This is a long one so buckle up.

My sister in law is a dead beat. She lives with my inlaws currently. Doesn't work and hasn't had a job since December 2015. She doesn't leave the house, doesn't drive anymore after letting her DL expire, and basically doesn't do anything except cook some meals for my inlaws from time to time and watches TV all day. She really hates my father in law (her step dad since she was 10) and doesn't really like my wife or I.

Early in 2023 my FIL went in for a Watchman procedure on his heart to reduce his stroke risk. The dr accidently nicked his femoral artery in the process. He nearly bled out on the operating table but survived (they gave him 24 units of blood) and was in the hospital for 2 months recovering. During that time he lost his job as the finance manager at the dealership he was working at so we ended up having to cover their bills for most of last year and this year.

Fast forward to this spring, we were tired of paying for a rental house for them, so we bought a new house for us and moved them into our old house. My MIL was retired and started working a part time job at the local YMCA to help make ends meet and my FIL finally found a new job as a finance manager at another dealership. That income combined with both of their Social Security was enough to cover their expenses and things have been going well for the last few months.

We found out this past sunday that my FIL was fired again. Honestly this is around the time the car business slows down, it was a smaller used dealer, and he was one of their biggest labor expenses. So we are back to covering most of their bills. My sister in law keeps coming up with excuses as to why she can't get a job. She's sick with some mythical illness, has leaky gut syndrome, is disabled, etc. She won't go see a doctor because she doesn't really buy into western medicine. So she doesn't really contribute anything to society IMO. We have been patient for a long time because we love my mother in law and don't want to put her out. But my MIL has also enabled this to occur for years.

Did I mention said sister in law is 48?

Anyways, I am wondering what my options are to evict my SIL from my house (this is all in Texas). The house, utilities, etc, are all in my name. The catch is we don't have a written lease and they don't pay rent or utilities (outside of the past 3 months).

I can still evict her right?
Is this something I should pay a lawyer to do?
I still have access to the house at all times as I keep one room there for an office when I need it.

They have not asked us to evict her and probably won't. I don't want to sell the house, but if we continue paying two sets of mortgages, bills, etc. I feel like that will be the final outcome.

My In laws really struggle to handle their own finances at times. My FIL didn't pay any taxes for well over 10 years and I have no idea how much he owes in personal loans. My MIL worked for churches for 20+ years and when she retired she was still only making $15 an hour so her SS doesn't cover much.

My wife is conflicted.

Ideally my MIL would get a divorce (she wants to), move out, let my FIL fend for himself, and have my SIL sort her own **** out away from me. But my MIL will not leave my SIL to fail or struggle. We even are open to my MIL living with us in our new place for awhile. We have the space for her set up and ready to go right now. But she won't leave my SIL.

My wife feels like she is a bad daughter sometimes because she hasn't done more for her mom. I have to explain that we have done more for them than many people could or even would.

My wife and I have made it very clear the them that when my inlaws pass, my SIL will not be our problem. She will be on her own and if that means she is homeless, that's on her.


I know I won't be evicting her anytime soon, but I just want to be prepared for when the time comes.

Tough situation, at least you are understanding. MIL/FIL trying to generate income after a serious medical event is one thing, but your SIL sitting on her ass while you are paying the bills is unacceptable and needs to be communicated immediately. You need to ask her to start forking over rent or else.

A lot of this type stuff happened in my mom's family. I swear there's an "enabler" gene that I, fortunately, did not get. The enablers have died off and the previously enabled are directionless and destitute, last I heard.

I don't know your wife, but it sounds like she is enabling her parents just like her parents are enabling your SIL. A few hours of counseling may go a long way in helping your wife see the situation a little more objectively.

I agree that wouldn't be the ideal situation, but without that control, they will allow her to continue to live with them. If that's what they want to do, so be it, but don't financially help them. I'd bet the op's wife won't allow that to happen, though, so this is really the only answer to fix the situation. It won't be forever. The freeloader will have to find somewhere else to live, whether it is in a cheap apt, shacking up with some guy/gal that she trades favors for a place to live, in a shelter, or on the streets.

Tough spot. Keep us posted. Sounds like selling the house is the cleanest way. Not sure how you can make someone move out without getting attorney and cops involved

Is this a make or break you money wise or are you in a position where you can afford it but prefer not?

Honestly you are probably going to have to wait for the MIL to pass away. If you sell the house and MIL comes with you, there is a high high HIGH chance she's not going to be able to stand to see SIL on the streets and she comes too at some point. Or MIL refuses to move in without SIL and your wife still feels like she has to support them via rent somewhere else.

You can evict SIL now, but life gets a lot trickier if MIL and FIL continue to invite her back as a guest. There's not an easy way to ban her from entering the property - eviction doesn't really navigate that either.

The best thing to do would be to convince your wife that all three need to go and none of them need anymore support past what you've already provided.

And you have nothing in writing so I'd try to start over and get things in writing with an offiical renters agreement.

Tell your MIL that you are selling the house but that she (and only she) can move in with y'all. Tell her you are not going to support the SIL in any way.

If she decides not to do it, then it's not your problem after you sell the house. You've done more than enough and are giving the MIL one last option before you (and your wife) should just wipe your hands clean of it all.

This story sounds almost exactly like what my wife's brother went through.

Eventually his in-laws divorced and left. The father in law landed a $200k/yr job and bought three new cars and a new house when he moved out. His wife's POS brother (who had a job and a $40k car) finally got his own place. His wife decided she wanted new boobs, so my BIL bought them for her. Then his wife decided she wanted a divorce so she could marry her boss, who she was already sleeping with.

My wife's brother is a smart, successful guy with a very big heart and loved unconditionally. That family exploited him for almost everything he had and now he's 42 and has to play catch up.