Woman Lets Cousin ‘Crash’ at Her Apartment. Then Comes Home to Find Furniture Completely Rearranged

When you agree to let family crash at your place for a few days, you might expect some minor inconvenience — an extra pair of shoes by the door, maybe a bit less privacy. What you don’t usually expect is a full-on redesign of your home.

That’s what happened to a 23-year-old Reddit user after she agreed to let her 26-year-old cousin stay in her small apartment for a short period following the cousin’s roommate moving out.

At first, everything felt comfortable. The cousin pitched in with groceries, helped tidy up and seemed genuinely appreciative of having a place to land for a few days.

But soon the “helping” started to feel more like a takeover.

The poster noticed that her cousin was “not just cleaning,” but also “moving things” — starting with items in the bathroom cabinet, then the spice rack, and eventually the bookshelves.

Things came to a head when the poster returned from work one day to find that her entire living room had been rearranged.

The couch had been moved, the desk relocated and several decorations had been put away because the cousin felt they made the space look too cluttered. Instead of apologizing or checking in first, the cousin seemed pleased with herself, presenting the changes as if she’d done the apartment a favor.

When the poster reacted with a simple, “Oh, you moved stuff around,” her cousin immediately became defensive and argued that the new layout made the apartment look “more put together.”

“I told her I actually preferred things the way they were and that I would’ve appreciated it if she’d asked first,” the poster wrote. “Now she’s been quiet and petty, staying in her room with the door half shut. I’ve spent the evening putting my place back together because it doesn’t even feel like my apartment anymore.”

Afterward, the host started to second-guess herself, wondering if she had “overreacted,” or if her cousin was just stressed and trying to be helpful — or if this was a clear boundary being crossed.

Commenters were quick to reassure her that she wasn’t in the wrong and pointed out that the cousin’s behavior went far beyond normal guest etiquette.

“[Your cousin] is not a tenant or roommate; she is a guest. She has no business reordering your apartment,” one user wrote. “The only thing she should be doing now is thanking you for your hospitality, cleaning up after herself, and resolving her own living situation ASAP.”

Another commenter urged the original poster to set firm limits — and soon.

“She’s trying to get you to let her stay. She isn’t planning on going anywhere. You better help her see her way to the door. This is going to end badly,” they warned.

For many readers, the consensus was clear: helping out family is kind, but a guest rearranging your home without permission crosses a line.