After months of her roommate not showering, a woman got her evicted, showing why hygiene is important in shared homes.
Is there a polite way to tell someone they need a shower without infuriating them? Perhaps not, as a 23-year-old Reddit user recently discovered. Living with her 18-year-old housemate for four months, she found herself in a difficult situation due to her roommate's poor hygiene. Despite running for two hours each morning, the younger roommate never showered, making the house unbearable.
When the woman addressed the issue with her teen roommate, the teen either dismissed her concerns or promised to shower but never did. Eventually, the woman warned her roommate that if she didn't start bathing, she would contact the landlord about eviction. When this threat didn't work, she called the landlord, who noticed the foul smell and issued a 30-day notice for the roommate to move out.
In anger, the teen called the woman derogatory names and accused her of being irrational, especially so close to Christmas. The woman's friends also warned that the eviction might affect the teen's studies. However, the landlord consulted a lawyer, who confirmed that poor hygiene could be a biohazard, justifying the eviction. The lease agreement clearly stated that any behavior endangering others would lead to eviction, making the 30-day notice more than fair.
Adding to the tension, the roommate threatened to sue for cultural discrimination. However, the lawyer assured the case wouldn't hold up in court, as the primary issue was hygiene and health risks, not cultural differences. Interestingly, after seeing the woman's post about the situation on social media, the teen finally decided to shower and friends who had before advised the woman to put up with the situation became more understanding of its severity. People in the comments supported the woman, agreeing that hygiene should be a priority. "If she smells so bad that the apartment stinks to the point where the landlord is throwing up, that isn't normal. You talked to her. She did nothing. She FAFO'd. The people who are telling you that you did wrong should live with her for a semester and see how they feel about it." said u/corgwin.
"Lack of hygiene, to that degree, is a concerning sign that points to mental health problems. Does she have family that you can call? She's at the age where most mental illness strikes," asked u/HalflingMelody. To which u/grouchymonk1517 answered, "Usually when you have a mental illness that leads to not showering, you don't have the energy to run for 2 hours every day. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I doubt she is severely depressed enough not to shower for 4 months."