Cohousing-L Mailing List: Use of common area for child care?

[David Heimann (heimann]

Hello Everyone,

	At our place several families with small children have hired a 
caregiver to take care of their children (and some neighboring ones) in 
the kids' room of our common house.  While it's been working out well, 
recently someone raised an issue about potential liability, especially of 
the condo association, should something happen to either a child or the 
caregiver while this is going on.  There's also a possible issue of 
someone carrying out a commercial activity in a residential space.

	Have other cohousers on this list had experience with hiring 
caregivers for their children, with the care taking place in the common 
areas?  What legal, liability, insurance, or other issues have you run 
into and how (or whether) you were able to address them?

	On the other end of the spectrum, while it hasn't happened yet, it 
seems that hiring a caregiver to take care of one or more dependent adults 
(elderly, disabled, etc.) in the common areas would lead to similar 
issues, so has anyone had to or has addressed the similar issue there?

        Thanks for any information you can share.

Regards,
David Heimann
JP Cohousing