Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: hoa dues based on per capita basis? square footage?

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

RoseWind Cohousing, long built in Port Townsend WA.
Annual assessement (currently about $1300/yr) is simply per household 
(=ownership of a lot). Financial resources do not always line up with house 
size. People with money might choose a small house; a large family might have a 
large or small home. In my case, I have a large home -- a gift from my late 
great father-- but very low income. Assessments only cover common property 
(utilities and maintenance of the common house and common parts of the 
landscape, for example), common expenses such as liability insurance, and 
reserves for eventual replacement of common holdings. Each owner is totally 
responsible for their own house and lot, including paying local property tax 
which  is based on assessed valuation.

The only exception to the equal payments, besides the assessment relief fund I 
recently described, is the annual vegetable garden, which is run like an 
in-house CSA, with optional membership.  Payments mainly go for a beloved 
neighbor who is a brilliant garden manager. Members (about half our 24 
families) get first dibs on the produce, and show up for garden work times. Two 
garden shares are also funded for our common meals, so cooks can use garden 
harvest produce.

The perennial food crops, such as apples, pears, berries, artichokes, rhubarb, 
and asparagus, belong to everyone. Their upkeep is part of the common budget.

Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
www.rosewind.org