Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Best Legal Structure for CoHo

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

John Willson   Cascade Cohousing   Hobart, Australia
JOHN.WILLSON [at] DELM.TAS.GOV.AU is the author of this message but due
to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
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>Hello,  we at the Charlottesville,VA Co-Housing group would like advice on
>the best way to legally structure our cohousing project.  We are aware of a
>number of ways, but which is best?
>
>1) Cooperative
>2) Joint Corporation
>3) Joint Venture/Limited partnership
>4) Condominium
>
I suspect the Cooperative option or Condominium option are preferable.  At
Cascade Cohousing in Australia we looked we breifly looked at the options
and decided on the Australian equivilent of condominium legal structure for
when we are completed.  This was chosen as it offers the greatest
flexibility for the owners and banks understand the structure.  While
developing the site we are structured as a joint venture.

There are a number of cohousing groups structured as cooperatives.  This is
arrangement works will if the individuals involved whish to have that type
of structure.

I think a corporation structure is complex and more expensive to administer
and is not suited to a people based housing structure.  A joint venture
requires members of the group to have a high degree of trust in each other
as there is more risk to each individual by actions of other individuals.

John Willson
Cascade Cohousing
Hobart, Australia



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