Community doesn’t have to mean commonhold

I understand that the leases and transfers are not overly prescriptive and decisions are made by group discussion and agreement. 

There is a working group for the grounds, food and cooking, estate management and finance. There are no paid employees and the residents try to carry out as much of the maintenance of the buildings and communal spaces as they can with each resident expected to contribute to the community according to their skills and capacity. Hannah, a resident who was kind enough to show us around the community and share some of her insights on cohousing, explained that the older members of the community are likely to have more time and experience to contribute and that younger members are likely to have less time but a greater ability to carry out physical tasks.

There are monthly working party days where residents come together to carry out gardening and maintenance and communal meals organised and cooked by the various cooking groups who volunteer on specific days.

There are guest rooms for family and friends to stay and a communal laundry, teen space and sitting room. 

When asked if there is an issue with residents behaving poorly, Hannah said that this was rare and that enforcement action is not generally necessary. The main concern is generally residents who want to enjoy the benefits of the community without taking on any of the work or giving up any of their time.

When asked what the children in the community might enjoy most Hannah said the sense of freedom and to always have someone to play with. For the older generation, often the most affected by loneliness, Hannah cited company and a sense of belonging. Hannah mentioned that mundane activities, such as taking out the bins, can often take half an hour as residents stop to chat to each other.

There are of course occasional issues such as toys being left around and children being noisy, but as a community these issues are discussed and addressed collaboratively, and anti-social behaviour is rarely an issue.

There seemed to be no suggestion that the mixture of freehold and leasehold tenure created any issues. The development has been going for over 7 years and the gardens, whilst looking well loved, do not appear neglected or uninviting and there was scaffolding on one of the buildings, so it appears maintenance is being carried out. The buildings and facilities appeared well maintained and managed.

In my view, the issue with community living is not the flaws in leasehold but the willingness of the residents to share responsibility for the cost and work involved in living in a shared community as well as enjoying the benefits.

Lucy Riley, Legal Director, Nockolds and a member of ALEP (Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners)