Co-operative Housing is rental housing for people on low to moderate incomes where members select tenants, manage and maintain the housing. It is long term, secure and affordable. The government provides funds to build or buy dwellings and the co-op self-manages, making it a cost effective alternative to other forms of social housing. Rents are used to cover running costs, upgrades, administration and training.

There are around 50 co-ops in city and rural areas in NSW with between 5-30 dwellings per co-op. Some co-ops are located in one building while others live in separate houses within one suburb.

Who is it for?

Co-ops cater for different types of people on low to moderate incomes, including:

• Families
• Single people
• Young people
• Older people
• People with special needs
• People from a non-English speaking background

How much rent do you pay?

Co-op tenants pay 25% of their gross household income in rent or up to market rent.

What are the advantages of living in a co-operative?

• Co-ops are long term, secure and affordable- tenants experience a real sense of home and community within a supportive environment.
• Co-ops are self managed. This means you have a say in how the co-op manages and maintains the housing.
• As a member you have a greater sense of belonging and control over your housing.
• Each co-op is designed to meet the needs of that community.
• Members gain knowledge, skills and confidence in managing and maintaining their housing community.
• Co-operatives provide quality of life- they energise people and national communitites.
• Co-operatives deliver broad social outcomes- improved skills, improved health, greater individual confidence.

-Mark A. Stephen, Haven Co Housing, a co-operative for members of the community with a physical disability.

There are over 46 housing co-operatives providing housing in NSW. Co-ops are spread through NSW with 21 co-ops in Central Sydney, 3 in Western Sydney, 3 in Southern Sydney, 7 in South Western Sydney, 3 in Northern NSW, 3 in the Hunter Region, 2 in South Eastern NSW and 2 in Western NSW. In addition an a number of new groups are well on the way providing more choice for people in terms of location, management style and co-op ideology.

You can find the contact details of housing co-operatives in NSW on the contact details page.

In NSW the first co-op house was bought in 1984, and since then the number of dwellings has increased to over 400 with over 1000 occupants, indicative of a growing sector in NSW.

Co-ops are formed in response to a housing need in an area by a group of people getting together to provide affordable, appropriate and secure housing.

Government funding provided by the NSW Housing Program, and only a small number of co-ops gain access to funds each year.

Nearly 60% of co-operative members are female.

Co-ops provided housing for people with a range of ages with 70% of co-op members being in the 25-39 year age bracket.

Co-ops catered for a range of household types with the majority of households being either sole parent families or couples with dependents. The high proportions of sole parent families reflects the ability of co-ops to provide affordable housing.

To date co-ops have generally tended to buy existing dwellings rather than build their own although some co-ops have been involved in designing and building their dwellings.

The co-op census found that one third of the co-op dwellings were medium density dwellings.

The gross average weekly income of members (in 1991) was $196 showing that co-ops provide secure affordable housing to people on low incomes.

Co-op members come from a range of ethic backgrounds with over 28% being born overseas.

Co-ops have been formed by people from a range of ethnic backgrounds as diverse as the Hmong from Laos, South Sea Islanders, people from Latin America, Arabia, India, Vietnam, and the Philipines.

The average occupancy of co-op houses is 3.24 persons.

The average waiting time for housing in a co-op is just over ten months.

The Association to Resource Co-operative Housing, is an association of member co-operatives which supports housing co-ops providing information and training and liaising with government on a range of issues affecting co-ops. More information can be found on the What is ARCH? page.

What are NSW Rental Housing Co-operatives?

A rental housing co-operative is a group of people working together to manage the housing they rent!

Housing co-operatives aim to:

Give members choice about the type and location of housing they live in

Provide security of tenure

Charge affordable rents

Provide structurally sound housing appropriate to peoples needs

Give members the opportunity to participate in the management of their housing

Provide education to their members and opportunities to learn new skills

Build supportive and sustainable communities

Co-ops can be small with two to four houses, or large: some co-ops overseas have over a thousand houses. Most co-ops in NSW working towards are between 5 and 15 houses.

Governments have identified rental housing co-ops as a positive option for housing people on low incomes within a multi-provider system. For that reason governments will sometimes provide funds to co-ops to assist with the acquisition of housing. When this happens the co-op is required to adopt policies and procedures consistent with, although not necessarily identical to, those the government itself uses in managing public rental. For this reason co-op tenants generally pay around the same rents as public tenants, and co-ops acquire housing at a standard compatible with new public housing

Rental Housing Co-ops are generally incorporated bodies which are accountable to their members, to the Australian Securities Commission and, when they receive grants from the government, to the government department which funds them.

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