Different types of housing co-ops

Da5nsy — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:34:11 GMT

change order to match intro text

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	In terms of what a housing co-operative can be, both short life co-ops and TMOs are halfway between a Radical Routes-style housing co-op and traditional renting, in that tenants have more control over their housing than in traditional renting, but there is still a landlord with ultimate control over the property. As well as these options, new models are emerging such as [https://www.lilac.coop/ LILAC (Low Impact Living Affordable Community)], which combines an element of buy-in and renting.		In terms of what a housing co-operative can be, both short life co-ops and TMOs are halfway between a Radical Routes-style housing co-op and traditional renting, in that tenants have more control over their housing than in traditional renting, but there is still a landlord with ultimate control over the property. As well as these options, new models are emerging such as [https://www.lilac.coop/ LILAC (Low Impact Living Affordable Community)], which combines an element of buy-in and renting.

	The ~~RRFM14~~ (Radical Routes Fully Mutual 2014) housing co-op model rules are a template set of model rules registered with the FCA, that only permit fully-mutual, par-value, in common ownership, and managed by General Meeting. For this reason, we only focus on this style of housing co-op in this toolkit and some sections of this toolkit may be less relevant to other models. We suggest contacting [https://www.cch.coop/ Confederation of Co-operative Housing], [https://cohousing.org.uk/ UK Cohousing], [https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/ National Community Land Trust Network] or [https://www.communityledhomes.org.uk/ Community Led Homes] to find out more about other forms of Community Led Housing.		The [https://file.catalystcollective.org/s/AxSRsQQTWH595oZ RRFM-14] (Radical Routes Fully Mutual 2014) housing co-op model rules are a template set of model rules registered with the FCA, that only permit fully-mutual, par-value, in common ownership, and managed by General Meeting. For this reason, we only focus on this style of housing co-op in this toolkit and some sections of this toolkit may be less relevant to other models. We suggest contacting [https://www.cch.coop/ Confederation of Co-operative Housing], [https://cohousing.org.uk/ UK Cohousing], [https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/ National Community Land Trust Network] or [https://www.communityledhomes.org.uk/ Community Led Homes] to find out more about other forms of Community Led Housing.

	===Short Life Co-ops===		===Short Life Co-ops===
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	In the past short life co-ops were sometimes formed by squatters who agreed with the owner to stay for a length of time or to make improvements to the property. Since squatting in residential buildings has been criminalised this is now much less likely to happen.		In the past short life co-ops were sometimes formed by squatters who agreed with the owner to stay for a length of time or to make improvements to the property. Since squatting in residential buildings has been criminalised this is now much less likely to happen.

			===Buy-in co-operatives===
			These are co-ops where members have to buy a share of the property in order to join and sell that share when they leave. This can be either outright or with a mortgage so is much like the open property market, except that the co-op can choose only to sell to people who fit in with their community's membership requirements. Most likely this will mean committing some time to working or participating in that community. There isn't a sponsoring body for this type of organisation but there are examples like [https://glenkerry.org.uk/overview Glen Kerry Cooperative], and [https://www.oldhall.org.uk/about-us/ Old Hall Community].

	===Tenant Management Organisation (TMO)===		===Tenant Management Organisation (TMO)===
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	If you plan to buy a house and live together as a co-operative, but the group has not lived together before, you might consider renting a house and operating as a TMO before taking the plunge. It may be possible to rent a large house as a group at a cheaper rate than if each person were to rent a room separately. The co-op also gets a base from which to plan your next move.		If you plan to buy a house and live together as a co-operative, but the group has not lived together before, you might consider renting a house and operating as a TMO before taking the plunge. It may be possible to rent a large house as a group at a cheaper rate than if each person were to rent a room separately. The co-op also gets a base from which to plan your next move.

	~~===Buy-in co-operatives===~~
	These are co-ops where members have to buy a share of the property in order to join and sell that share when they leave. This can be either outright or with a mortgage so is much like the open property market, except that the co-op can choose only to sell to people who fit in with their community's membership requirements. Most likely this will mean committing some time to working or participating in that community. There isn't a sponsoring body for this type of organisation but there are examples like [https://glenkerry.org.uk/overview Glen Kerry Cooperative], and [https://www.oldhall.org.uk/about-us/ Old Hall Community].

Being a landlord (at the same time as being a tenant)

Da5nsy — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:32:15 GMT

add link to RRFM14

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	Managing the property, finances, and people in a co-op can be a lot of work. Some co-ops set out the minimum commitments for co-op members in a "membership agreement", which outlines how much every member needs to put into helping the co-op function smoothly. This helps the co-op to make the responsibilities clear when members are applying to join. It can also be a useful reference when there are disputes between members about workload.		Managing the property, finances, and people in a co-op can be a lot of work. Some co-ops set out the minimum commitments for co-op members in a "membership agreement", which outlines how much every member needs to put into helping the co-op function smoothly. This helps the co-op to make the responsibilities clear when members are applying to join. It can also be a useful reference when there are disputes between members about workload.

	Not all co-ops have a membership agreement, some cover these responsibilities in their policy documents or secondary rules instead. Most co-ops refer to members' obligations in their tenancy agreements, and may explicitly state that breaking the membership agreement can be grounds for expulsion. It is important that the co-op is allowed to terminate a tenancy for any reason (as long as it is agreed by General Meeting). This is explicitly covered by the 'new' set of model rules from 2014 (RRFM-14), but if your co-op is still registered on the 'old' set of model rules from 1996 (RRFM-96) then this is not clearly defined in the rules.		Not all co-ops have a membership agreement, some cover these responsibilities in their policy documents or secondary rules instead. Most co-ops refer to members' obligations in their tenancy agreements, and may explicitly state that breaking the membership agreement can be grounds for expulsion. It is important that the co-op is allowed to terminate a tenancy for any reason (as long as it is agreed by General Meeting). This is explicitly covered by the 'new' set of model rules from 2014 ([https://file.catalystcollective.org/s/AxSRsQQTWH595oZ RRFM-14]), but if your co-op is still registered on the 'old' set of model rules from 1996 (RRFM-96) then this is not clearly defined in the rules.

	== Tenancies ==		== Tenancies ==

Radical Routes Toolkit - Recent changes [en]

Different types of housing co-ops

Being a landlord (at the same time as being a tenant)