This page is for people who are thinking about applying to live in a housing co-operative.
Why live in a Co-operative?
The main advantage of living on a Co-operative estate is that tenants and leaseholders have a large say in how their estate is run and managed, since they themselves are involved in running it. For more information about living in co-operative housing generally, see the Confederation of Co-operative Housing’s report: Bringing Democracy Home.
Here at ERHC, all of the tenancies are secure like any other Council tenancy. The properties on the estate are owned by Lewisham Council but are managed by the tenants themselves. The co-op employs staff to do the work that would normally have been done by the Council’s housing staff.
For a co-op to work, residents have to get involved. The co-op has several committees to oversee various aspects of management that you can join. For more information, see the Co-op Committee page.
How to apply for housing
To be housed by us you must have registered with the London Borough of Lewisham for social housing. You can find more information and an application form on the council's Applying for Social Housing webpage. We advertise any vacant flats through Lewisham Council's Find Your Home service, however only about five properties a year come up for reletting. For information about the types of property we have, see the Properties page. The co-op does not provide temporary or sheltered accommodation.