Re: enforcement of cohousing rules and community listserv guidelines/moderator
From: R Philip Dowds (rpdowdscomcast.net)
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2015 10:50:43 -0800 (PST)
Homeowners’ associations can and do promulgate all kinds of rule and regs about 
how the common property gets shared and used.  Transgressions occur 
occasionally — none of us is perfect — and in cohousing, we like to think we 
are particularly good at easing each other back into the communal norms.

In very rare cases, associations will experience an unreasonable member who 
chronically and intentionally violates one or more rules, and/or makes his/her 
neighbors miserable.  At this point, the association can adopt a wide range of 
more formal sanctions, ranging from fines and penalties that accrue to the 
unit, through litigation for damage compensation, to calling the police for 
destructive or dangerous behaviors.

But the thing is, in cohousing, we want to believe we’re better than that.  
That we can deal with and head off minor transgressions before they turn into 
major problems.  Into huge association squabbles involving the police and the 
courts.  On the whole, I think this is true.  But there can be exceptions.  In 
the rare case of extreme exceptions, we are not powerless to protect ourselves.

Philip Dowds
Cornerstone Village Cohousing
Cambridge, MA

> On Nov 7, 2015, at 1:27 PM, Malcom Eva <malcolm [at] m-eva.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> 
> The problem here is that cohousing is a neighbourhood, relying on mutual 
> goodwill and effort.  What possible sanctions are there, apart from 
> re-possessing a property if someone, for example, refuses to pay the communal 
> dues (whatever term is used.)   
> 
> At Springhill (UK) we have a scheme called NOYO (Not On Your Own), by which 
> anyone who is unhappy with an aspect of living here, or is unhappy with some 
> unneighbourly behaviour or anything like that, can ask to speak to two named 
> people off a list of listeners, about their perceived problem.  The listeners 
> are just that - not therapists, or police, or mediators, just an ear.  They 
> can help suggest possible ways forward - invoking our disputes process, a 
> buddying session with both parties, taking it to the residents’ association, 
> seeking counselling,  or any possible other development.  It is up to the 
> person who is unhappy to take it forward, not the listeners.  Often, the act 
> of telling the listeners helps the person to feel better about it - very 
> often we don’t feel properly listened to by busy neighbours and friends.  
> NOYO provides a non-judgemental, sympathetic ear without charging therapists’ 
> rates. 
> 
> If the issue is someone breaking the rules, we can approach them 
> individually, we can ask the residents’ association to say something, we can 
> try mediation, but there is no authority to force someone not to put out food 
> for cats, or whatever other behaviour is causing trouble.  If there is a 
> persistent and serious breach of the lease - which is a legal document, 
> unlike our own in-house rules for living together - then yes, the freeholder 
> can take steps to re-possess, but that is a nuclear option, and we have never 
> seen anything like a situation where that would be even remotely considered.  
>  As long as cohousers are there to be part of cohousing rather than just want 
> real estate, there is usually a negotiable solution or compromise, but there 
> are no sanctions we could impose which would stand in law.  
> 
> Malcolm
> 
> 
> On 7 Nov 2015, at 02:53, Timothy Miller <gandalf [at] 
> doctorTimothyMiller.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> I started subscribing to this list because I’m interested in possibly living 
>> in a co-housing community some day. I would look for a community that had 
>> some reasonable rules intended to help the residents live comfortably and 
>> harmoniously. If, after moving in, I found the rules were not enforced, I 
>> would be very disappointed and angry. Rules against feeding feral cats, for 
>> example, as a previous message on this thread mentioned.
>> 
>> TM
>> 
>> 
>>> On Nov 6, 2015, at 6:03 PM, Martha Wagner <wordbizpdx [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Thank you for your post, Christine. I hope it draws some good responses. I 
>>> would like to hear how other communities manage the  unapproved landscape 
>>> “improvements” you refer to. I would also like to hear more about how your 
>>> community and others establish listserv guidelines and find someone willing 
>>> to take on an enforcement role for that.
>>> 
>>> Martha Wagner
>>> Columbia Ecovillage
>>> Portland, OR
>> 
>> _________________________________________________________________
>> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>> 
>> 
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
> 
> 


Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.