ACHA celebrates an important achievement for the Australian Co-operative Housing sector, with Common Equity NSW (CENSW) finalising a – a landmark agreement that sets a new benchmark for stability and partnership in co-operative housing.
This long-term Headlease provides the strongest level of security of tenure the NSW co-op housing sector has ever had, and it forms the foundation for the newly signed 20-year Co-operative Partnership Agreement between CENSW and member Co-ops.
Throughout the development process, Homes NSW acknowledged that a standard Headlease could not fully reflect the distinctive shared-management model that Co-ops and CENSW deliver. Their team worked closely with CENSW to tailor an agreement that properly recognises both the work of housing co-operatives and the Co-operative Housing Program as part of the wider community housing landscape.
As Homes NSW’s a/Director, Property Access and Performance, Lisa Brincat notes: “Housing Co-operatives have a long and proud history within the community housing sector, built on principles of shared responsibility, connection and tenant-led management … It was vital that we took the time to reflect the importance of Co-operative Housing within our agreement, ensuring we continue to support the strong communities and positive outcomes that this model has delivered for decades.”
This is a powerful recognition of the value co-operatives bring to housing in NSW, and a win for the entire co-operative housing movement across Australia.