As you would have noticed by now, STUCCO is cooperative housing, but what does this mean? It means that the members (residents) of STUCCO are responsible for various duties that need to be attended to, from rent to repairs. This is achieved through 4 committees and regular meetings. New members are assigned to a committee upon moving in, and are expected to take an active role in their committee as well as general STUCCO administration.

Each committee has its role to play in the effective running of the cooperative, meeting approximately once a fortnight to discuss various issues relating to their responsibilities.

Building & Maintenance are responsible for repairs, additions and maintainence to the building, and is a fun committee if you enjoy tooling around. The purchase of major items, contracting tradesmen for larger works and the general cleanliness of common areas are also taken care of by B & M.

Membership is the publicity machine of STUCCO, advertising for new prospective members, maintaining a list of these people and arranging interviews for them when a room becomes available. They also take care of new members and their lease, bond, etc.

Finance looks after the income and expenditure of STUCCO, such as petty cash and rent payments, dealing with the finer points of the workings of STUCCO.

Panda stands for Problems and administration, and oversees issues such as rent payments and meeting attendance. They also take minutes at meetings and deal with the rare conflicts that arise within units or within STUCCO as a whole.

Every 15 days a General Meeting is held and all residents are expected to attend. Issues relevant to the entire cooperative are raised and dealt with by concensus decision making, meaning that everyone gets to have their say. Each committee also makes a report so that everyone is aware of current developments and can offer suggestions or opinons. If you intend to try for a place in STUCCO, before you can be eligible you must have attended 3 meetings, and one of these must be a general meeting (see applying). This will give you a good idea of the people who live here and the way in which we operate the cooperative.

The STUCCO environment is very relaxed and open, and sometimes it can feel that you don't just share a unit with 3 or 4 other people, but you share a home with 37 others. It offers an alternative way of living, not being involved in the usual profit driven landlord/tenant situation but allowing you to take an active role in the running and the future of the cooperative. To the right person it can be a chance to develop some very useful administration and organisation skills, meet a wide variety of people and have a great time in the process.

Applying for Accommodation