Cooperative housing provides long term secure tenancies.  Consequently, it is not easy to predict when a vacancy might occur. Many cooperatives have very little change in their membership.

However, cooperative housing in NSW is experiencing significant growth and we hope to be able to respond to the changing housing need in partnership with our member cooperatives and our stakeholders.  CENSW maintains a referral list on behalf of the sector. When a vacancy occurs, the Cooperative will contact people from this list who meet their membership criteria, to attend a selection interview.

As well as the criteria set by the Cooperative and CENSW, all applicants must meet the approved income and asset criteria.

To apply for cooperative housing, please follow the steps outlined below.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Should your housing needs be urgent, we strongly advise that you pursue applications with other Community Housing Providers who may be able to assist you with vacancies in the more immediate future. Most residents remain in Cooperative Housing for long periods and the number of vacancies available is low compared with other housing providers. A list of other Community Housing Providers is attached for your convenience.

STEP 3:

Make sure you comply with our requirements of eligibility.

STEP 4:

Kindly complete the application and return it to our office CENSW, PO Box 592, Darlinghurst NSW 1300.

Vacancies occur from time to time in the accommodation managed by Cooperatives, and CENSW does take on new properties. We will ensure that you are added to the referral list and we circulate that to Cooperatives to assist in their allocation of tenancies. You will see in our directory of housing cooperatives that they are located throughout the whole NSW. It would be helpful to know your preferred area of residence.