WIBTA for reporting a guy living rent-free in my shared apartment to my landlord?

A Redditor shared their dilemma about whether to report a disruptive guest who has overstayed his welcome in their shared 10-person apartment. The guest is living rent-free, breaking house rules, and causing tension among housemates. Read the original story below to learn more about the situation.

‘ WIBTA for reporting a guy living rent-free in my shared apartment to my landlord?’

I (23F) live in a shared apartment with 9 others, making it a 10-person household. About a month ago, one of my housemates had a friend (27M) come over for what was supposed to be a 2-day visit. But… he’s still here. From what I can tell, he’s not paying rent, and all the bedrooms are already occupied, so he sleeps in the room with his friend.

I’ve spoken to the friend (the one who lives here), and he says this guy doesn’t plan to stay long-term, but he’s not sure when he’ll actually leave. For now, he’s staying indefinitely. His presence has become really disruptive.

Most of us either work or go to university and need to get ready in the mornings, but he’s usually up at 5 or 6 a.m., and he tends to spend a lot of time in the bathroom. The problem is that he often leaves it dirty and smelly, which makes it unpleasant for the next person to use. On top of that, he’s often up at 4 a.m.,

playing loud music or having long calls with his family in India, and this noise wakes some of us up. When he’s in the kitchen, he’s usually using the TV, so I can’t watch anything while cooking. Our landlord also has a rule against room-sharing, so technically, his staying here long-term isn’t even allowed. WIBTA for reporting this to the landlord?

Additional issue: He’s taken one of the kitchen cabinets for his stuff, even though he doesn’t pay rent. We all assumed 2 cabinets per person was fair, but now he’s using one. He also uses the hand wash and kitchen towels we bought, doesn’t take out trash, and never cleans.

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

DJ_Too_Supreme_AITA −  YWNBTA, If this goes against the lease and this friend seemingly isn’t leaving anytime soon then what other option do you have?

notpostingmyrealname −  NTA. He’s a bad guest, he’s overstayed his welcome, and your lease is being violated. If you don’t report it, and LL is a j**k, he could make life hard for y’all, up to and including starting the eviction process, depending on the language of the lease. Get his ass outta there.

fiestafan73 −  Has anyone actually said to him, “You don’t live here, you aren’t on the lease, you don’t pay any bills…GTFO!”? Because honestly it seems like no one is actually addressing this with the person who is the problem. NTA.

Bunny_Bixler99 −  NTA . I’m baffled with comments about “informing the landlord is too extreme” and “talk to the roommate that allowed the leech to move in”. It could disrupt everyone else if the landlord thinks you’re all consenting to housing this disruptive presence. He needs to go, his buddy needs to have his lease agreement reassessed. 

Mastersauce420 −  There’s one bathroom between 10 people, and now Mr 11 wants to stink it up every morning? Hell nah. Report him and make your lives all better.

TemptingPenguin369 −  NTA. In my city, if he’s there for 30 days, he gets tenants’ rights even though he’s not on the lease. That means a long, expensive eviction process.

Due-Passenger7093 −  NTA… if he’s as disruptive as you say… you’re totally valid in wanting him out

WolfgangAddams −  Where do you live that an apartment with 10 bedrooms and 20 kitchen cabinets exists?! Also, NTA.

Ksorkrax −  NTA. If he plays loud music at night, I’ll tell him once to stop that and that there will be no second warning. If he does it again, I’d directly throw him out. That’s an absolute no-go.

BoundPrincess84 −  NTA. You were told he was staying for 2 days. He’s far surpassed that. The person sharing their room is knowingly violating their lease and allowing their guest to be a pain in the @$$ to the other people who actually pay to live there. Go with the other housemates who agree that they’re sick of him being there and notify the landlord.

Would reporting the situation to the landlord be the right move to maintain fairness and order, or should the Redditor try to resolve it with the housemate again? How would you handle a guest overstaying their welcome in a shared living space? Share your thoughts below!