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Managing Your Business
Housing co-operatives are small businesses formed to provide housing for their members. They prosper best when they are fully occupied and members pay their housing charges in full and on time.
A housing co-op is not a complex business, but it takes work to keep it going. As the steward of your
Protect Your Assets
Your co-op has three main assets, although only one appears on the audited financial statements.
Your money and buildings
Protect your co-op‘s property by buying the right insurance in the right amounts. All housing co-ops need five kinds of insurance: property, loss of housing charges, public
Your Operating Agreement
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.
Province of BC Provides $2 Million to Assist Low-Income Co-op Households
Date
5 December 2016
Up to 300 low-income co-op households will benefit from the BC government’s $2 million in assistance to make their homes more affordable. This funding will bridge the shortfall resulting from expired federal operating agreements.
The provincial funding is intended to support co-ops whose federal
Tips for keeping your co-op cybersafe
Date
14 May 2024
As everything in our world becomes increasingly digital, and more business activities move online, the importance of thinking about cybersecurity grows.
And not just for big organizations. Even housing co-ops can be targets for cyber criminals.
Is this something you’ve talked about at your co-op?
Make Better Decisions for your Housing Co-op with Data-Driven Reports
Date
21 May 2024
Co-op members serving on the board of directors have a big responsibility. They’ve been entrusted to make decisions, but knowing how and why to make certain decisions isn’t always easy.
To make well-informed choices, it’s important to have all data and facts in front of you. And that same
A New HomeRun for Co-ops
Date
4 July 2024
Do you ever wonder how your co-op is really doing? You know your buildings, your books and your members better than anyone, but getting a bigger picture through comparison can be an incredibly powerful tool.
That’s why we built a website we called HomeRun for Agency clients. It uses data collected
In Arrears? Who, Me?
Date
15 October 2024
A director is in arrears when they owe their co-op money. Simple. Easy to understand.
In the old days (B.A.: Before the Agency), many co-ops saw things differently. Back then, a director who had signed a repayment agreement might not count as being in arrears. If they were keeping up with their
Tip of the Month
Vacancy Loss
The number of Agency clients reporting vacancy losses of more than $250 per unit per year has fallen 50% since 2007. While vacancy rates are local, these numbers show good management.