'AITA for turning off the WiFi while my roommate was streaming because he has been late on rent?'
"AITA for turning off the WiFi while my roommate was streaming because he has been late on rent?"
So, I've got this roommate, let's call him Jake. Jake is pretty big on livestreamer on Kick and Twitch, pulling in around 10k viewers each stream. Dude's making bank, no doubt about it. He always brags and I know how much popular streamers make. We've been sharing this apartment for a bit, and things were cool until the rent issue popped up.
Jake's been late on his share of the rent for the third consecutive month. It's not that he can't pay... it's more like he won't because he's too caught up in his streaming world and, I guess, being a bit lazy about his responsibilities. He's a cool guy overall aside from this.
Our lease is pretty strict about payments (duh?!), and it's putting me in a tough spot with the landlord. I've covered for him before, thinking it was a one-time thing, but it's become a pattern. We've had talks about it, and each time, Jake assures me it won't happen again. Yet, here we are.
The last straw was this past month. He missed the rent deadline again, and there he was, in the middle of another big stream. Something snapped in me, and I decided to take action. I went online, accessed our WiFi router's settings, and disabled the internet access for his devices. Mid-stream, everything on his end just froze. Chaos in his online world, I guess. I was watching and his chat was going crazy. It was hilarious.
After I cut off the WiFi, Jake was furious. Once he realized what happened, he stormed into my room, yelling about his stream crashing and how much money he lost because of it. He even threatened to kick me out, despite us both being on the lease, and said he'd make sure I regretted messing with his work. He's been giving me the cold shoulder since, and the vibe in our apartment is super tense.
I know his streaming is his livelihood, but I felt like I had to make a point about responsibility and consequences. Now, I'm sitting here, wondering if I went too far. Cutting off someone's internet, especially when it's their job, feels extreme. But then, consistently ignoring rent agreements feels disrespectful too.
So am I the ahole here for cutting off my roommate's WiFi during one of his live streams because he's been late on rent again, despite making more than enough money to contribute?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
Desperate_Pass_5701 said:
Nope. You can't have wifi if the bills aren't paid. Actions (or lack thereof) have consequences.
Responsible_Cold_16 aaid:
NTA. It's takes 1 minute to send a venmo or write a check. F-k him. No rent. No wifi.
Hemiak said:
NTA. But I would’ve walked into his room mid stream and loudly announced “Dude you missed your rent payment again, did you spend all your money on Japanese sex dolls again?”
OkPsychology2376 said:
NTA. I'd go in and stand behind him during his live stream and say very loudly that he's past-due with his rent AGAIN. Then, all his viewers will see you and hear it.
SVAuspicious said:
NTA. Make him pay a month in advance. Better yet - make him set up automatic EFT so you get paid a month in advance automatically. He didn't pay therefore he doesn't get WiFi. I'd flip off the circuit breakers for his room and lock the breaker box.
Scared-Listen6033 said:
NTA Tell him he can transfer you the rent money on time, or this will be the consequence, everytime. If he does "kick you out" make sure you pack the modem! You can even have him setup auto payments to e-transfer you money the day before rent is due every month and then you can just pay the landlord... If he can't figure that out, he's going to need to figure out how his livelihood will work from a tent while he's homeless...