Re: Sample Rules and Regulations
From: Edwin Simmers (edwinsimmersbellcoho.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2021 12:43:44 -0800 (PST)
There is much truth to different perspectives on the question of when (before 
or after construction and move-in)  to develop and adopt policies. 

I am assuming in my comments here that we are talking about policies that 
address individual behavior, not policies for the community's legal structure 
and decision-making which, of course, will need to be decided early and 
documented in the community’s legal founding documents.

At Bellingham Cohousing we knew we needed some early policies but also wanted 
an efficient process to change or adopt new policies after move-in. We are a 
Washington condominium with state-mandated managing documents (declaration and 
bylaws) that are cumbersome an expensive to amend. So we made sure those 
managing documents specifically allow us to adopt most policies addressing 
individual behaviors as rules and regulations which are easier and less 
expensive to adopt.

There are two advantages in having at least some policies already in place at 
move-in. The first is that it gives everyone some good practical experience 
with getting to know each other better and practicing whatever decision-making 
process the founding group decides to use when discussing and reaching 
agreement. The second advantage is that these policies clarify expectations and 
practical considerations that people need to know right away as they move it.

Some of these policies address:

Pets - People need to know whether they will be able to bring their pets. 
Details involving leashes, noise, behavior, etc. can be adopted or fine-tuned 
later, but surely people will want to know if there’s a limit on the number and 
type of pets allowed.

Parking - How many vehicles may a person park on-site? Will there be open 
parking or assigned parking spaces? What is expected if a person owns more than 
one vehicles?

Participation - In general, who is expected to participate in management and 
maintenance? Owners? Romantic partners?All residents?

Payment - How are dues calculated? When are they due? Who handles the money and 
financial reporting?

Personal Storage - Most people are seriously downsizing when they move into 
cohousing. Where can they store stuff short-term when they move in and where 
can they store stuff long-term?

Plants - Some folks will want to start planting around their homes right away. 
It’s a lot easier to protect building siding and neighborhood views at the time 
things are planted rather than waiting until the plants get big. Tip: There is 
no such thing as a dwarf tree or bush despite what the plant nursery assures 
you ;) !


These are some ideas for agreements that it’s a big advantage to have in place 
for move-in; plan on reviewing and updating them regularly. Happy Cohousing.

Ed

> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations      
> From: Diana Carroll (dianaecarrollgmail.com)
> Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 05:59:03 -0800 (PST)
> Ed Sutton says "I strongly recommend that cohousing groups undertake
> drafting clear and difficult policies before building and moving in."
> 
> We (Mosaic Commons, Berlin, MA) got this advice and followed it, and had a
> lot of policies around "hot topics" in place before we moved in, some even
> before we had land.
> 
> And...I can't really recommend it as whole-heartedly as others recommended
> it to us.
> 
> We spent a LOT of time and emotion on rules that turned out to be
> inapplicable to the site we found. We worked hard on compromises between
> people with strong feelings on multiple sides of issues -- and then some or
> all of the stakeholders in that issue didn't move in. We found paths that
> reflected the will of the group, and then the makeup of the group changed.
> And we completely failed to anticipate which things would turn out to be
> really controversial after move-in.
> 
> I guess I would say it's not a bad idea to get started on "hot topic"
> policies but don't spend huge amounts of time, energy and social capital on
> them like we did.  (It took us six months to decide on a pet policy that in
> the end didn't meet our needs after move-in.)
> 
> "Once a loving person has begun feeding feral cats, it is too late to write
> a pet policy."
> 
> We spent 6 months on a pet policy that didn't mention feral cats once.  It
> didn't occur to us.  So had this turned out to be an issue, we would have
> had to discuss it. It's just not true that it is "too late to write a
> policy" if you didn't address it before move-in.  Fortunately that
> particular thing hasn't been a problem for us, but it certainly could have
> been...you just cannot possibly anticipate all the things that turn out to
> be troublesome, so you *must find a way to deal with them in real-time. *
> 
> Diana
> 
> On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 8:28 AM Ed Sutton via Cohousing-L <
> cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> 
> > Takoma Village and Mosaic Commons have posted excellent examples of Rules
> > and Regulations.
> >
> > I strongly recommend that cohousing groups undertake drafting clear and
> > difficult policies before building and moving in.
> > Once conflicting parties have dug in their heels and people have taken
> > sides, it is very hard to establish a conflict resolution protocol!
> > Once a loving person has begun feeding feral cats, it is too late to write
> > a pet policy.
> >
> > In consensus process, procrastination can be weaponized and a history of
> > avoidance becomes the community precedent/common law.
> > And in many cases, once someone has purchased a home, the community has
> > little or no legal recourse to enforce community rules or consensus
> > decisions.
> >
> > It is very important that people considering moving to a cohousing
> > community read and agree to clear descriptions of expected behavior before
> > buying in.
> >
> > Ed Sutton
> > Eno Commons
> > Durham NC
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Message: 1
> > > Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2021 09:29:54 -0700
> > > From: pam gilchrist <pamgilchrist1 [at] gmail.com>
> > > To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> > > Subject: [C-L]_ Sample Rules and Regulations
> > > Message-ID:
> > >       <
> > CAA8jimd7Gfgnz49uvjinsGLef9w7b1Enzx6A8CyHkGgtRbYSog [at] mail.gmail.com>
> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> > >
> > > Sand River Cohousing is interested in seeing what other cohousers have
> > > developed for Rules and Regulations.
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------
> > >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations, (continued)
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46217.html> Ann Zabaldo, 
> February 21 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46218.html> Diana 
> Carroll, February 21 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46221.html> Mac Thomson, 
> February 22 2021
> Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46224.html> Ed Sutton, 
> February 22 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations Diana Carroll, February 23 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46227.html> Tom Smyth, 
> February 23 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46244.html> Elizabeth 
> Magill, February 23 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46234.html> Sharon 
> Villines, February 23 2021
> Re: Sample Rules and Regulations 
> <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/msg46229.html> Martie 
> Weatherly, February 23 2021
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