A woman has said she is feeling frustrated that her sister is living in her parent's property for free after it was inherited by both siblings. On popular forum, Mumsnet, she explained that her family-of-four were struggling financially and wanted to sell the property for some extra money, but her sister had no plans to move out anytime soon.
On the 'am I being unreasonable' thread, she said: "So my sibling and I inherited a house from our parents, which they have been living in for the last few years. With the cost-of-living crisis, obviously money is tight for both our families, and I am now desperate to sell, to be honest, as it would be a life-changing amount of money at present.
"My sibling obviously has no intention of leaving but says they cannot buy me out at present due to lack of finance herself, but this is really impacting on my family-of-four, whereas they only have themself and a partner to think of as their child is significantly older and at uni now. They pay all bills and maintenance on the house and I’ve never wanted to demand anything more but I feel like I’m being taken as a mug now."
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She added: "Am I being unreasonable to be really frustrated? I don’t want to p*** them off as they’re the only family I have now but I really need to figure out how to move this issue forward."
Many Mumsnet users agreed with the woman and that her sister was taking advantage of the situation and that the woman was being "cheated out" of her inheritance. A number of users suggested that the sister should be paying rent.
One commenter said: "Yeah they should be paying you rent then if they want to stay in it. They don't just get to live there in half your house as though it's all theirs. They should pay you rent until they can afford to buy you out, or they need to sell." Another added: "Yes either they pay you rent or you all sell."
However, one user warned that money and emotion did not mix well, and that the sisters would be better off selling the property and splitting the inheritance. She said: "If you want your share of the inheritance, it has to be sold. Getting rent off your sibling just prolongs the inevitable. Do not mix emotion and money."
One woman suggested another tactic, saying the woman should threaten to move in if the sister didn't agree to sell the house. She said: "I'd tell her you will be moving in as you can't afford your place any more. That might help to highlight the unfairness of this situation. Yes, they probably saved some money for care but they've effectively had that back now. They either need a plan to buy you out or it is sold.
"You need to sit down with her and stress (exaggerate if need be) how dire your financial situation is and that if nothing changes you will have to move in as you technically own a house so won't be entitled to anything."
Do you think the woman should make her sister pay rent or sell the property and split the inheritance? Let us know in the comments below.
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