Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Legal agreements + info on Cascade CoHousing

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

I am working on a Cohousing Resouce Guide which will include pointers 
to legal documents. If you would be interested in helping other groups 
find legal stuff, send me a message sometime with what you find out 
about legal docs. I would add it in the resources section and would 
like  group name, type of legal doc, where to call or write for copies 
and what it costs.

You can get copies of the Sharingwood Cohousing groups legal documents for $25
from Sharingwood  22020 East Lost Lake Rd. Snohomish, WA 98290

They are a " Air space condominium" which is specialized form of 
American condo. I don't know if this would be of much use to you. It 
sounds like you want copies of a limited partnership agreement, or some such.
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From:  <netmail!IAN_HIG [at] antdiv.gov.au>
To: Rob Sandelin
Subject: Legal agreements + info on Cascade CoHousing
Date: Wednesday, December 01, 1993 7:30PM


I am a member of Cascade CoHousing in South Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
and am interested in obtaining copies of legal agreements, body 
coporate rules,
constitutions or what ever you call the agreements that determine decision
making, ouwnership and financial matters from cohouses anywhere in the
world (so long as they are written in English).  I am interested in reading
complete documents, draft documents or even just thoughts on what should be
in a legal agreement. I am interested in how people divide up the capital
costs, maintanence costs and running costs (including common meals) between
owners and other residents.  I can provide copies of the
Cascade CoHousing legal agreement to anyone that wants it.

I am also interested to hear from people involved other cohouses in Australia,
and am willing to share information and experiences and even promotional
materials.  If we know of each others existance we may for example to be
able to mention each other anytime one of us gets national media and thus
make more efficient use of our efforts.  Does anyone have a list of all the
cohousing (or similar) groups in Australia.  If one does not exist then I
am interested in compiling one.

For those who have not heard of Cascade CoHousing a quick summary follows.

Cascade CoHousing has been operating for some three years and started
building houses some 14 months ago.   Five houses out of fourteen are now
complete and two others are under construction.  The common house should
have a roof by christmas (if the weather is kind to us).  We have subscribed
(sold) 10 out of our 14 sites and thus have four sites still available. 
 A share
in Cascade CoHousing costs about $31,000 and includes servicing to your
house site, share of the 250 square meter common house, carparking,
landscaping and legal costs.  South Hobart is 5 minutes by car and 10 minutes
(downhill) by bike from the centre of Hobart and has a reasonable bus service
(if you work 9 to 5).

Cascade CoHousing has also sought to build energy
effecient houses and engaged local solar-architect Detlev Gnauk to do a lot
of the design work.  All the houses incorporate some aspects
of passive solar design and are reasonably well insulated.  Residents
have tried to consider the environmental impact of their choice of
building materials, but final choice remaines with individual owners.
The common house is being built by residents (there are
working bees every second weekend).  The common house includes laundry,
bathroom, kitchen, dining/recreation area, two quiet rooms (for guests
meditation, office space or whatever), childrens room and a workshop.


We currently own the property "in common" but will be stratum-titling
the development on completion.  Common ownership has necesitated the writing
of a detailed legal agreement defining how decisions are made, how people
buy in and sell out, repayment of bank loans, what will be part of
the common property, how much the owners of a house of a given size have
to pay for a site and the like.  We have yet to draw up our body corporate
rules, or decide how maintanence costs, common meals and the like are to be
paid for.

We have a weekly common meal that is held in the home of the week's cook.  The
meal is very popular and we look forward to a functioning common house so that
we can have common meals more than once a week without over-crouding someone's
private house.

I can supply more details on Cascade CoHousing to anyone on request.


Regards Ian Higginbottom