Myself (23F) and my boyfriend (25M) have recently moved back in with my parents after living out of home for the past two years. We’re both studying, and with rent in our area completely out of control, my parents kindly agreed to let my boyfriend move in as well so we could save for a house deposit. Due to personal reasons, moving in with his own parents wasn’t an option.

We’re really grateful but one issue has been plaguing us since we moved in - the TV volume.

My bedroom is down a short hallway from the living room. My parents’ nightly routine has always been to watch TV from about 4pm until midnight, sometimes even 1am. At least once a week, one or both of them will fall asleep on the couch and leave the TV blaring all night.

This wasn’t a huge issue when I was younger, as the volume was more reasonable. But as they’ve gotten older and more deaf (both in their 60s), the volume has steadily increased to almost unbearable levels. It’s made studying difficult and sleeping even worse. I’ve sort of gotten used to it, but my boyfriend is a really light sleeper and he’s found it nearly impossible to get a full night’s sleep. He’s exhausted, struggling to concentrate on his studies, and becoming a grumpier version of himself. I honestly can’t blame him though. It’s the sleep deprivation.

I usually text my parents around 11pm asking if they could turn the TV down. My mum is fine with it, but my dad gets annoyed, says he can’t hear anything, and convinces her to turn it back up. I’ve also had private chats with mum, explaining that both of us have uni or work early in the morning. She promises to keep it down but doesn’t. Because of my dad.

What frustrates me the most is they HAVE a TV in their upstairs bedroom. It’s newer, bigger, and already set up with all their streaming apps. I’ve asked my mum if past a certain time could they use that one instead, especially since they always complain about bad backs from sleeping on the couch. But their attitude is “This is our house and we’ll watch TV where we want.”

I get it. It is their house. But AITA for wishing they’d just turn it down a bit past 10 or 11pm? Or use the bedroom TV sometimes? I don’t want to seem ungrateful, especially with how much we’re saving by being here. But it’s starting to take a huge toll on both of us. And I feel guilty for putting my boyfriend through this while he is going through an extremely busy time in uni.

EDIT: YES we both do pay rent (though it is obviously subsidised), bills and for all of our own groceries. My parents, in their own words, “Aren’t trying to make a profit off us,” but we also aren’t mooching off them.