Pregnant Woman Wants to Kick Out Her Unemployed Mother-in-Law Before Having Her Baby

A woman five months pregnant says her mother-in-law moved in nearly nine months ago — and there’s still no plan for when she’ll leave.

In a Reddit post, the expectant mother explains that the 63-year-old moved in after accruing heavy debt while living alone and falling behind on rent and bills. The couple offered her a spare room “on a short term basis” so she could stabilize her finances and focus on repaying debt. The poster says the first warning sign came when they learned the mother-in-law had quit her job the week before moving in, leaving her without income.

Before moving in, the mother-in-law had agreed to contribute about £130 per week toward food and bills and to actively look for housing. But during the first 12 weeks, the couple received no payments.

She later turned down a permanent care position and instead took work through an agency, which left her without paid sick leave or holiday. About six weeks after that, the couple discovered they were expecting and told the mother-in-law the news. According to the poster, the mother-in-law sarcastically said they were “going to be kicking her out then.” A month later she was made redundant from the agency and became unemployed again.

Recently the woman says the mother-in-law has only worked two four-hour shifts and appears unwilling to look for more work. She also has not applied to the housing register. The couple has given her a deadline — she needs to move out by December so they’ll have space for baby items — but she has no savings and considerable outstanding debt, and “has nowhere to go and no sign/willingness to sort anything.”

The poster is worried about being manipulated into letting her stay longer. “I am scared she’ll say that she has nowhere to go, so we’ll be the ‘bad ones’ making her homeless & we’ll be manipulated into letting her stay,” she wrote.

Reddit commenters offered blunt practical advice: set a written deadline and be prepared to enforce it, or make it clear that if the mother-in-law doesn’t leave the couple will take separate action (move out, or pursue eviction). One commenter suggested making this the husband’s responsibility to enforce: give the MIL 30 days to leave or face the consequences.

Whatever path they choose, commenters emphasized that compassion should be balanced with boundaries — especially with a baby on the way and a household that needs stability.