This page has resources that will help you realise your cohousing dream. It also has policy and advocacy resources for decision-makers or for cohousing communities who may be approaching their local council or member of parliament.

We want to continuously improve these resources and so value your feedback. Also, if you have resources that you want to share email us at research@cohousing.org.au and we will be in touch about how best they can be used and shared with others.

This guide follows on from our earlier publication, Unlocking the Doors: Legal and Financial Pathways to Resident-Led Housing. It is designed to support prospective cohousing members through the planning stages of development, helping groups navigate practical steps and strategies for working within Australia’s planning system. The content is based on research and consultation with resident groups and experts in the field. The Guide is designed to be used as a practical workbook — a tool to test, adapt, and refine as your project evolves. The guide works best when used alongside the many helpful resources already available. Be sure to make use of the hyperlinks provided throughout the guide for further information, case studies, and state-specific resources—many of which are included in the appendix.

This guide is for people wanting to set up collaborative housing in Australia. It is based on research and consultation with resident groups and experts in the field.

You can download the guide Unlocking Doors Planning Pathways

You can view a summary presentation of the Guide Summary

We encourage groups to share their experiences and feedback so that future editions can continue to improve and reflect the collective knowledge of Australia’s cohousing and collaborative housing community.

Please send feedback to planningpolicy@cohousing.org.au

In this study we investigate whether it is feasible today for a non-subsidised co-operative model of housing to deliver affordable and secure tenure housing for moderate income workers. A segment of our society who are increasingly priced out of ownership throughout great swathes of urban and regional Australia.

With a particular focus on “missing middle” income cohorts who are not able to access social and affordable housing, or afford premium Build To Rent, we look at how “limited equity” housing co-operatives, which work successfully throughout Europe in cities like Zurich, and Vienna, as well as North America in cities like Toronto and New York, could be adopted as an affordable housing solution in an Australian context.

We also explore the cost of including cohousing features such as common rooms for collaborative activities. This helps explore the question of the dollar value we place on community spaces in an inner city urban environment and who should foot the bill?

We hope the findings and questions posed through this work spark a conversation about how we can practically create a new housing solution (a “third way” or “middle ground” between ownership and rental) for this critical and increasingly financially stressed segment of Australian society.

This report was made possible by the Business Council of Co-operatives & Mutuals (BCCM) via a Bunya Fund grant.

Download the report.