Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Payment for Commonhouse use

[Peter Orbeton (peter.orbeton]

At Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm we addressed this, and I was the Treasurer
at the time. Issues were identical - insurance & reportable income.
Legally, under NH law, NN&F is a condominium association. Individuals using
our space must carry their own liability insurance and we do not charge a
fee, rather suggest a donation, which we do report as income. As long as
the reportable income does not exceed the IRS threshold for non-dues
income, there is no risk of losing our not-for-profit status.

Peter Orbeton
NN&F, A Condominium [two words are required by law]
Peterborough, NH

On Sat, Feb 14, 2026 at 12:25 PM Liz Ryan Cole via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

> Ask you tax people, but I am betting you can suggest a voluntary donation
> to a nonprofit without prompting tax or insurance consequences. (I’d love
> to hear what you learn).
>
> liz
>
> Liz Ryan Cole
> She/hers
> 802.274.1511 Mobile
>
> Planning Commission, Thetford, VT
> Pinnacle Project Cohousing
> Loch Lyme Lodge and Cabins, Lyme, NH
>
> I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a
> desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
> ― E.B. White
>
>
> > On Feb 14, 2026, at 12:08 PM, Bonnie Fergusson via Cohousing-L <
> cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> >
> > We do not allow events where people must pay a fee for this very
> reason.  Insurance costs are our biggest expense as it is.  Bonnie
> >
> >
> > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
> >
> >
> > On Saturday, February 14, 2026, 6:48 AM, Ruth Hirsch <
> heidinys [at] earthlink.net> wrote:
> >
> > Dear CoHo Neighbors,
> >
> > This question has come up for us:
> >
> > We would be glad to have our neighbor [ie, a Cohouser]  use the
> Commonhouse to hold workshops.
> > The. neighbor  would charge a fee for attending the workshops.
> > Someone raised the question of whether this impacts our insurance.
> > A call to our insurer revealed that if someone makes a profit for the
> use of the Commonhouse it would change the status of the Commonhouse ie,
> our cost will go up.
> >
> > Do you have events in your Commonhouse for which people pay a fee?
> > ?If/How are you doing this?
> >
> > Thank you for all input,
> >
> > Ruth
> > Cantines Island
> > A Family Friendly Community in the beautiful Hudson Valley
> > You are welcome to join us for a potluck!
> >
> >
> >
> >
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