Sometimes doing the thing that you know is right can be difficult to do. In this Reddit post, a woman is asking whether she’s in the wrong for refusing to co-sign on her father’s apartment lease.
He Was Once Successful
The Original Poster (OP), a 45-year-old woman, says her father was once a highly successful real estate broker. However, that is no longer the case. Following the financial crisis of 2008, he could not restart his real estate job and suffered from years of depression.
In the 1990s, when he was a very successful real estate agent, he had a bustling office full of brokers, mortgage underwriters, and escrow agents.
He frequently went on vacation, had several residences, and generally led a luxurious life.
He Didn’t Share His Success
However, OP and her siblings had a really difficult upbringing since her father never shared his income with them, and he didn’t provide her mother child support.
When the financial crisis hit, her father lost everything, including his home, rental properties, and Mercedes.
He moved to Florida to try to reduce his expenses, but he has continued to struggle financially.
He Asked for Her Help
He has asked OP to co-sign an apartment lease for him and his stepmother when he first moved to Florida. She was hesitant to do so because she knew her father was “foolish with his money,” but she eventually agreed because she felt that family should help each other out.
Unfortunately, her father eventually defaulted on the apartment and was evicted. When her father tried to find a new apartment, he asked OP to share her bank information with the property manager.
She’d Been Burnt the First Time
OP initially refused, but her father convinced her it was only for income reporting, and her credit wouldn’t be run.
She reluctantly agreed to give the information, but things took a turn when the property manager reminded her that she must apply to be on the lease for her income to be taken into account.
OP was enraged.
Her father is a very dishonest man who takes advantage of others. OP says he loves to “play dumb” to achieve what he wants, and that’s exactly what he was doing here.
He Was Manipulative
As a result, OP told her father no and quit returning his calls.
When they eventually spoke after a few weeks, he stated he wasn’t angry, just disappointed, and that family should support each other no matter what.
Then he stopped speaking, and OP was left feeling terrible.
She felt like she had failed him.
He Wasn’t There for Them
However, OP remembered when her father didn’t help her or her brother at all when they were growing up.
OP shared that her mother had to raise two kids on her own while working as a receptionist, and they suffered greatly.
She said there were occasions when they begged their father for cash, most notably when OP needed it to mend a flat tire and to purchase a prom outfit, but the father always declined.
In the meantime, he was taking luxurious vacations in Hawaii, driving expensive cars, and enrolling her new half-sister in private school—luxuries that OP and her brother could only imagine.
She asked Reddit whether she was wrong, and Redditors showered their support.
She Doesn’t Owe Him
Several Redditors said that OP was not wrong and that the guy is not her dad as he did nothing to qualify for the title, and OP owes him nothing.
Another Reddit user wrote, “I understand he’s your dad and all but why on earth would you not want to “let him down” when he let both you and your mother down numerous times? This guy is using you with the “but I’m you dad”-card.”
As a reply, OP thanked her for her input and said that she feels a sense of duty, and she’s pretty sure it’s because of their culture.
OP’s father has a history of being dishonest and manipulative, and it’s understandable that she doesn’t want to be a part of his schemes. At the same time, she loves her father and feels guilty for not helping him when he needed it.
What is your opinion? Is she wrong for not helping her father?
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The post Her Father Wants Her to Co-sign His Apartment Lease, but He’s Dishonest and She Doesn’t Trust Him” first appeared on Wealthy Living
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Source: Reddit