My Sister-in-Law Spent Her Holidays at a Luxury Resort While We Renovated the House, and Now She Expects to Live Comfortably with Us We Offered to Chip In Together for the House Renovation—She Refused, But Now Wants to Move In Because Her Half Is Uninhabitable. So Really, It’s Her Own Fault! The House Belonged to My Husband’s Grandmother; He Inherited It with His Sister After She Passed Away. The House Was Old, but We Decided to Renovate and Live There. With Two Separate Entrances, it Could Comfortably Fit Two Families, and the Yard and Utility Space Were Shared. Both Sides Had the Same Number of Rooms. The Inheritance Was Settled Quietly After We Married. My Mother-in-Law Immediately Declined the Property—She Preferred City Life—and Told Her Children: “Do What You Want.” My Husband and My Sister-in-Law’s Husband Saved Up to Fix the Roof and Reinforce the Foundations. When We Wanted to Continue Renovating, My Sister-in-Law Lost Her Temper—She Had No Intention of Investing in “That Old Cottage.” Her Husband Didn’t Argue and Just Left the Discussion. My Husband and I Planned to Move In. The Village Is Close to Town, We Own a Car, So the Commute Is Easy. More Importantly, We Were Tired of Cramped City Living and Longed for a Home of Our Own, But Building New Was Out of Our Budget. For My Sister-in-Law, the House Was Like a Holiday Cottage—She Planned to Visit in Summer, Maybe Host a Barbecue, but She Told Us Not to Count On Her. In Four Years, We Fully Renovated Our Half—Took Out Loans, Built a Bathroom, Installed Central Heating, Replaced All the Wiring and Windows, Even Glazed the Balcony. We Worked Nearly Nonstop to Make Our Dream Come True. Meanwhile, My Sister-in-Law Continued Her Luxury Holiday Escapades, Never Caring About Her Half or Our Work. She Lived for Herself. But Then, After Having a Baby and Going on Maternity Leave, Her Finances Tightened, and She Suddenly Remembered Her Half of the House. Caring for a Baby in a Tiny Flat Was Hard When a Large Yard and Fresh Air Were Waiting There. We’d Already Rented Out Our Old Apartment and Moved In, Never Touching Her Side. Over the Years, Her Half Fell Into Disrepair—Honestly, I Don’t Know How She Expected to Live There with No Heating or Indoor Toilet. She Arrived for a Month with Luggage and Asked to Stay With Us “Just for a Week”—I Felt I Had No Choice. Her Son Is Wildly Noisy, Just Like His Mother, Who Behaved as If She Owned the Place Without Any Consideration. Since I Work from Home, It Was Unbearable, So I Stayed at a Friend’s House For a While, Looking After Her Place While She Was Away. I Returned Nearly a Month Later, First Because of My Mum Falling Ill, Completely Forgetting My Sister-in-Law Was Still Supposedly with Us—Assuming She’d Gone Home. Imagine My Shock to Find She Was Still Living in Our Half, Acting Like It Was Hers. When I Asked When She Planned to Leave, She Responded: “Where should I go with a Small Child? I’m Fine Here.” “We’ll Take You Back to the City Tomorrow,” I Said. “I Don’t Want to Go.” “If You Can’t Even Bother to Clean Your Own Half, Go Back—This Isn’t a Hotel.” “What Right Do You Have to Throw Me Out? This Is My House Too!” “Your House Is Next Door—Go and Live There.” She Tried to Turn My Husband Against Me, But He Stood Firm—She Was Out of Bounds. She Stormed Off, Only to Have My Mother-in-Law Berate Us by Phone: “You Had No Right to Throw Her Out, It’s Her Property!” My Husband Replied, “She Could Have Stayed on Her Side—She’s the Lady There.” “How Can You Expect Her to Live There With a Baby? No Heating, Toilet’s Outside. You Should Take Care of Your Sister!” He Lost His Temper and Told His Mother the Whole Truth: We’d Offered to Renovate Together, It Would Have Been Cheaper for Both, But She Refused. Why Are We Blamed Now For Her Choices? We Then Suggested That She Sell Us Her Half. She Agreed—but At a Price That Would Buy a Fully Renovated House. We Weren’t Happy About It. Now, We’re Caught in Family Drama. My Mother-in-Law is Constantly Offended, Alina Is a Nuisance Whenever She Visits—Loud Parties, Minor Vandalism, Damaging the Shared Yard. So We’ve Started Building a Fence to Separate Our Properties Once and For All. There’s No Room for Compromise—This Is Exactly the Situation My Sister-in-Law Wanted.

