DEAR HARRIETTE: My roommate’s boyfriend spends more time at our home than at his own. He sleeps over, cooks, showers and does laundry here. Since he uses our resources, I proposed asking “Jake” to contribute to bills, which we split evenly. My roommate freaked out and refused to even acknowledge that I had the right to ask. How else could I have started the conversation? -- Up Front, Miami
DEAR UP FRONT: Generally, no good comes out of these situations, I’m sorry to say. Of course the boyfriend should share the costs, but getting your roommate to put her foot down on that is usually a losing battle. The one time that you can get traction on such a situation is if the landlord steps in and says that anyone living in the apartment for an extended period of time must pay. But that works only if you have something written into your contract to that point, or if your landlord and you have enough muscle to guilt the boyfriend out. Otherwise, what often happens is that hurt feelings come to a boiling point and somebody moves. So, get ready.