Grouphousing

Grouphousing is a housing arrangement in which multiple individuals share a residence and participate in its management and daily life. It encompasses a range of models, from informal house shares to formally designed co-housing communities and housing cooperatives.

Most grouphousing arrangements provide private living quarters for each resident and common spaces such as kitchens, dining areas, lounges, bathrooms, and sometimes gardens or laundry facilities. Residents typically negotiate leases or ownership arrangements and participate in governance through meetings or committees that decide on rules, chores, and budgets.

Co-housing is a notable form of grouphousing, emphasizing resident-driven planning and intentional community design, with features such as private dwellings arranged around shared facilities and a participatory decision-making process. Other forms include group rental arrangements or property ownership by a cooperative.

Economic aspects include shared or distributed costs; rents may be lower per person than single-occupancy units in the same market, and some groups pool resources for groceries or maintenance. Financing may involve individual leases with a single landlord, cooperative mortgages, or community land trust arrangements.

Benefits and challenges: potential for social support, shared caregiving, and environmental efficiency; challenges include interpersonal conflict, privacy concerns, management workload, and the need for effective governance structures.

Policy and planning: grouphousing intersects with housing policy, urban design, and tenancy law. Some programs support cooperative housing or co-housing through subsidies, loan programs, or zoning exemptions. Research on outcomes emphasizes community ties, affordability, and resident satisfaction.

Related terms include co-housing, housing cooperative, and shared housing.