Couple Living With Parents Rent-Free Upset Because They Are Expected To Clean The House Every Weekend
They would much rather spend their weekends out of the house.
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock It's not uncommon for young couples to live with family to save money before venturing out on their own, and that's exactly what one husband and wife decided to do. Posting to Reddit, the husband explained that while they appreciate the rent-free life, his parents expect the couple to spend each weekend on household chores, and that just doesn't fit their lifestyle.
They like to spend their weekends out and about visiting friends and extended family, which is understandable. Unfortunately, it's not their house. That means, if you want the benefit of a free place to live, you need to abide by the rules, or in this case, the cleaning schedule. That doesn't mean they can't come to some sort of compromise that would allow everyone to get what they want.
A couple living with their parents rent-free is upset because they are expected to clean on weekends.
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A 2025 study found that young adults between 18 and 35 are struggling when it comes to finances, meaning they aren't able to go it alone without some help from their parents. As a result, 46% of parents have said that their adult children have moved back home to save money.
This young couple on Reddit is no exception. According to the husband's post, they moved in with his parents primarily to save money, but surprise, surprise, it hasn't been easy. He wrote, "We spend the entire week at home after work, we clean up after ourselves, and we keep things pretty low-key. When the weekend rolls around, we like to get out of the house and stay with friends or family."
The problem: His mom thinks they should carve out time on the weekends to contribute, specifically with cleaning. He explained, "She thinks we should be spending our weekends at their house cleaning. Now, with my parents’ surgeries coming up, she’s basically telling me I need to dedicate my weekends to deep cleaning their house."
The couple said they feel like 'free live-in cleaners instead of family.'
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Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting free time on the weekend for pleasure. No one would argue that. And as the husband noted, "We don't spend much at all, actually," he said. "We just need the mental break of not being stuck at home 24/7."
The problem is, it's not their home. Maybe his parents are more fastidious about cleaning than this couple is. It's something they should have considered or at least discussed before moving in. And while he said they feel like "live-in cleaners," he added, "We’re grateful to be here while we save money, but it’s exhausting when every weekend turns into guilt-tripping and demands instead of a chance to breathe. What can I do? Are we wrong for going out on the weekends?"
So, no. They aren't wrong for wanting to go out on the weekends. However, his mom and dad are also not wrong for expecting them to deep clean the house, too. That's what makes the problem so difficult. No one is wrong.
As one commenter noted, "You’re living with your parents and paying zero rent. You can spend two hours on Saturday morning cleaning. Two people dedicating two hours a weekend for free rent seems like a good deal for me." The only problem with this commenter's suggestion is that we really don't know what the husband's parents expect. That's why, instead of turning to Reddit for advice, this couple should have ironed out the details of their living arrangement before moving in.
This couple should sit down with their parents and come up with a cleaning schedule that works for both parties.
Adult children moving back in with parents should be looked at more like a landlord-tenant situation than just a roommate or visiting family scenario. The best way to live well together is to have all possible problems worked out before they arise, including cleaning.
If this young couple had simply said, "We are happy to spend 2 hours of our choosing, each weekend, deep cleaning the house," the husband's parents wouldn't need to guilt-trip or behave like taskmasters. They could have even set a monthly schedule, including the specific tasks that needed to be completed each week.
The point is, communication and compromise are key to living with anyone, even family. As one commenter explained, "There needs to be balance. Help them out one weekend Have the next one off Repeat. Explain you need some downtime from work and that’s absolutely not unreasonable but you are happy to dedicate time to helping them clean as well."
According to accredited CEDR Mediator and Conflict Coach Francesca Santoro, moving back home as an adult can work if you're willing to behave like an adult and communicate effectively. She explained, "Explore with them what your mutual expectations are, which behaviours you will and won’t accept from each other, and what your needs and wishes are. This could be as simple as paying rent or contributing in some way, which foods you both like to eat and when, or the level of interaction you like at certain times of the day. Knowing this, or better, writing it down, will help you understand each other as adults from the start."
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
