Woman keeps getting fined by roommate for breaking absurd house rules, sparks debate

Living with roommates can sometimes become a challenge, as it requires a tremendous amount of patience in ways that were previously unanticipated. A harmonious relationship between individuals living together can only be maintained when they respect each other’s boundaries. However, one woman chose to assert her authority by imposing bizarre fines on her roommate. The roommate on the receiving end of these punishments—who goes by u/Tasty_Contract5995 on Reddit—opened up about how she was "losing her mind" following a rift between them. In a widely circulating post, the co-tenant shared how her living situation became increasingly unbearable after she found sticky notes listing her so-called punishments for breaking fabricated house rules.

To avoid any conflicts, the woman claimed she initially tried to avoid her overpowering roommate. However, this boiled down to a point where she could no longer take it and sought opinions from the online community. “My roommate charges me ‘fines’ for breaking her stupid rules,” she wrote, unveiling what went wrong with her housemate.

The ordeal between the duo began when her roommate, Ashley (name changed), started leaving sticky notes on her bedroom door detailing fines for supposed infractions. “The fines are ridiculous... $5 for not emptying the trash ‘on time,’ $3 for leaving the bathroom light on, but honestly, the craziest one was an $8 fine for not making my bed,” she elaborated. The woman shared that Ashley could only have known about the unmade bed by entering her room without permission. The tiff reached a point where she started feeling “uncomfortable” due to the “dumb” house rules.

However, the situation escalated when Ashley decided to confront her directly. “Tonight, when I got home, Ashley literally pulled out a little notebook and tried to tell me all the things I did 'wrong,’” she recounted, adding that her roommate insisted the fines were “to teach me accountability.”

The woman firmly responded, saying she didn’t owe a single penny to her housemate and decided not to pay the fake fines. Seeing the woman standing her ground, Ashley became quite “huffy.” The bizarre explanation offered by Ashley sparked a heated argument, leading to a standoff between the two roommates. The co-tenant went on to point out the irony of Ashley accusing her of being messy. “She’s the one always leaving her bags and stuff at the door, so coming into the house is like a minefield, but yet I’m the problem? Crazy,” she expressed.

Criticizing Ashley for trying to act like her mother and landlord all rolled into one, the woman concluded, “My roommate is fining me for breaking her made-up house rules and I’m losing my mind.” Among the reactions her post drew, u/HoundOfUlsterSpeaks suggested, “Counter-charge her for causing emotional distress from tripping over her bag left on the floor and [for] her TV being too loud, making it impossible to sleep.”

“Next time she leaves a sticky note on your bed, take it, cross out the part about the bed, and write in going into another person’s room without permission, then put it on her door,” u/HollyBee159 said. “Unless you’ve signed something saying you would pay those fines, then she can’t change your ‘rental agreement’ without both of you signing,” u/alimarieb advised.