Sometimes, we don't realize how nice it is to have basic amenities. A fancy rain showerhead or a toilet with a heated seat can really add to the bathroom experience. This boyfriend liked comfort in the bathroom too, as he often chose to use his GF's roommate's fancy shower.
The problem was that he never asked for permission. When the roommate's luxurious soap and shampoo started magically evaporating, she asked him to stop. The household feud that broke out proved how some roommates fail to respect their housemates' privacy, things, and boundaries.
A woman got in a fight with her roommate's BF when she asked him to stop using her shower
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Instead of showering at home or in his GF's bathroom, he kept disrespecting the roommate's privacy and even used her towels
Image source: Cool-Change7987
Image credits: Natalia Blauth (not the actual photo)
After she confronted him, the couple accused the roommate of "Ruining the dynamic"
Image source: Cool-Change7987
If a roommate's significant other stays over often, they might need to start pitching in for utilities
Image credits: Jason Abdilla (not the actual photo)
A bathroom is a sticky issue even when it's your roommate and not their SO who's using it. In fact, sharing a bathroom can cause many conflicts between roommates.
The biggest points of contention, according to a survey by Go.HomeCompare Insurance is leaving the toilet seat up (70.4%), leaving wet towels around (54%), and not removing hair from plug holes (51%).
But a bigger pet peeve for some roommates might be the significant others staying over like it's their own home. A survey by Apartment Advisor found that people have split opinions when it comes to whether significant others who spend the night often should pitch in for things like groceries and utilities.
36.2% of the respondents would like SOs to pay their share of everyday expenses, while 33% said they don't expect that. Interestingly, 30.7% of those who participated in the survey had a neutral opinion.
A roommate's significant other might start feeling like a third roommate
Image credits: Nina Zeynep Güler (not the actual photo)
How do you know what's the appropriate amount of times to spend the night at your GF's or BF's place if they have a roommate? Unfortunately, there's no correct answer here. It all depends on the relationship dynamic between the three and whether the roommate is okay with the BF or GF staying over.
Margo Regan, Auckland-based relationship, addiction and sex therapist, explains that some people might be okay with a roommate's significant other spending the night five days a week. For others, the limit might be two or three.
However 'cool' the roommate may be with such an arrangement, "Let's face it," Regan says, "Nobody enjoys that awkward 'three's a crowd' feeling in their own home."
"Some may feel that the extra person is not doing their fair share of cleaning or contributing to bills and that the home environment is being disrupted with reduced privacy from uninvited guests and the playing of loud music," the relationship therapist explained.
She recommends open communication between the roommates and says that giving honest feedback and not taking things personally is important. "Accept complaints gracefully, and avoid situations where resentments build up to boiling point."
The couple could get in trouble if the roommate complains to the landlord
Image credits: Andrej Lišakov (not the actual photo)
Some commenters pointed out that the woman should take the issue up with the landlord. In most cases, there should be legal precedent to her complaint. As Jo Natoli from The Rental Specialists told The New York Post, the BF practically being the third roommate would be a breach of the lease.
"If a lease is signed between owner and tenant and the lease stipulates that only two adults can reside at the property, if the subtenant has a partner who stays at the property frequently they could be deemed a resident, which could put the leaseholder in breach of their lease as there would be now three residents and not two," Natoli said.
If the three would work it out and decide that they're now all living there, the landlord also wouldn't have the right to raise the rent. According to Natoli, "rents are not determined by the number of occupants in a property."
People advised the woman to either put locks on the bathroom door or notify the landlord
