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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/Mansonschick on 2026-03-09 16:40:22+00:00.
This is currently ongoing.
I am in my 30s and have two rooms for rent in my home after my previous roommates moved out so I went about the business of posting them for rent everywhere I could think: Facebook, Nextdoor, SpareRoom, even a flyer at the library.
I had been stood up by a few potential roommates and was feeling a bit desperate with bills coming due. Finally, I got a call on the last Friday in February from a sweet sounding older lady. She told me she was being temporarily displaced from her condo due to some flood damage needing remediation. She was looking to start fresh somewhere else and I was genuinely excited at the prospect of living with an established person. She has some additional health limitations but they seemed like a non-issue to me. She reminded me of my dearly departed grandma.
So, we agreed to an amount and a temporary/trial lease to see if we were a good fit. When we met and did a walkthrough of the house, I had also offered to help her clear her cabinets so the contractors could do their job. She called me Saturday morning and asked if I was still able to help. So, I went and helped her. It took two full days to move everything out of the way because there's just SO MUCH STUFF (verging on hoarder-level). Monday, my family member and I helped take the boxes we'd packed to the storage unit and went our separate ways.
The new roommate came over that night and stayed with me. At the urging of a few people, I decided we needed a two-week lease to keep everyone safe. We signed the lease Monday night and here we are one week later. In that time, it has been extremely difficult to meet in the middle. Some things that have happened:
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Her room was not warm enough. Fair enough. I offered extra blankets, a space heater, a radiator heater, and even a heated blanket. Not good enough. Eventually I needed to buy a thermostat sensor to keep the temperature consistent. I was informed every single time the temp dropped below 67 degrees. So now it's 68 degrees in her room and 75 in the main floor.
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I have a dog. She told me she loves dogs. I offered to keep the dog behind a gate for the first day or so. She then went into a story about how she was staying with someone with an aggressive dog and it chased her to her car. She then asked if I could crate the dog. I have done so every time I leave the house. Then on Saturday, she asked if I wanted her to feed the dog or let her out while I was gone. I declined since she's never been around the dog without a gate and only when I'm home.
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She is extremely paranoid that she is being spied on by her neighbors so I made sure to point out my cameras for peace of mind. She then told me that they had bugged all her devices and her home as well as hacked into her Pinterest account. She also claims that whenever she makes noise in her condo, her upstairs neighbor will stomp or otherwise alert her that she's being too loud. I unfortunately took her at her word.
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I was having a gathering with family and she told me that my water tasted metallic and that I should rethink serving people my tap water or offering them ice from my freezer. My youngest sister from out of town was napping downstairs before the party and came up as soon as she heard the roommate start in on me to end the lecture/confrontation.
I had already decided not to extend a full term lease to her but #4 really solidified it. She decided not to stick around after that and came home after I had gone to bed. I woke up[ this morning and was trying to move quietly so as not to wake her. I was planning to write the notice to vacate at the end of her temporary lease next Monday (3 days required per law) but she ambushed me as I was getting the house and dog settled and walking out the door. Told me she couldn't live in the house and will be leaving by Sunday. I told her I agreed and finished rushing out of the house. Now I've got my letter in hand and ready to go when I get home.
TL:DR: Took pity on an older lady. She ended up being a hoarder and I am stressed and anxious to be in my own home.