Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Rules & Regs Violation--or how to orient the new folks

[Bonnie Fergusson (fergyb2]

   This whole story brings up the interesting issue of
how we orient or don't orient guests, temporary
residents, potentially permanent new residents,
renters, housesitters, friends and family, to the
plethora of peculiarities whether they be formal
rules, customs, or design oddities in our cohousing
communities.  In our community we have been doing a
lousy job with that and the result has been much
brouhaha when newbies of various stripes violate the
norms they didn't know existed.  I recently undertook
to write a 1 page sheet (printed on both sides) we
could hand to guests which illuminates many of the
rules, norms, issues which have led to upsets in the
past.  I'm currently on version # 12 since everyone
has been wanting to add or subtract bits but hopefully
we will end up with such a page soon which people can
hand to guests, housesitters, renters, etc. to give
them a fighting chance at least to stay in good odor
with the neighbors. 
               Bonnie Fergusson
              Swans Market Cohousing
                Oakland, CA  


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