At, A Fairer Society and ReThink Community, we’re leading the charge in this transformation. By introducing innovative concepts like co-housing and alternative HMO models, we’re reimagining what it means to live in a community. In this blog, I’ll share my thoughts on how these new approaches are reshaping the property landscape.

Read or watch when I caught up with David Price on the True Life Business Show…

What is Co-Housing?

Co-housing is not just a housing model; it’s a movement towards intentional living. Unlike traditional housing, co-housing communities are designed and managed by the residents themselves, with a strong focus on sustainability, shared resources, and communal living.

Co-housing typically involves a group of like-minded individuals coming together to create a living environment that fosters connection and mutual support. These communities often feature smaller private homes with larger shared spaces, where collaboration takes precedence over isolation.

And Co-Living?

The Urban Twist

While co-housing is centred around intentional communities building and owning their community, co-living brings this concept into the urban rental market, making it accessible to a wider audience. Co-living is a response to the challenges of urbanisation, such as the high cost of living, cost of housing and the increasing sense of disconnect.

There’s a saying… Lonely in a city of millions and this has been truer than today.

Co-living spaces typically offer smaller private rooms with extensive shared amenities like kitchens, lounges, and recreational areas. This model particularly appeals to young professionals who prioritise affordability and community over traditional notions of ownership.

The Key Differences Between Co-Housing and Co-Living

Though co-housing and co-living share similarities, they are distinct in their execution. Co-housing communities are often self-managed and deeply rooted in shared values, while co-living spaces are usually developer-driven, catering to individuals seeking convenience and a sense of community within an urban environment. In my view, co-housing is about a collective vision, while co-living is more about making urban living more accessible and less isolating.

Alternative HMO Models: A New Approach to Shared Living

One of the most exciting innovations we’re introducing is the concept of alternative HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) models. Traditional HMOs often lack a sense of community and can prioritise profit over people. Our vision is to change that by incorporating cooperative principles into the HMO framework. In these alternative models, tenants are encouraged to take ownership of their living space—not in a financial sense, but through governance and day-to-day management. This approach fosters a sense of belonging and responsibility, which is often missing in conventional rental arrangements.

Creating Intentional Communities in Urban Spaces

A key aspect of our strategy is the creation of intentional communities within urban co-living spaces. This involves carefully selecting tenants who share similar values and lifestyles, ensuring that the community is cohesive and supportive. The process begins even before the tenants move in, as we facilitate introductions and help potential housemates align their expectations and living styles. By doing so, we aim to eliminate the anonymity and disconnect that often plague traditional HMOs.

Benefits for Property Investors

For property investors, our alternative HMO model offers a unique opportunity. By adopting this community-focused approach, investors can reduce void periods, as tenants are more likely to stay longer in an environment where they feel connected and valued. Additionally, the cooperative model reduces the burden on landlords, as tenants take on more responsibility for the upkeep and management of the property. This creates a win-win situation where both landlords and tenants benefit from a more sustainable and harmonious living arrangement.

The Future of Co-Living and Intentional Communities

As urbanisation continues to shape our living environments, the demand for innovative housing solutions will only grow. Our vision for co-living and alternative HMO models represents a significant shift towards more humane and sustainable living arrangements. By prioritising community, intentionality, and shared responsibility, we are not only addressing the housing challenges of today but also paving the way for a future where urban living can be both affordable and fulfilling.

Conclusion

At A Fairer Society and ReThink Community, our work is a testament to the power of reimagining traditional systems. As we look to the future, it’s clear that concepts like co-housing and co-living will play a crucial role in creating more connected and sustainable communities. We invite you to join us in this co-living revolution and help shape the future of urban living.

Join our community!

Click here to check out our Co-Living projects and get involved

Help to spread the word about Better Places to Work. Follow, like and share our mission across social media.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• YouTube

The post Co-Living: How We’re Transforming the HMO Landscape appeared first on A Fairer Society.

Getting your mind, attitude and outlook aligned so you can immerse yourself in an approach that most people will tell you won’t work or is too hard is why we created the ReThink Community.

Believe us. It’s not impossible. That is what this blog lays out for you, it delves inside the community and what you’ll get out of it so you can be 100% in or out…

The community to help create “Your Community”

We have a tried and tested process of bringing together people interested in cohousing, a resident-led intentional community. 

When you arrive at joining, there will likely be doubts about how to make it. That’s natural. The house-building process is a minefield of complexity, and one you won’t want to approach alone. We break it down. We will help you explore what you need to know in the correct order, and the time saved by doing this will be one of the most valuable decisions of your life. 

You might even decide all this is not for you and go and buy/rent another home. That is priceless.

One step at a time, starts with you.

First thing first, you have to spend time on yourself. You have to explore yourself, then your household and the lives you currently live and compare them to how it could be if you got what you wanted or needed. 

