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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Flatmate issues

5 replies

Careerdirection5 · 16/11/2024 12:01

Long story short, I moved into a new place about 2 months ago. I’m sharing with one woman (late 20s) and am early 30s so about 4 years between us.

She hasn’t houseshared since university days and is married and from a different country, currently here for work without her husband. She speaks English well but sometimes there is a slight barrier. Anyway we got on really well when I moved in and I cooked dinner a couple of times. She did a few really kind favours for me as well and all seemed good. We’re both tidy and clean and very quiet around the house. Worth saying she is subleasing my room to me via the landlord so neither of us own the property.

fast forward to a few weeks later, I’m away for a week and her husband is there visiting so I give them some space. I brought them some chocolate back from my holiday and had a big chat with both of them. All good. I then don’t see her for about a week as we keep ourselves to ourselves and start getting snotty text messages about leaving lights on in the hallway when I’m in my bedroom and running the dishwasher when there is still some space in there. I did take these points onboard and apologised / stopped doing it.

im a bit shocked as feel like I’ve been kind and friendly so not really appreciating the pass agg texts. She is generally always at home and doesn’t have friends in this country whereas I’m out most evenings. I had invited her to do things but as soon as her tone changed I didn’t really want to see her in my free time!

We haven’t seen even other again for a week as I’ve been out a lot and went away for the weekend. I sent her a text saying I’d buy some stuff for the bathroom and asking after her, then another one saying I’d cleaned the flat and shall we do an alternating rota. Got another snotty message back saying she cleans frequently and doesn’t want to do a rota. It’s annoying because I’m generally the one taking the bins out / doing stuff behind the scenes but feel like she is claiming the moral high ground and implying I do less.

i invited her for a coffee to catch up this weekend but she said she had a tennis lesson (all weekend lol?) so didn’t know when she would be home. I’m a bit confused by the change in atmosphere / friendliness on her part which all seems to be since her husband came over. I don’t know what I could be doing differently or how I could make it better. Can someone please advise? I’m looking to buy soon so this is a temporary arrangement but it’s winding me up!

OP posts:
Careerdirection5 · 16/11/2024 16:48

Bumping hopefully

OP posts:
TryingTheBestICan · 16/11/2024 17:10

Sounds like she was used to the way she was living before and just wants someone to bring the bills down, rather than being friends. Hallway lights and running half empty dishwasher would provably annoy me too, hard to say whether the texts were out of order without seeing them.

Necky1 · 16/11/2024 17:16

Who knows what is going on with her.
Give her space.
Stop engaging unless necessary and focus on keeping an ear out for another room if you can.
I hope you find an alternative.
It sounds like she doesn't like sharing her space.
You could be anyone.

I had this many years ago when I was between flats for a month. Friend insists I stay with her but then clearly is allergic.
I took up another offer and simply collected my stuff after a week.
She then got upset because I was leaving🙄. Whatever.
Fortunately I was contacted by the landlord and got in two weeks early.
Friendship never recovered as she showed me that she wasn't a friend in a squeeze and I had been a real friend to her on several occasions.

Within a few weeks she needed another favour, but I wasn't available this time to put myself out.

Cherrysoup · 16/11/2024 18:03

As you’re subletting, can you just leave? Sounds like she doesn’t want a flatmate.

Careerdirection5 · 16/11/2024 18:39

Unfortunately I’m locked into a 6 month contract. Weirdly though she was very pally at the beginning. She has no friends here and spends all her time her room, but I’ve been spending most of my time away as don’t like atmosphere in the flat so in a way she’s getting her own way!

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