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As you come to the end of your mortgage, or earlier, your housing co-operative may need to borrow new money. The property may need more work than the capital replacement reserve can fund. Or you may have been looking forward to updating the older elements of your buildings and units. Some co-ops

Almost all housing co-operatives that have received assistance under federal programs in Canada have, or once had, an operating agreement with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The CMHC agreements set out what each party is required to do during a term that varies from 30 to 50 years.

A residential building requires constant maintenance. Blame it on entropy.

There are caretaking tasks to be done daily or every few days, such as clearing snow, polishing the glass at the entrance, cutting the grass and cleaning the halls, elevators and laundry room.

Routine maintenance should

Good planning is the secret behind a building that doesn’t look its age. Without a plan, your co-op can’t know how much you’ll need to save for major repairs. Until you know this, you don’t know what your housing charges should be.

Your plan begins with a recent building condition assessment that

Sounds simple, but if every member uses less water, you can shrink your co-operative’s water bill, leaving more money for other priorities. Water rates may rise in future; now is the time to take action.

Are outdoor lights on sensors or timers? Has your co-op switched to LED lighting in your common spaces? Good investment! Not only will it use 75 to 90 % less electricity than incandescent, but the bulbs will last much longer.

Encourage your members to cut energy use too. They can turn down the

Grants and loans come and go, as government priorities change at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. Those that support environmental sustainability in not-for-profit housing are no different. Opportunities can change without notice, so when you discover one, go for it right away.

Even a modest property can look beautiful when it includes colourful gardens and mature trees. People will want to live there and the co-op’s neighbours will love you.

Some co-ops have generous outdoor common space with plenty of room for a community garden. Others were built almost to the lot line

Co-ops that care about climate change and want to shrink their environmental footprint should consider approving their own Environmental Sustainability Policy. A model is available from the Co‑operative Housing Federation of Canada. It was written so that you can easily remove any points that don’t

Early in 1992, the federal government announced the end of its last program for developing new housing co-operatives. One year later, the other federal housing programs came to an end. The federal Budget of 1996 offered control of these legacy housing programs to the provinces and territories, but