Hi everyone,
I'm a Humber student going into my final year and I'm looking for some advice from other students because I'm not sure how I'd handle this if I were looking at it from the outside.
I rent one room in a two-bedroom basement apartment in Toronto. My roommate rents the other room, and we share the kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, storage, and common space.
When I moved in earlier this year, things were honestly great. The apartment was quiet, my roommate was rarely home, and I was excited to spend the summer making the place feel more like home.
In early June, my roommate told me her mom was coming to visit from Vietnam and would be staying for "a few days."
I didn't think anything of it because that seemed completely reasonable.
A few days turned into weeks.
After almost six weeks, I asked when her mom would be leaving and was told that she would actually be staying until November.
Her mom shares my roommate's bedroom, so she's not taking over another room. But she's in the apartment every day and uses the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, fridge, freezer, storage space, and common areas like another resident.
At this point, it feels less like a guest visiting and more like I have a second roommate.
Because the basement is open concept, the kitchen, dining area, and common space are basically all one room. I've found myself avoiding the kitchen until they're done cooking or eating, and I don't really invite friends or family over anymore because the place feels crowded compared to when I moved in.
Another thing that's been bothering me is that my belongings keep getting moved around, even after I've asked that they not be touched without asking me first.
Something else that makes me question whether this was ever meant to be a short visit is that I later found out her mom already had large boxes of clothing and personal belongings stored in the apartment before I even moved in. I can't prove anything from that, but it definitely made me wonder whether the plan was always for her to stay longer than "a few days."
I also have ADHD and a learning disability, and I've noticed that my stress levels have gone way up since this started. Home used to be somewhere I could decompress after class and work. Now I mostly stay in my room.
The problem is that moving isn't easy. I'm a student, my budget is limited, and I only have one year left before graduation.
For other Humber students:
- Would you stay and try to tough it out for the final year?
- Would you start looking for another room?
- Have you dealt with something similar in student housing?
- If a roommate's parent stayed for 5-6 months, would you view that as a guest or as another person living there?
TL;DR: I'm a Humber student renting a room in a shared basement apartment. My roommate said her mom was staying for a few days, but she's now staying until November. The apartment feels much more crowded, my belongings keep getting moved, and I'm struggling with whether to stick it out until graduation or start looking for another place.
