'AITA for asking my girlfriend to pay equal share of rent when she talked about moving in with me?

The internet has overwhelmingly supported a man who asked his girlfriend to contribute to rent and utilities before moving in with him.

The debate unfolded on Reddit’s popular "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) forum, where the original poster (OP) asked if he was wrong to do so. The post quickly went viral, amassing thousands of upvotes and comments.

Man asks if he is wrong to ask his girlfriend to pay half rent

In his post titled "AITA for asking my gf to pay 'half' for rent?", the OP explained that he and his girlfriend have been dating for just over three months. Recently, she started spending weekends at his place, and before leaving one day, she asked about moving in.

"Me and my gf have been dating for a bit over 3 months and the past couple of weeks, she’ll stay for the weekend over at my place. Yesterday before she left she asked about moving in. At first I didn’t know what to say as we’ve not been dating that long but I said sure why not. I pay $1400 a month not including utilities," the OP shared.

Caught off guard, the OP initially hesitated but ultimately agreed. However, he expected her to contribute financially.

"I told her that she would need to help out with bills and cover a portion of rent if she really wanted to move in. I told her $500 a month and $200 a month for utilities," the man continued.

The man's girlfriend was offended by the idea of paying rent, arguing that since the OP was already covering it, she shouldn’t have to contribute. The man then defended his stance, making it clear he wasn’t going to provide free housing.

He explained, "She immediately acted like I insulted her. She said if I’m already paying for it why does she need to? I told her that I’m not going to be used as a free place to stay and if she wanted us to live together, she would have to help out."

"Well, we had our first argument and she ghosted me today when I texted her. Am I outta pocket for asking her to help out with bills?" he asked.

Internet backs man who asked his girlfriend to split rent

Redditors overwhelmingly sided with the OP, calling his girlfriend's reaction a red flag. Many argued that moving in together should be a partnership, not a free ride.

One Redditor wrote, "NTA she sounds like a user," while another commented, "She literally sounds like she is trying to rush to move in so that she doesn't have to pay rent and will be harder to get rid of once she is in. You yourself say it's very quick, think why. She doesn't sound worth your time."

One person commented, "She is a hobosexual. Do not let her move in. Do not give her a key. Do not let her store stuff at your house. She loves you for your accommodations, no matter what else. NTA. Don't call her. Her reaction is enough to tell you exactly what her game was. She might call you in time, but you are under no obligation to answer her or engage further."

"Take this for the giant, flashing red light that it is. Ignore it at your peril. NTA," another user said.

Someone else noted, "Run dude. NTA but she wants a free ride. If she’s not willing to contribute to expenses she doesn’t move in 3 months is way too fast for sharing accommodations in a relationship."

Another user declared, "Bright red flag. Three months and wants to move in rent free? Runnnnnnn."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.