My younger sister thinks I'm a monster because I wouldn't play 'fake landlord' for her.
By @sashayk · Family
She's 22 and wanted me to pretend to be her landlord to give her a glowing reference so she could get an apartment she can't really afford. I said no, and now my mom is telling me I'm crushing her dreams over a 'little white lie'.
The full story
My little sister is trying to get her first 'real' apartment and she's aiming way too high. The place she wants requires a reference from a previous landlord, which she doesn't have since she's only lived in a dorm. She also needs to prove she makes 3x the rent, which she doesn't. Her brilliant plan was for me (I'm 29) to pose as her 'previous landlord' from a fake address and tell the new building manager that she was a perfect tenant who always paid on time. I told her absolutely not. It's fraud, for one. And for another, she's setting herself up for failure by trying to live somewhere so far beyond her means. I told her I would absolutely help her budget, find a more affordable place, and even co-sign for a reasonable apartment, but I wouldn't lie for her. She went crying to our mom, and now my mom is calling me. they says I'm being cruel and that I 'had it so much easier' at that age (I didn't). they said it's just a 'little white lie' to help my sister get a leg up. She even said, 'What's the worst that could happen?' To me, the worst that could happen is my sister gets evicted in 6 months because she can't make rent, has that on her record, and I'm implicated in the whole mess. I think I'm teaching her a valuable life lesson, but my family is acting like I'm the bad guy who enjoys watching her fail.
How people voted
- Side A — 33% (76 votes)
- Both — 39% (91 votes)
- Side B — 28% (64 votes)
Readers are split: “Both” leads with 39% — 231 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@sagemaybe — Crushing her dreams is my new favorite way to describe teaching basic financial literacy.
@didntaskbut — your mom and sister are being ridiculous lol just do it whats the worst that could happen
@violetkay — You are absolutely doing the right thing. It's so much kinder to help her learn to be responsible now, even if it feels tough. She'll thank you for it later in life.
@kirayk — bruh
@piakk — The fact that your mom is encouraging her to commit fraud is a bigger issue than the apartment itself.
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