The main aims of the coop are:
- Build secure (cooperatively owned & managed) eco-homes
- Build a long-term, multigenerational community
- Support others to build cooperative housing
You can read our full purpose and values and values document.
The Build
We started as a few friends with a dream that became a big exploratory group of friends in 2020, which has slowly refined to a smaller group as the project has gotten more specific. We are now constituted as a coop with 6 adult members. We meet weekly to progress the project, usually over dinner at one of our houses. We all take on the work of the project, each with different skills to bring.
Our financial model
Our model builds on and improves the existing rental cooperative
business model. We explain it in full here.
The headlines are:
- Make affordable housing accessible to people who both have saving or accumulated wealth and those whose contribution to the coop is through rental income over time.
- Avoid members’ getting stuck in the co-op if they’d rather move on.
- Saving – withdrawable shares model to allow coop members to save through housing.
- Take housing off the speculative housing market in perpetuity
- An expansionist mission. Use capital accrued to build more coops.
Our rules and policies
The members of Furze set our own rules and policies governing how the co-operative works. Some of these cover broad values and principles while others cover specifics of how we operate such as rent levels and conflict mediation procedures. Here are a selection of the policies we have agreed so far: