AITAH for giving my ex a choice to leave our home for one night to allow a friend to stay?
Hello, I (30F) and my now ex (30M), we'll name Brandon, have been living together for about 2 years now. We had dated for 4 years and recently he broke up with me. We moved into a home about two years ago and now that we're not together, he wants to move out. That's fine, but unfortunately, both of our names are on the deed and mortgage.
Due to financial concerns, I have been dragging on switching the mortgage into my name, but that also means refinancing and essentially paying the same amount that the mortgage currently is, but with a higher interest rate. It seems dumb to me to ruin myself once he moves out with an increased interest rate.
Brandon doesn't believe in being friends with exes, much less living with them regardless. I said that we were basically living like roommates before we broke up since there was no love or connection going on. To me, it's survivability for finances currently. I don't come from a wealthy family, while he does. (For perspective, his dad 'gifted' him about $20k in the last month because why not?) I am significantly less fortunate and have always worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.
In the pass month, he has gone from using some of my dishes and such to using the last of the paper plates we currently have, bought new food containers for meal prepping, went from having his food separated in the kitchen pantry to being in the closet in his bedroom, and more. He refuses to go downstairs when I am hanging out in the living room and doesn't acknowledge me at any other point. As soon as I go upstairs to my bedroom at night, he will go downstairs to do whatever. He doesn't cook or go downstairs when I am there. To each their own, we try to respect each others space and I try to respect his uncomfortableness with the situation. It doesn't bother me at all.
Recently, a friend from out of town is coming to visit. It is a guy, and previously, Brandon was against the idea because he was a guy that I had flirted with 10 years ago and am no longer interested in that way. We are just friends and I've made that clear with said guy and he's respected my boundaries with his own feelings. (I can't do long distance and neither one of us wants to move away from our friends and family. We came to this understanding when we were in college.) Brandon didn't want this guy to stay at all because "Boys will be boys".
Understandable when we were dating, but now that we're not, Brandon is even more against said guy staying at our place at all. I talked with Brandon about this and asked what makes him and this friend different. This is the conversation:
Me: "What is the difference between you and him? You're an ex and I set boundaries that nothing more will happen with (said) guy. I can understand if you had a problem when we were dating, but now we're not, so what does it matter?"
Brandon: "Boys will be Boys. I won't do anything to you, but he might. He is not staying in my- our house. I should have an opinion and a valued one at that."
Me: "I do value your opinion and I appreciate you sharing it, but also, we're not dating and as a guest, he shouldn't have to find a place to stay and spend more money. You know how I have no money, and you want me to go further into debt because you don't want someone to stay here? Much less pay for 3 meals a day? That's not fair to me."
Brandon: "Who said you had to pay for a hotel or the meals? He can pay for one and you can split meals."
Me: "He is a guest and I was raised to treat guests with kindness and not expect them to take the load of everything. It's the same when you go to your parents. You are a guest, but yet, you don't pay for anything."
Brandon: *silence* "He's not staying here."
Me: "That's not fair, why can't we compromise and he can be here, but not stay the night?"
Brandon: "Fine, but I don't want to see him at all. He has to be gone before I come home from work and while I am home."
I agreed to this, but then realized my friend and I were going to my parents for a few things and for me to go to a family members birthday party over the weekend. I also work very early, (0300) on the following Monday after the weekend said friend is here. I told Brandon, regardless, my friend will be staying that night so he can choose what he wants to do. Either stay and deal with it or leave. Brandon accused me of kicking him out of our house. I said we were going to be gone for a majority of the time my friend was here. So he would have 3 days of the house to himself. It's only fair.
Brandon was not happy and said he guesses he will think about what he's going to do on Sun evening. He still hasn't given me his answer, so I am not sure what will happen.
I talked with my parents about this and they are saying it's not right that he gets four nights in our home and I get, maybe, one night to sleep in my own bed. That I am bending over backwards for Brandon by completely leaving the house for him to be comfortable.
AITA for forcing a single night on my ex for a friend to stay or is he in the right?
Posted Sep 8, 2026, 11:33 AM UTC