Emily Smith drifted past shop windows, eyefeeding herself on the displays. In her mind she tallied how
Living in Someone Else’s Home? Then Pay the Rent!
“I don’t even know if my daughter’s wedding will happen. Everyone’s arguing, and my future son-in-law has gone off the rails. Just two weeks to the wedding, and he’s lost the plot. I feel so sorry for my daughter,” confides Alison.
“Why are you all fighting?”
“You won’t believe it—it’s over the flat. We wanted to do something special for the young couple, so we pooled all our savings and bought a flat as a wedding present. We even had to sell our lakeside cottage and garage to cover the cost. The property is registered in my daughter’s name. But since they’re getting married, what difference does it make whose name is on the deeds?”
“Exactly…”
“That’s what my husband and I think. The place, of course, is completely empty. It needs a total renovation and some furniture, but we haven’t got any savings left. My husband suggested to our future son-in-law that we all pitch in and sort the flat out together, so they can move in as soon as possible. But my son-in-law refuses to do any work!”
“Why not?”
“Because he says it’s not his flat. He doesn’t want to put money into a property that isn’t in his name. He said we should do the renovation ourselves. He might buy a few little things, but he has no intention of spending much.”
“So maybe they should just live there as is, without any renovations.”
“That’s impossible—it’s completely bare. Plus, it needs all the plumbing and electrics redone, the floors and walls levelled, and the old windows really have to go before they fall apart. At least some basic work needs doing,” says Alison.
“In my opinion, nobody could live in those conditions. I’m not fussy, but how can a young couple live in such a dump? It’s embarrassing. My future son-in-law works in a big company; he earns a good salary, but he’s tight with his money. You see, he wants to save for a place of his own, so he’s never left without a roof over his head.
“It turns out he wants to live at our expense. He insists we pay for the refurbishment. So I told him: if you think the flat isn’t yours, then pay rent! He just smiled and agreed,” sighs Alison.
“What does your daughter make of all this?”
“She’s utterly distraught and keeps crying. She loves him dearly, but we can’t put his name on the deeds too. Now she says she doesn’t want the flat or the renovation. But I don’t like that a man won’t invest anything in his family. What’s next? They’re not even married and already thinking about splitting up and who would get what,” says Alison.
Do you think my future son-in-law should invest in this flat? He’s planning to live there, start a family, settle down. Does it really matter who owns it on paper? Or is his position reasonable? What would you do in his situation? Someone else’s home? Then pay the rent! I find myself thinking about it now, all these years later
My husbands parents simply refuse to accept realitytheyre constantly trying to reunite him with his ex-wife.
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He once again placed his trust in a human. The cat, a sleek tabby named Tom, sat in the kitchen opposite
28September Im still trying to get my head around the fact that today was my first week as a junior accountant
