Q. We have taken a flat in Edinburgh for a month and a young girl, temporarily homeless and a friend of one of our sons, has moved in with us. We like her very much but the problem is that she goes into the (only) bathroom for more than one hour at a time, sometimes twice a day. It is so unbelievably selfish but my son doesn’t want to embarrass her by saying something. How should I deal with this without making her feel unwelcome?
— M.G.C., Edinburgh
A. Take the lock off the door. Say the landlord has been round and done it for some reason. She will not feel so secure in there with no lock. Meanwhile, instigate a new house rule. Everyone needs to leave a Post-It note on the bathroom door as they go in saying what time they will be finished in there so that no one will burst in on them.
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