Housing

Co-operative housing providers…

  • Are affordable housing providers
  • Provide decent homes for key workers and first time buyers
  • Is a model of housing that pools people’s resources and builds strong communities
  • Puts tenants in control of their homes

Are affordable housing providers

In Australia and overseas, housing co-operatives have been effective financial managers of housing for decades because tenants have a sense of ownership and control in their management.

Provide decent homes for key workers and first-time buyers

Develop affordable housing to deliver new dwellings for key workers and other moderate income earners.

Is a model of housing that pools people’s resources and builds strong communities

The long-term involvement of tenants with their homes and their community is beneficial to people providing a sense of place and commitment. In addition, the skills developed in operating their own enterprise assist with confidence building that often leads to employment and a more varied income stream.

Puts tenants in control of their homes 

In addition to social benefits, housing co-operatives can deliver services effectively and efficiently while increasing consumer choice and control.

The co-operative housing model is highly diverse, but is first and foremost an ownership structure which can complement varying degrees of resident self-management, co-housing, co-design etc.

Do you want to start an equity housing co-op? Contact the BCCM.

Co-op housing in the news

At a time when affordable and accessible housing is out of the reach of many people and families, housing co-operatives are helping first-home buyers and key workers to access viable housing options. Housing co-ops also build strong communities around common goals and empower tenants to have a sense of ownership over their dwellings.

Housing examples

Co-operation Housing

Co-operation Housing

Umbrella organisation for housing co-operatives in WA, representing, supporting, advocating for and growing the WA co-op housing sector.
Established Year: 2010
Industry: Housing
Common Equity Housing Limited (CEHL) logo

Common Equity Housing Limited (CEHL)

CEHL is Victoria's largest Housing Association and is both a provider and developer of affordable housing. CEHL empowers people with co-operative housing models to build strong communities.
Established Year: 1985
Industry: Housing
Common Equity Housing SA

Common Equity Housing SA

Provides support services to housing co-ops run by members, resulting in strong communities, social networks and better outcomes for members.
Established Year: 2012
Industry: Housing
Common Equity NSW Logo

Common Equity NSW

Common Equity provides overall asset management of properties for housing co-operatives. It also provides training and resourcing for the co-operatives, negotiating and servicing of borrowings for growth, and is responsible for overall program administration and monitoring.
Established Year: 1985
Industry: Housing

PaRA Co-operative Limited

Supported accommodation for three young men using NDIS funding through SILC.
Established Year: 2015
Industry: Housing

Housing submissions

Housing Legislative Package

BCCM submission to Treasury on the Housing Legislative Package – Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023, National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023, and Amendment Bill 2023.
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth
Committee: Treasury
Submission Date: 11 Jan 2023

Housing supply diversity and affordability

The BCCM response to the Region Shaper of Housing supply diversity and affordability.
Jurisdiction: New South Wales
Committee: Greater Cities Commission
Submission Date: 26 Oct 2022

Tasmanian Housing Strategy Discussion Paper

Co-operatives can provide an innovative model of housing development that is nonspeculative and market-based.
Jurisdiction: Tasmania
Committee: Tasmanian Housing Strategy Discussion Paper.
Submission Date: 21 Oct 2022

Housing resources

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Housing the 'missing middle'

Housing the ‘missing middle’ – Limited Equity Housing Co-operatives can deliver advantages over private rental for those who cannot afford home ownership.
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Co-operative housing a preferred option for low-income older Australians

Research investigating older, low income households’ preferences for a range of alternative housing models and examining which would best meet their needs.
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BCCM’s Housing Blueprint

The BCCM is calling on all political parties to work with the sector to develop equity and share equity models of co-operatives housing that can give more Australians access to secure and affordable...
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Housing Cooperatives and the Cooperative Identity

A housing cooperative is a legal association formed for the purpose of providing housing to its members on a continuing basis.

The Nordic Edge: What Australia Can Learn from Nordic Countries

For many years, it has been said that the Nordic Countries have pioneered public policy and initiatives that have made them equal, happier, wealthier and more environmentally responsible. In Australia, the public discourse on work/life balance, climate change, mining taxes, independent and humanitarian foreign policy, prison reform, gender equality, retraining for workforce participation and media diversity have been highly partisan and often rancorous – resulting in the phenomenon of the “culture wars’’. Yet in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland this policy shift has been far more consensual across their political spectrum. Nordic countries have taken a “ja, we can’’ approach to these and other issues. Their experience shows that progress in these areas is not only possible, but that it can be achieved while increasing prosperity and community wellbeing. Watch this webinar from the Australian Institute of International Affairs (Queensland branch).