Solving the Tiny House Tenure Trap
For too long, living in a tiny house meant living in a legal grey area – renting an isolated backyard mudpatch or accepting a crowded RV parking lot with no long-term security, proper hookups, or reasonable privacy.
Big Calm changes the game. As one of Canada’s first equity-based tiny house community cooperative, we will provide Statutory Ownership. By buying a share in the Cooperative, you aren’t a tenant – you are a co-owner (and steward) of the entire unzoned 37-acre property.
(Disclaimer: This is not yet an offering for sale. Any such offer can only be made after filing a disclosure statement.)
True Co-ownership
This model provides the legal protection of a traditional mortgage with the flexibility of a more minimalist lifestyle. By cooperating, we pool resources, escape the bank, and achieve what’s difficult to do alone. It is a smarter, more secure way to build equity in million-dollar land without the million-dollar price tag.
Statutory Ownership
Secure occupancy rights protected by the BC Cooperative Association Act.
Fixed Monthly Costs
No predatory rent hikes; operating fees are cost-recovery based.
VTB Financing
Accessible entry – especially for younger members – through co-op backed financing up to $50k of your equity.
Managed Assets
As co-owners, co-op members can share in income from guest-stays, market produce, and other endeavours.
Breaking the Housing Mold
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Pioneers:
Big Calm will pioneer the use of the Co-op Act for tiny house communities in Canada. -
Market Demand:
Over 75% of tiny house owners cite “land security” as their #1 concern. -
Financial Security:
Cooperative land ownership is one of the most stable forms of real estate tenure globally.
Cooperative Questions
What is cohousing? What is an equity cooperative?
Cohousing creates neighbourhoods that combine the autonomy of private dwellings with the advantages of shared resources and community living. Residents own their individual homes, which are clustered around a “common house” with shared amenities.
Per CCN, cohousing groups are based in democratic principles that espouse no ideology other than the desire for a more practical and social home environment. Residents participate in the planning, design, ongoing management and maintenance of their community, meeting frequently to address each of these processes.
The majority of housing cooperatives in Canada are non-equity co-ops, which exist to provide secure, affordable housing to their members.
A smaller number of housing co-ops, such as Blueberry Commons, Hearthstone Village, and soon Big Calm, are equity co-ops – sometime referred to as “strata cooperatives” – in which a member is able to accumulate equity and sell their unit back to the cooperative or to an approved new member upon departure.
In both cases, the co-op is incorporated under the Cooperatives Act which provides a framework for functions and governance. Like all co-ops, housing co-ops adhere to the seven core cooperative principles:
- Open and voluntary membership
- Democratic member control
- Member economic participation
- Autonomy and independence
- Education and training for members
- Cooperation with other cooperatives
- Concern for the community
Will I own my specific pad?
You will own a share in a new Cooperative corporation, with title, that grants you an exclusive right to occupy a specific pad/site within a co-owned 37-acre property.
What if I want/need to leave?
Your share is a capital asset. You can sell it to a vetted member on the waitlist, capturing any growth in the community’s value.
Is this like a strata?
Similar, but better. Co-ops focus on community benefit and have more control over who joins, ensuring values stay aligned. It is not a subdivision or a seasonal RV park.
How will it be governed?
We’ll initially use a Bicameral Structure whereby major financial/asset decisions, such as taking on large debt, requires a special resolution that must pass the Founders and three Foundation members.
Operational/Community Decisions, such as regarding the garden, quiet hours, or common house use are decided on a one-member-one-vote basis across all members. We use Sociocracy as a tool – that is, decisions are made in pre-determined “Circles” by those most affected and most expert in that domain.
