Search
All in This Together at Abiwin Co-operative
As the pandemic moved into high gear in Canada, businesses were closing and employees were sent home; a new normal was taking hold. It quickly became clear to the staff and members of the Abiwin Co-operative that they should support each other during this difficult time.
Abiwin is home to members
12 Tips to Keep Your Units Full
Fill Your Units
You can never get back the money you lose when a unit stands empty. Whenever a member gives notice, it’s important to get the word out, which is usually the responsibility of the manager. As soon as a prospect gets in touch, your co-op needs to follow up promptly. Otherwise, they will go elsewhere.
Get Paid
Your co-operative is in the housing business, not the lending business. It has bills to pay and a building to keep up. You should keep this in mind when members don’t pay on time.
If a household doesn’t pay what it owes and moves out, the co-operative is left with a bad debt, which will have to be
Your Environmental Sustainability Policy
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
Update for Post-1991 ILM Co-ops in BC and Alberta
We are happy to share the news that CMHC has changed its position on surcharges for post-1991 ILM Co-ops in British Columbia and Alberta.
CMHC previously decided that co-ops in the program must continue to collect a surcharge if they have an operating agreement, even though their ILM mortgage has
Model Investment Policy
What is Business Continuity Planning?
Business continuity planning is the process of developing strategies aimed at reducing the impact of a disruption to normal business operations. The goal of business continuity planning is to ensure that, even during a disruption, a co-operative’s business operations can continue at a reduced but
Keeping an eye out for fraud
It’s an unfortunate reality that fraud can happen in any organization, including housing co-ops. While instances of fraud are rare, prevention is key which is why financial auditors check and report on internal financial controls through the annual audit process.
Catching fraud early is vital, so we
Tip of the Month
Management Trend
The trend to hire management companies continues. 58% of co-ops hire management companies, compared to 28% that employ independent staff as their managers.