Sounds easy! But it’s not, because what questions do you ask yourself? What problems are you experiencing that can be changed or made better? 

Let’s find the others that think like you

Once you’ve spent time looking at the problems and solutions out there, you have to be sure you find others in the same boat as you. 

The strength drawn from those like you will help you to keep going and support one another in some of the more wobbly phases when creating, building and owning homes together. 

Think of these steps like a dating service. First, we bring you together for the first date by profiling your wants, needs and purpose. Then, by providing places to meet and get to know each other, you can work out whether you go on the second and third dates! Then you might start a relationship. 

In terms of what we do, we know it will cut out time-wasting and even more so getting to an advanced stage and realising the people around you aren’t the right fit.

So, why join the ReThink Community? What will you get?

• A feeling of togetherness, it’s essential to be connected and more than just an online community; we support and help members create in-person meet-ups.
• Q&A sessions with the experts who bring our process to life, the professionals. Those who design, plan and build a sustainable living solution with a foundation in One Planet Living principles.
• We lead live workshops and training for you as a member to support you in creating your community. 
• Added value content + resources, like legal, financial and marketing support. Proven solutions that aren’t conventional but much more human. They exist. You don’t know it yet.
• Mini Courses, checklists and worksheets help simplify your journey and achieve your goals more quickly. But most importantly will help you connect and engage with others in the Community.
• Once you’ve joined, we help you create your blueprint for your home, including location, which starts fueling our land search.
• And the cherry on the cake — Exclusive access to land opportunities. Without this, the rest is a fruitless exercise and will drain away energy.

You have access to a private online Community where you and we can share stories and inspire each other’s journey. When we take care of ourselves first, everything else falls into place effortlessly! 

So if you’re looking for a safe place where like-minded people can connect & learn together, then this is it.

Online & In person

Online Community is everywhere now, and we spend a lot of time in groups on social media or other virtual spaces with people who share our likes and interests. 

But in-person meet-ups also work well; they are crucial to your success in working out who you would or wouldn’t want to live with in the future! The meet-ups allow strong bonds to be formed.

We also work with a network of community organisations to help you find locations to meet and local ambassadors who support the meet-ups to run smoothly. They can be as formal or informal as you like.

Live Q&A sessions

Live Q&A sessions are a great way to connect with experts in the field and learn more about their work. You’ll get inspired by the professionals who can make all this a reality. They also dream of creating resident-led communities. They are tired of the same old churned out. You are their energy. You can submit questions before, during, or after the event. 

These regular rituals will highlight and go through the ten principles of One Planet Living, showing real-life solutions in action.

Co-Create- community workshops

These sessions focus on the principles of Community and how you want yours to look, feel and operate. There are many working parts to bringing a group of people together. We will address these from our own experiences and those living this way. 

Here’s how:

• Participation is essential, but you can only truly participate if your voice is heard and taken seriously. We show you how and provide the tools and expertise to learn and implement this approach. This means you make decisions together and therefore don’t waste time.

• It’s essential to know and understand how to run your meetings. As a part of the ongoing learning, we support anyone who wants the opportunity to get experience by facilitating some of the sessions, We’re there to support this and co-facilitate. 

Why might this community not be for you?

If you’re actually quite happy where you live and how you live, then it’s unlikely you’ll get much from the community. 

You don’t like challenging yourself or changing much, if it sounds like too much effort it’s not for you.

You’re prepared to put up with what you have as you feel like it would be hard work, you certainly need to commit to doing something, we take away the tough tasks and professional work, but you still need to show up. So if that’s too much, you won’t get anything from the community.

Join our community!

The mainstay of any online community is a place where you can share your story and learn new ideas from the comfort of your own home or while you’re on the move.  Our community spaces have both access via desktop or mobile browsers and an app.

Everything we’ve discussed starts with a free online community. This can rise to £15 a month if you choose to learn and get access to the professional support needed to bring these projects to life.

If you go a bit further, then there are other costs associated with designing and building homes – but we deal with all of this in the ReThink Community. We also have opportunities for those looking at co-living – an alternative to HMOs.

We work hard on helping those conversations flow with simple guidelines so you know what to post about and how to engage and find your people, and we’re there every step of the way. 

We promise to be present, engage and support every step of the way. We are a community of people who are passionate about learning and doing. We have a track record of helping people learn new things. 

1. Learn more about yourself through our Better Places to Live Quiz. 
2. Then, complete one of our upcoming Bootcamps or Challenges and consume some of our blogs before you jump in. 
3. We’ve also got a Buyer’s Guide, which contrasts and compares how you can achieve this resident-led approach to house building, so no stone is left unturned.

