Man Asks ‘Sister’ to Leave Late Parents’ House After Inheritance

A man seeks advice from the Reddit community following a difficult situation with a woman he grew up with, who he considers to be like his sister.

His post, shared under the AITAH forum, explains the complicated family dynamic that now leaves him questioning whether he is wrong for asking her to leave his late mother’s house.

“When I was a kid, my parents had a housekeeper who sadly passed away when her daughter was still very little, like under 5,” he writes. “After that, my parents basically raised her. They paid for her schooling, college, vacations, treated her like family, but they never legally adopted her.”

He explains that while the young woman was never formally adopted, she became a fixture in the household and was always considered “kind of like a sister” to him and his two biological siblings. “The truth is, my family has always been very cold and distant,” he continues. “None of us ever had a close or loving relationship, not even with each other.”

After his father passed away three years ago and his mother more recently, the family’s ties loosened even further. “Since my parents passed, I don’t really hear from my brothers anymore either, we’ve all gone our separate ways mostly for the best,” he shares.

When it came time for the inheritance to be divided, his two biological siblings took their share and moved on with their lives. “The house and some money was left to me,” he explains, noting that the woman he calls his sister still lives there.

Now, he feels it is time to sell the property and move forward. “She still lives in that house, but I want to sell it now, which means she needs to move out,” he writes.

The woman has asked him for financial support to ease her transition. “She asked for some monetary support so she can move on with her life as well, but I don’t think she [has] this claim,” he says, adding that she approached his siblings for help but “neither answered her.”

He notes that in their country, it is typical for children to live with their parents until marriage, so her staying in the house has not been unusual. Still, he feels the situation has reached its end. “My other family members feel like we should at least give her something, I think she already had enough and I need her out so I can sell the house and also move on from all of this,” he admits.

One commenter offers perspective, telling him that because she is an adult with a job, she should have savings and be prepared to cover moving costs. “If she chose not to save, give her a few months before evicting her. NTA for wanting her out of your house so you can sell your property,” the user responds.

The man replies with further context about her circumstances. “She’s around 24 years old and has a job, she has a college degree in law school, and could be a lawyer if she could keep a serious job, which she can’t because she is just like us,” he explains.

He says that while she works at times, she struggles to maintain consistency. “If I let her stay I’ll be her new father for eternity, she went to college and can’t keep a nice job for the life of her just because she doesn’t care (even though she works when she feels like [it]), just like [my] brother and just like my sister,” he writes.

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The man highlights what he feels is the crucial difference between her and his siblings. “The only difference is they have the means to support their reckless lifestyle, at least for a while, while she doesn’t,” he notes.

Ultimately, he believes he cannot take on responsibility for her any longer. “I don’t want to be responsible for something it’s not my responsibility,” he concludes.