Greedy Husband to Wife: You Must Pay Me for the Room that You’re Using for Your Work
This man thinks that his wife is just a “tenant with benefits.”
He’s demanding 30% of his wife’s income as payment for the room that she’s using for her work at home. Horrible but true.
This heartbroken wife’s post on Reddit’s r/AmItheA–hole forum has already gained more than 16,000 votes — and gained so much fury for her greedy husband from Redditors. It seems that marriage nowadays has indeed become more of a business partnership or enterprise than the sacred union that it was before. That time not so long ago when husband and wife used to swear “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.”
Before, sweet romance and honorable marriage were inspirations for poetry. Now, couples and divorces are demanding more and more accounting books.
Here’s this wife’s heart-rending story under the username u/Emil536775: “I (F32) began working from home 2 months ago. My husband bought the house we live in before we got together. He calls it his property, which’s fine by me. The house is small, has only 2 rooms, one of which used to be empty til I started using it as an office for my WFH job. All was going fine with my job ’til he sat me down last night saying he’s expecting 30% ‘profit’ from whatever I get from my job since he ‘provides’ the office for my work.”
OP couldn’t believe what she heard! She asked her husband if he was serious, and the despicable man reminded her that the house belongs to him and he could have used the room for his own purpose. Instead, it’s OP who now benefits from it, and he should have his share of her earnings.
OP’s reply? She wrote, “I said no and called him unreasonable, which led to a blowup. I yelled at him, saying he won’t get a penny, and he pitched a fit and accused me of ‘taking full advantage’ even though there is no mortgage to be paid. I do all chores in the house as well as share half the bills.”
Since he couldn’t bend her to his will, OP’s husband even involved his family in the issue. His family was split in their opinion, but OP’s mother-in-law has taken her son’s side. Her MIL reasoned that her son’s room is a big help to OP since the room has provided her with stable wifi. She opined that OP’s giving her son 30% of her monthly income was just fair.
But OP still thinks she should not be paying her husband a single penny out of his selfish desire to profit from her.
What’s the opinion of the AITA community? As already mentioned, Reddit users felt enraged!
Award-winning comment from tatersprout: “NTA. Time to immediately stop paying bills and doing all the housework. Move into your office. If he wants to treat you like a tenant, act like one. Do not combine your money with his. Pay him the going rate of tenancy. Start looking for a new place to live because this marriage is over. It’s just a financial agreement to him.”
Pro_Choice_Pagan likewise opined, “I’d be rethinking my marriage if my partner expected me to pay rent on a space that is our shared home.”
Meanwhile, more words of wisdom from exlibris1214: “It’s called financial abuse. Get your financial ducks in a row (get copies of every financial document you can think of), keep all your decisions to yourself, and move out of his house as fast as you can. Start interviewing divorce lawyers who specialize in high-conflict divorce, and be specific about the financial abuse. Document it all! Good luck, and be safe, OP!”
