Should my flatmate's boyfriend be paying towards the bills?
The complainant says
I share a two-bed flat with a friend and we split everything 50/50. About six months ago she got a boyfriend who now stays over five or six nights a week. He showers here every morning, works from our living room two days a week with the heating on, and does his laundry here because his place doesn't have a washing machine.
Our energy bill has gone up noticeably and the living room is basically his office on those days. I suggested he chips in something small, like a third of the energy and water, or she pays a bit more. I wasn't trying to be awkward, it just feels like I'm subsidising a third housemate who doesn't pay rent.
The other side says the flatmate, as the complainant tells it
She says he isn't a tenant, he's a guest, and that she has the right to have her partner over. She thinks asking him for money is embarrassing and would make him feel unwelcome. She also points out that I had my sister stay for two weeks last year and nobody asked her to pay anything.
