Financing Freedom: How We Funded Our Co-Op
When I shared our recent journey to settling into our new home one of the things that most interested people was how the finances work. It is also the aspect of co-operative living that seems to present the biggest challenge to banks, government bodies and boomers alike.
In simple terms we are a fully mutual housing co-operative. This means that all of our tenants are members, and all of our members are directors/decision-makers. So while we do all pay rent, we also get a say in what the rent is set at (in our case Local Housing Allowance level) and how that rent is used.