Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: short term rental policies

[Fred-List manager (fholson]

Stuart Pettygrove <gspettygrove [at] ucdavis.edu>
is the author of the message below.  It was posted by Fred of
the Cohousing-L management team <cohousing-l-owner [at] cohousing.org>
after pasting the text in the attachment below. Cohousing-L does not
distribute attachments.

--------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------

Attached is the Washington Commons coho rental policy approved by members
in 2020. We are very close to the start of construction - 35 single level
condos, 4 stories -- all in one building.  We currently have 27 member
households. No renters yet, but likely to have a few, as some of our
members intend to live part of each year in another location.
Stu Pettygrove
Washington Commons Cohousing
West Sacramento CA

-------------------- Text of the attachment -------------------------
Washington CommonsRental Policy
[Proposed 3/6/2020, rev. 4/3/2020, Approved 4/5/20]

>From time to time, owners may find the need to temporarily rent part,
or all, of their individual unit. Renting units provides for economic
diversity and potentially brings new ideas and energy to our
community. A policy governing rentals at Washington Commons follows.

1. At any given time, at least80% of all units (28/35) shall be
occupied by owners. The intent of this policy is to limit rental to
equal to or less than 20% (7 units or less), at any given time. In the
event of special circumstance or hardship,the community Homeowners
Association (HOA) may review and approve additional rental unit
requests.

2. In the event of a room rental, where the owner remains in
residence, the unit shall be considered owner-occupied and shall not
be included in the 7‐rental unit cap. The rental policy does not
apply to situations where owners do not charge rent in making their
homes temporarily available to friends, family or caretakers.

3. A minimum one-month rental length is required to limit turnover and
reduce workloadon community with respect to integrating renters into
our space.

4. The maximum rental term for each unit is one year. If the HOA and
all parties agree, the term can be renewed for the next year or a
fraction thereof.

5. Units that have not been rented in the previous 5 years shall have
priority over units that have been rented when considering the
7‐rental unit cap. For the purpose of selling out the project,
unclaimed units shall have the highest priority when considering the
rental cap. If several owners are competing for limited rental slots,
the unit with the least recent rental shall be given priority over
more recently rented units.

6. The rental unit owners are responsible for educating and informing
their tenant of Washington Commons rules and agreementsthatapply to
the renter, at the time of renting. Renters are strongly encouraged to
participate in the community as appropriate. In addition, renters may
be asked to take the self‐directed questionnaire, “Are We A Match
–Washington Commons and You”. Rental unit owners shall have a
written lease or rental agreement with each tenant, which requires the
tenant to acknowledge receipt, reading and acceptance of all community
bylaws, guidelines and community principles as a condition for
tenancy. The owner shall supply a copy of the lease or rental
agreement to the HOA.

7. Rental unit owners will notify the HOA of intent to rent and
receive confirmation that rental unit allocations are available. The
owners will notify the HOA of new tenants, arrival date, length of
stay, and plans for participation.

8. Rental unit owners are responsible for payment of HOA fees and for
meeting or adjusting community obligations.

9. Rental unit owners are responsible for tenant management in the
event of problems, eviction and other issues. Rental unit owners are
responsible for any damage to common areas caused by their tenants.A
tenant's violation of the community rules shall be considered a
violation of the community rules by the Owner and shall be handled as
such.

10. “Home exchange” is considered a rental,and all rental policies
in this document apply.

11. Under special circumstances as noted above and as they arise, the
HOA may grant exceptions to this policy.

12.This policy will be reviewed periodically and, if needed, amended
by the HOA.

13.Any federal, state, city, or county regulations that contradict any
of the above rules or HOA decisions will take precedent and supersede
any Washington Commons rental rules and/or Washington Commons HOA
decisions.