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.
Jury discussion (6 comments)
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Five or six nights a week plus working from home there isn't a guest, that's a lodger with good PR.
Two weeks of a sister once is not the same as six months of a boyfriend. Not even close.
I think the fair ask is that she pays a bit more, not him. She's the one who invited him.
This is the cleanest way to do it. Nobody has to have an awkward conversation with the boyfriend.
Speaking as someone whose partner used to stay a lot: we offered money before anyone asked. It's just manners.
The washing machine detail pushed me over. His own flat doesn't have one so he just moved his laundry into yours?