BESONDA IS A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY BUILDING CO-OP HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN BC!
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DISCOVER WHY PEOPLE ARE SWITCHING TO SHARED EQUITY CO-OPs.
We are in good company...
Rents Keep Rising, But Coops Are Still Getting More Affordable
If you have been looking for the right time to get out of the rental market but can't see your way to home ownership, join us for a free session to learn about coops.
Cost of Renting
over 40 years
Cost of Owning
over 40 years
Coop Cost
over 40 years
Savings vs Renting
over 40 years
Elevating Renting: Your Path to Community
Are you ready to step into a new era of housing cooperatives? Look no further than Besonda – where innovation, and community converge to redefine how we live, connect, and thrive together.
A major factor affecting your rent or mortgage payment is the way the market system gradually moves most of the money toward investors.
Besonda develops not-for-profit housing cooperatives that offer housing at the best possible prices for co-op members. Our model does this by:
- using goverment funding to get low loan rates,
- collaborating with cities to get concessions on density and waivers on fees,
- asking socially minded investors and future residents to make investments keeping the developer profit with the members,
- streamlining the real estate transaction costs
Customize
As a steward of your home, you have the option to adjust the appliances, wall colours and renovate the space to better reflect your identity.
Security and Stability
Stay for as long as you pay your housing charge and follow the rules.
Savings over Time
Unlike rent, your housing costs will rise only a little over time.
Community
We prioritize community in our building design and governance.
Our friends over at Hey Neighbour are making the case we can have community in multi-family if we design it right.
Stability
Stabilize your housing cost.
Pets
Well behaved pets are welcome.
Your Voice Counts
As a co-op member you participate in making decisions about the building.
Quality
Sound proofing, air quality and efficient buildings.
Community
Housing that supports built-in community.
A Home
Long term stability and the ability to adapt it to your needs.
Safety
We design safety into our building.
Retirement Points
Use your share of the financing repayment to lower your housing charge.
Also a Property Developer
In order to make it affordable for you, we act as the developer. This allows us to channel the majority of what would be developer profits into equity in the building.
We access high ratio financing through government programs to reduce the funds that need to be invested by the co-op members.
Founder's Vision
Have you ever dreamed of living in a vibrant community where you feel empowered, secure, and truly at home? A place where your rent contributes to your own wealth, not just someone else's?
As the founder of Besonda, a revolutionary housing model built on shared vision and community, I'm here to tell you that dream can become a reality. Back in 2004, witnessing the struggles of friends trapped in unsustainable rental cycles ignited a passion in me to find a better solution. Inspired by the cooperative movement, I envisioned a model that addressed not just affordability, but also long-term stability, shared ownership, and a true sense of belonging.
Besonda is more than just bricks and mortar; it's a thriving community where residents share decision-making, and the financial benefits. Unlike traditional rentals, the extra rent you pay goes towards building long-term equity for the community, not lining the pockets of distant investors. We believe in creating a system where housing empowers, strengthens, and unlocks a brighter future for all.
Ready to learn more about how Besonda can transform your living experience? Explore our website, hear from our residents, and join us in building a more equitable future for housing.
Long Term Financial Implications
Our simulations based on the past 25 years of rental, interest rates and sock market returns show that over the long term the best financial model is to stay in a co-op and invest the difference between market rents and what you pay in the stock market.
Non-Capitalist Solution to the Housing Crisis
In this informative video "About Here" explains how housing cooperatives are able to provide more affordable in the long term.
Our Model
The "Land Trust Model" has a decades long track record of providing affordable, stable, and community-driven housing across Canada, the US and Europe. Besonda is not a radical experiment, but rather a proven model adapted to the unique needs of British Columbians.
The Land Trust Legacy:
- Decades of Success: Improved affordability and fostered vibrant communities in diverse locations! Their proven ability to offer long-term stability and financial security makes them a reliable foundation for Besonda.exclamation
- Focus on Affordability: By non-profit land trusts, we ensure housing costs remain significantly lower than traditional options. This benefit extends to future generations, locking in affordability for years to come.
- Strong Communities: Co-ops go beyond affordability, cultivating a strong sense of belonging and shared ownership. Residents actively participate in decision-making and share resources, creating a supportive and collaborative environment that fosters well-being.
Besonda: Building on the Legacy:
While honoring the model's core principles, Besonda is tailored to BC's specific needs:
- Adapting to Local Context: We're exploring innovative financial structures, selection processes, and community initiatives to ensure the model maximizes affordability and inclusivity within the BC landscape.
- Addressing Unique Challenges: We understand the housing challenges specific to BC communities and are committed to developing solutions that directly address them.
- Community Focus: Besonda prioritizes resident engagement and empowerment, fostering a strong sense of community that goes beyond just shared housing.
A Proven Approach, a Localized Solution:
By leveraging the established success, Besonda offers a reliable and proven path to affordable, stable, and community-oriented housing in BC! We're not reinventing the wheel, but rather adapting a successful model to fit the unique needs of our communities.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions about our company.
While you don't have legal title of the unit, you own shares in a coop that operates the coop and are involved in many ways an owner would be:
- Participate in cooperative decision making about the finances, bylaws, and property maintenance.
- Have security of tenure, as long as you follow the rules, are a good neighbour and pay the housing charges you can live their for the life of the building.
- With permission you can customize your home by painting the walls, installing appliances that you like and making other improvements.
While you don't make any money on increase in land value while you live in the co-op, our financial modelling based on the last 50 years of financial data shows that if you invest the difference between ownership and rent in a stock market index your financial gains will be similar.
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