Am I wrong for charging my friend rent to crash on my couch?
Your friend said a few days. It's been a month. Is asking them for rent fair, or are you the bad guy? Here's who's actually wrong.
The host
They said a few days and it turned into a month — the couch is now someone's bedroom, and the water, power, and groceries all went up because of it. Asking for a few hundred dollars isn't charging a friend for kindness; it's splitting a cost that only exists because another adult is living there.
The friend on the couch
Nobody mentioned money when they said "stay as long as you need," so getting a rent number sprung on them a month in feels like a bill for a favor. They're between places, they've been keeping out of the way, and they would have made other plans if they'd known the couch came with a price.
The verdict
Who's at fault
The friend on the couch is more in the wrong here. The host is right that a month isn't a few days and that an extra adult costs real money. But they let it drift for four weeks without saying a word, and "stay as long as you need" sounds like an open door, not a lease with a late invoice. The friend is more wrong for never checking in on a timeline or offering anything — groceries, utilities, something — once it became obvious they'd settled in. Whoever stops being vague first wins this one.
“"Stay as long as you need" isn't a lease — but a month on someone's couch isn't a favor anymore either.”
Have your own dispute?
Get a real ruling on your argument. The judge hears both sides, cross-examines you, and delivers a verdict you can share.
Settle it →