Housing co-operatives

This content applies to England only.

Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland

This section gives basic information about housing co-ops and how to get a place in one.

What are housing co-ops?

Housing co-ops are groups of people who live in and collectively manage their accommodation. This involves taking responsibility for arranging repairs, making decisions about rent and who joins or leaves the co-op. Living in a housing co-operative can be a good way to get affordable housing and may give you more control over where you live. It is usually most suitable for single people.

How do I get a place?

It can be difficult to get accommodation in a housing co-operative because this type of accommodation is quite rare and few vacancies come up. The way that vacancies are filled varies between different co-operatives. You could try:

• applying to the council's waiting list and asking to be nominated for vacancies in housing co-operatives
• contacting the council for information about local housing co-operatives and then contacting them directly

You may be able to set up a housing co-operative yourself. You'll probably need a certain number of other people to get involved as well as help with the legal aspects of setting it up. The Confederation of Co-operative Housing UK may be able to help.