So, you know how we were slogging away doing up the house, right? Meanwhile, my sister-in-law Emma was off enjoying herself at some holiday park the whole summer. Now, suddenly, she wants to move in and have all the comfortshonestly, cheeky if you ask me.

See, from the start, we suggested to Emma that we all chip in for the house renovations. She just waved us off, said she didnt need any of that and wasnt interested. Well, fast forward to now, and shes asking if she can move in with us because her side of the house is pretty much falling apart with no proper facilities. Its hardly our fault, is it?

The place belonged to my husbands nan. When she passed on, it was split between my husband, David, and his sister, Emma. The house was ancient, but we thought with a bit of love and work, it could be turned into somewhere decent to live. It was set up with two entrances, so two families could happily live under one roof without getting in each others way. We would share the garden and the back, and both halves had about the same number of rooms.

The division happened once David and I were already married. There were no bust-ups or dramas. My mother-in-law immediately said she wouldnt take her shareshe preferred city life, thank you very muchtold David and Emma to do what they liked with it.

David and I, along with Emmas husband, scraped together enough cash to fix the roof and shore up the foundations. We wanted to carry on updating the rest, but Emma lost it, really wasnt on board at all. She said she never planned to throw money at some dodgy old cottage in the sticks. Her husband just kept quiet and left the roomhe never gets into arguments with Emma.

David and I were dead set on living in that house. It was only a village just outside the city, and we had our own car, so commuting wasnt an issue. Plus, wed pretty much had enough of squeezing into that cramped one-bed flat. For ages, wed dreamt of our own home, but we knew building from scratch would completely break the bank.

To Emma, though, it was just a fancy little countryside escape for the summer, somewhere to have a barbie and unwind now and then. She made it crystal cleardont expect her to help.

Four years down the line, and wed redone our half from top to bottom. Yes, we had to take out a loan, but that was the least of it. Theres a proper bathroom, central heating, new electrics, new windows, the lot. We even put a conservatory inmy little pride and joy. It was non-stop graft, but we were determined to make this dream happen.

Emma, meanwhile, was constantly off on some getaway, didnt bother once to see what we were up to or even check on her half. She just enjoyed herself, living life for her own pleasure, not worrying about the house in the slightest. That is, until she had a baby and went on maternity leave.

Suddenly, holidays were over and money was a bit tighter. Next thing we know, shes got her eyes back on her side of the house. Makes sense, really, as being cooped up in a tiny flat with a little one must drive you stir crazy. At least at the house, her son could run about outside all day, get some fresh air.

By this point, David and I had settled in nicely, and we were letting out our old flat. We hadnt touched her halfhonestly, it was practically falling to bits. I have no clue how she thought shed cope, especially without heating, but one month she rocked up with a suitcase and a young child, begging to stay with us for a week. What could I do? I let her in.

Her little boy is a real handfulloud as anything, just like his mum, who did whatever she pleased, no regard for anyone else. Since I work from home, it was impossible, so for a bit, I went to stay with my friend Sophie instead. She was heading away anyway, so it actually worked out for her that someone was looking after the house.

In the end, I was away much longer than planneda week at Sophies, then my mum got poorly, so I stayed to help out. I completely forgot about Emma, assuming shed have returned home long before.

Imagine my surprise when I turned up and found her still there, acting as if it was her place! I asked when she was planning to leave.

Where am I supposed to go? Ive got a small childthis suits me fine, Emma replied.

Well take you back to the city tomorrow, I told her.

I dont want to go to the city, she said.

Well, you could at least have tidied up a bit while you were here. This isnt a hotel, I shot back.

How dare you throw me out? This is my house!

Your house is next door. Go stay in your half.

She tried turning David against me, but even he told her she was taking the mickey. She got in a right strop and left. A few hours later, my mother-in-law called, fuming.

You had no right to kick her outits her property.

She could have stayed in her side. She owns that half, David replied.

Hows she supposed to live there with a child, no heating, toilets outdoors You could have helped your sister out.

David finally lost his temper and told his mum everythinghow wed offered to do up the place together, how it would have cost half as much. Emma said no, so why are we suddenly the villains?

We even offered to buy Emmas share, but her asking price was so daft we couldve bought a perfect house elsewhere for the same money. Not exactly a fair deal.

Now its just bickering all the time. My mother-in-laws always upset, and Emma is just impossible. They hardly ever come by, but when they do, its noisy parties, little acts of spite, and damage to the garden.

Were now putting up a fence to fully separate the two sides. No more compromisesEmmas left us with no other choice.