If you do all this, we can be sure you’ll hit the ground running and be ready to take action when that perfect piece of land surfaces.

The foundation to real success in the quickest time possible is your mindset and belief there is another way.

So be in the game, contribute to making this happen, and start now!

Join the ReThink Community now

Help to spread the word about Better Places to Work. Follow, like and share our mission across social media.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• YouTube

The post Everything you need to know about our ReThink Community appeared first on A Fairer Society.

Communities are a great way to live sustainably. This blog will highlight co-op housing examples that help people live in an environmentally friendly way while getting to know their neighbours and building social connections.

Co-op housing is a great way for people to live sustainably together.

Co-op housing and ecovillages are excellent ways for people to live sustainably together. They’re a great way to build community. And with the right mindset, it’s also a perfect way to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health.

We also love One Planet Living, an initiative by Bioregional. They’re helping people, organisations, communities, schools and cities to live more within their means. It’s estimated that we need 3 planet resources to sustain ourselves, based on how we live, so how do we reduce our consumption and still live happily and healthily?

Blending the 10 one planet living principles with co-housing and ecovillages is certainly proof there is another way.

Here are five co-housing examples that are doing their bit:

Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland

Findhorn Ecovillage is a community of 80 people, built on permaculture principles. The Ecovillage serves as an inspiration for other communities across the world and was the first to be registered as a charity.

Findhorn Ecovillage has been in existence since the early 1970s and continues to grow incrementally each year with new dynamic additions such as the Findhorn Foundation’s recent investment in solar power installations across their site and plans for further renewable energy generation systems.

Lammas Ecovillage, Pembrokeshire

Lammas Ecovillage is a community of 75 people living on a farm in Pembrokeshire.
It’s a cohousing scheme, meaning that the residents live in houses but share facilities such as gardens, kitchens and meeting rooms.

The community has grown over time from just eight people to its current size, with many more joining each year. It has grown organically because the founders set out to create something they’d want to live in themselves – which meant being open to new ideas and welcoming new members as they came along.

LILAC Co-housing, Leeds

LILAC – Low Impact Living Affordable Community is a co-housing community of 20 eco-build households in West Leeds. The homes and land are managed by residents through a Mutual Home Ownership Society, a pioneering financial model that ensures permanent affordability.

Sharing is at the heart of this co-housing community because they believe and can prove that it reduces their impact on the planet.

The scheme was designed and built using a straw bale panel system, so the natural materials enable the homes to capture heat and keep the homes at the right temperature depending on the time of year.

There is solar-powered energy created on-site, mechanical ventilation keeps the air in the buildings of high quality without needing to open the windows, plus there is an allotment, car sharing and tool sharing.

BedZed, London

BedZed is a scheme in South London, UK. It was designed by ZEDfactory architects and built-in 2002 as part of the One Planet Living initiative to help make London more sustainable. It’s a beacon for zero carbon living worldwide.

The development is made up of 100 homes that are owned by their residents, who also share four lifts and a communal laundry room (the only space shared between all of the residents).

In addition to these features, BedZed has a community centre with meeting rooms where residents can hold parties or workshops; it also has an allotment for growing vegetables for its members’ use. It’s not the purists cohousing community, but it was created in partnership with Bioregional as they put into practise their 10 principles for One Planet Living. The residents after moving in have continuously reported how their lives are better and within their community they action things that make their lives better.

Lancaster Cohousing, Lancaster

The multi-award winning Lancaster cohousing community at Forgebank consists of private homes, community facilities, workshops/offices/studios and shared outdoor space.

There are around 65 adults and 18 children. They eat some meals together, make their decisions by consensus, and enjoy meeting neighbours in a pedestrian street and the Common House.
The homes meet Passivhaus and Code for Sustainable Homes (level 6) standards, and benefit from renewable technologies (solar, biomass and hydroelectricity).

Living at Forgebank also enables residents to live a lower impact lifestyle in many ways e.g. through travel plan and car club, cooperative food store, shared meals and other shared resources.

There are many different cohousing schemes throughout the UK, and each one has its unique approach to sustainable living. We’ve chosen five of our favourites to highlight here, but there are many more out there.

So if you’re looking for somewhere to live with a sustainable community vibe, why not check out one of these amazing projects? Or take our Better Places to Live quiz and see what you’d include in your cohousing community.

What can you do to improve your life and your community?

The first step is to take our 1 minute quiz. Simply answer 9 questions to see if you need a Better Place To Live.

You’ll be scored on the following; A home that meets your needs, a community and neighbourhood that works with your day-to-day life and is friendly to the earth.

Help to spread the word about Cohousing, Better Places to Live and creating A Fairer Society.

Follow, like and share our mission across social media.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

The post Co-op housing 5 UK examples that are working for One Planet Living appeared first on A Fairer Society.