AITA for saying no to my older homeowner now suddenly requiring socks to be worn after renting for a decade?
Rented a room from the homeowner for a decade. Good overall relationship and fine dynamic. Rent is stupid cheap.
Homeowner, 75, now is requiring socks to be worn at all times inside, except obviously own room. I said no, wtf?! He got very visibly livid and walked off when getting a call.
His reasoning is that feet leave oil on wood surfaces and he can visibly see the shine sometimes. He thinks its absolutely disgusting. Has never ever come up or been an issue in the last 11 years of renting.
Is this a normal thing?
NTA, but…
If it’s cheap rent, buy a pair of slippers and call it a day. Also, if you’re actually leaving footprints as you go by from like sweat, then it’s a valid ask. Otherwise, it’s just about keeping the peace in a good situation.
Maybe your feet got more sweaty. Maybe your landlord got cataract surgery, or new glasses and can suddenly see better. Maybe a guest pointed it out to him. Or the sunlight happened to hit just right and now he notices your foot prints all the time.
Who knows. Flip the narrative and think of it as you’re glad you got away with no socks for 11 years, but fine you’ll start wearing them now. Slippers are also an option; there are a lot of different kinds.
NAH, but is it worth the fight? Rent for you is “stupid cheap” and you’ve liked the place enough to stay for 10 or 11 years. Your landlord wants a slightly cleaner floor. He asked and then didn’t say anything else. Is this the hill to die on?
INFO: Why is this such a big deal? Seems like a pretty easy concession to make for “stupid cheap” rent.
Tbh, i would probably also not want my tenant’s bare feet all over the floor and furniture.
Isn’t a slipper an option? That you can easily just put on and take off at your door.
Simply put, *he’s the owner.*
Wearing socks or slippers seems a reasonble ask.
You can do what he says or find another place to live.
YTA.
NAH but pretty shortsighted. Such a minor concession for cheap rent and a place you’ve been content with for a decade. If socks annoy you, get some slippers. Of all the principles one can fight for, you’re choosing the oddest one.
Rents are ridiculous these days. Why not just keep a pair of slippers or Hospital type grippy socks by your door and put them on when you go out of your room? I rented a room once from an Asian woman and I got used to the no shoes rule pretty quick and just kept a pair of indoor only slippers inside my bedroom door
YTA – put on some socks and keep the peace:)
You seem obsessed about why the sudden change after ten years. Who cares? What does it matter? You seem to be taking it as a personal insult. It’s not. It’s his house. What he requires of tenants, and presumably visitors, is reasonable.
Why are you bothered by this? If he’s disgusted by this he’ll evict you and you’ll have to pay more rent somewhere else.
Whether it’s “normal” or not isn’t the question. The question you’re really asking is, “Should I do this?”
Given that your landlord seems to be a nice guy, your rent is cheap (“stupid cheap” is your term), and wearing socks isn’t dangerous or abnormal, my question is, “Why not?”
YTA. Your rent is stupid cheap as you say so he is renting well below market value and probably hasn’t raised it much if at all in 10 years.
This is now a new condition of your rent. Just do it to keep your cheap rent and harmony in the home.
And to be fair, you can see footprints on floors. Maybe you can compromise with indoor slides when it’s hot.
Agree with the posters who suggested maybe- could be- sign of dementia. Regardless, just coming out and saying, “No” to the person that provides you with affordable shelter makes YTA. Seems it could have been worth a conversation.