A Third Way Between Renting and Owning
A wooncoöperatie (housing co-operative) is a form of collective living where the residents are also the managers and, in some cases, the collective owners of their own building. It represents a 'third way' in the housing market, distinct from traditional renting and individual homeownership. In a co-operative model, the residents form a legal association that owns or leases the entire property. The residents are members of this association and pay a monthly contribution (similar to rent) to the co-op. This money is then used to cover the building's collective costs, such as the mortgage, maintenance, insurance, and taxes.
Subsidies and Support
The financial support from the government for this model is not a 'co-operative housing subsidy' for the individual resident. Instead, municipalities and the national government have created schemes to support the creation of new co-operatives. This support can include:
- Start-up grants to help new groups with the legal and financial planning costs.
- Favorable conditions for acquiring property, for example, by allowing a new co-op to purchase their building from a social housing corporation.
This approach aims to stimulate the growth of this alternative housing sector. The benefit for the tenant-member is not a direct subsidy, but access to stable, affordable housing where they have a direct say in the management and future of their own home. This remains a very small but growing niche in the Dutch housing market.
