Woman Refuses to Let Brother Move In, Is Pushed Out of Her Apartment

A woman turns to the Reddit community for support after a family conflict leaves her questioning her own boundaries and sense of home. The 26-year-old explains that her mother bought her a studio apartment as a graduation gift, a gesture she deeply appreciates. 

“I know not everyone has the same privilege in life,” she writes in her post, acknowledging her gratitude, but also notes that the apartment was unfinished when she moved in and is technically in her mother’s name.

For a while, she never thought much about the ownership details until her family’s plans began to shift. “My family (mother 56F, stepfather 60M and half brother 16M) live in a small town in the same country,” she explains, setting the stage for the dilemma that follows.

The situation escalated when her mother tells her that her half-brother wants to move to the city to attend a better school and live with her. “I said that it is completely unacceptable, as he is a minor and the apartment is a studio (300 sqft),” she says, making it clear that she feels unprepared to take on the responsibility of a teenage sibling in such a small space.

She tries to reason with her mother, asking, “I am not his parent, so why should I hold this responsibility?” Her mother’s response is that “family should help family,” but the Reddit poster stands firm, insisting that her brother should focus on his studies and move into a dorm if he wants to live in the city.

The disagreement leads to a month-long silence between mother and daughter, until her mother calls again with a new ultimatum. “She called me and said that they would move in anyway,” the poster reveals, describing how her mother now claims that, because she works remotely, she doesn’t need to stay in the city, and that her brother needs the apartment more.

The young woman is left feeling cornered and betrayed. “My mother also said that she isn’t kicking me out, I can stay here or I can go wherever or I can go back home,” she shares, but quickly points out, “Well I can’t go back home as I won’t be living with my stepdad cause it would be really weird.”

She is devastated by the prospect of losing her home, which she has poured her time and energy into making her own. “It is a tiny shoe box, but it is mine. I made all the renovations how I liked, decorated, bought and assembled the furniture by myself,” she writes.

Desperate for a solution, she offers a compromise: “At the end, I suggested that they rent another apartment in my city for 2 years (while the brother is still in high school) and I will pay for it if she legally transfers the ownership of this apartment to me.” 

Her mother rejects the idea, citing the saying: “even though the place is crowded, we don’t mind.”

The emotional toll is overwhelming. “I just feel so betrayed, I cried the whole weekend,” she confides, adding that if she had known the apartment wasn’t truly hers, she would have used her savings as a down payment for her own property.

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She tries to reason with her mother, but nothing changes. She also adds a few more thoughts, revealing that her stepdad thinks the idea is “ridiculous” but avoids conflict, and that other relatives support her but feel powerless. 

She also worries about the practical reality: “It is impossible for them to live here without arguing all the time because people need privacy, especially teenagers.”

Despite everything, she still believes in the importance of family, but not at the cost of her own well-being. “I do think that family should help family but not in that specific case,” she concludes, leaving readers to wonder where the line should be drawn between helping loved ones and protecting your own space.