AITA for refusing to let my roommate borrow my expensive headphones and confronting her when she tried to take them without asking?

A Redditor shares a conflict with their roommate over a pair of expensive noise-canceling headphones. After refusing to lend them out, they discovered their roommate attempting to take them without permission, sparking tension in the household. Read the story below!

‘ AITA for refusing to let my roommate borrow my expensive headphones and confronting her when she tried to take them without asking?’

i recently bought a pair of expensive noise canceling headphones. They’re really important to me since I need them for studying in our loud apartment. My roommate *Maggie* asked to borrow them to use during her café shift, but I said no because I wasn’t comfortable with them leaving the apartment. She wasn’t happy and called me ridiculously protective.

A few days later, I caught her taking them off the counter without asking. I immediately told her to put them back and said I didn’t trust her with my stuff anymore. Now she’s mad at me, saying I’m selfish, and she’s been giving me the cold shoulder.

One of our other roommates agrees with me, but another thinks it’s no big deal to let her borrow them. I’m wondering if I overreacted by not letting her borrow them and confronting her when she took them. AITA?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

Full_Pace7666 −  NTA at all. No is a complete sentence, and her response to being told no is to steal, apparently. Don’t leave your headphones out in the communal spaces again, unless they are on your head.

Complete-Phone-4015 −  NTA, YOUR belongings are up to YOU to decide when and if to share them. I’m also confused as to why the roommate requested to use them for working in a cafe setting, which is a job that requires human interaction and communication? If she wanted some noise cancelling headphones so badly she could get her own.

I can understand not having the money, but save up some weekly allowance for a few weeks and get them or find some cheaper ripoff. At BARE MINIMUM, you should always have first priority and to be able to use your own items without having to consult someone else if no deals werw previously agreed upon!! She dismissed your response, broke your trust and is trying to victimise herself when caught.

Substantial_Egg_4660 −  Wonder what would happen if she broke them..would she be happy to replace them?

lostinthought1997 −  NTA. Which part of the word “no” is she having trouble comprehending? How old is she that she doesn’t understand that borrowing without permission is theft, and stealing is inappropriate behavior?

Next-Wishbone1404 −  EW! I don’t want other people’s n**ty ear germs on my headphones, inside my house or out. NTA.

anonymousymousey −  NTA. “Am I an a**hole because I don’t want my roommate stealing expensive personal belongings from me and then g**lighting me about it?”. F**king. No. Of course not. What?

midKnightBrown59 −  Don’t let her or your other roommates confuse you. Your reasons are valid and even if they weren’t it’s your item! Also, you need a basic level of trust to live together with someone and stealing destroys trust. Keep an eye out on your other stuff and if your room ain’t locked then lock it. NTA.

SushiMom213 −  NTA at all!! She can get her own! If she is taking them for a whole shift at work which she most likely isn’t allowed to wear headphones at work anyway, when are you supposed to be able to enjoy using them? Lock them up in your room asap. They will go missing and get broken, why people feel entitled to your belongings is beyond me 🙄 tell her to go buy her own!

prairiesailor_1 −  NTA of course. Offer a compromise. Let’s say the 🎧 cost $300. Tell her she can borrow them anytime as soon as she gives you a $300 damage deposit. Cause I **guaranfuckingtee** you she will never replace them if they break or get lost. Oh and yuck. Who wears someone’s headphones?

ArmyPatate −  NTA but now you learned your roommate has no limits other than hers, doesn’t care about yours, and she’s a t**ef stealing other people’s property. Nice combo. I would advise you to be super cautious about the things you value the most and lock them somewhere.

Was the OP right to stand firm about their belongings, or should they have been more lenient with their roommate? And how should situations like these be handled to avoid escalating tension? Share your thoughts below!