Co-op types
Housing co-ops
Members participate in the ownership or management of their housing. Occupancy, tenancy, allocation and contribution arrangements depend on the particular model and rules. Cohousing is not automatically a co-operative.
Start with membership
Who belongs?
Residents or people with a shared housing need. The organisation’s governing documents define who may join, their obligations and their rights.
A useful question to ask
What rights and responsibilities come with a home, and how are repairs, costs and participation managed?
Model and legal form are different
Co-operative societies, community benefit societies and companies have different legal characteristics. A community benefit society is not simply another name for a co-operative society. A company can be structured co-operatively; a CIC designation alone does not create democratic member ownership.
Credit unions have their own specific regulation. If you are forming or changing an organisation, take its purpose, control, capital requirements and proposed use of assets to a qualified adviser.
Prepare for choosing a structure →