Housing Co-operatives

What is a Housing Co-operative?

Housing co-ops are registered not for profit organisations.

They exist to house their members.

All tenants are members and all members need to be tenants or prospective tenants.

The organisation is run according to co-operative principles, giving all an equal say – and an equal responsibility – in the management of the housing.

If the co-operative should ever cease to exist, its assets have to stay within the co-operative movement; they cannot pass to the members or be used to invest outside the co-operative movement.

By coming together and acting co-operatively, the tenants gain access to quality housing they control that would be beyond their individual finances, housing that remains in common ownership and accessible to all.