrous suggestion.”- catedersch
“There is a housing ‘shortage’ everywhere.”
“I live in Las Vegas and it’s so hard to find available good apartments that aren’t so rundown or have shootings every night.”
“This lady just sounds like a bitter person and the fact that she brought up reporting you to the governor is just crazy talk and I would stay away from her and her family.”
“I feel bad for people living in Florida with the way things are going.”
“Good luck to you.”- sandra_445576
As the saying goes, “the grass is always greener in someone else’s yard”, so being even the slightest bit jealous of someone having a bigger or nicer home is only human nature.
But as long as they aren’t being harmful or invasive to anyone else, how people live their lives is no one’s concern but their own.
And for the OP’s neighbor to place all the blame on them for her family of four to share a one bedroom apartment is a stretch, to say the least.
Here’s hoping she and her family will find an apartment big enough for all of them sooner rather than later.